Discipline Policy
2016-17
This document is planned to be a comprehensive guide for principles, policies, and procedures within the school. It is a work in progress. Please study the document carefully and apply the policies thoughtfully. These policies and procedures will be reviewed each year by the leadership team with input and feedback from all staff.
Discipline is a process of trying to understand and cultivate oneself. It involves working to live a principled and purposeful life. Discipline involves integrating one’s own thoughts, words, and actions and bringing them into harmony with the needs of other humans. Therefore, all adults in the school must consistently help and guide students to become disciplined. To support this aim, each classroom teacher must develop expectations, procedures, and rules so that the classroom is a secure, constructive, and pleasant learning environment. In fact, many procedures and rules can be developed with input from students. Teachers are expected to model all aspects of the learning process and disciplined behaviour. They must communicate their expectations clearly, and enforce rules fairly and consistently.
Every teacher must develop clear expectations or essential agreements in consultation with students. These expectations are to be posted clearly in the classroom and reinforced regularly.
Please refer to the student diary for details about school rules and examples of commendable behaviour and indiscipline. Some additional expectations within the classroom are listed below:
- All students should stand up to greet the teacher at the start of the period and stand up to thank the teacher at the end of the period.
- Students must use the toilet between periods, during short break, or during lunch; in case of emergency, only one student may leave the classroom at a time.
- Students may drink water during class, but they may not refill the container during the lesson.
- Student should push chairs under the desk and straighten the desks before leaving the classroom.
- Students should turn off lights and fans before leaving the classroom.
- The class teacher is primarily responsible for instilling self-discipline and responsible behaviour in the class by
- Guiding and supervising the work of monitors
- Overseeing the records of monitors
- Counseling and imposing consequences on students who violate expectations/essential agreements
- Class teacher and class monitors will meet once weekly toul>
- Analyse violations and make strategies
- Follow up on consequences
- Draft resolutions for students’ parliament/council
- Enforcement of consequences
- As a team, monitors will counsel classmates to improve behaviour
- The class teacher will implement the school discipline policies as stated in the diary
Any disciplinary actions should arise naturally from the misbehaviour. For example, if a student abuses a privilege, then that privilege can be taken away. Or, the student can be asked to set right any harm from the misbehaviour. Furthermore, teachers should counsel students and give them a chance to reflect and make amends. Teachers should use the diary to inform parents about misbehaviour.
The nearest responsible adult should handle any disciplinary issues and enforcement of consequences. In case of serious or repeated indiscipline, the class teacher and then the coordinator should also be involved with information to the principal.
As a consequence of misbehaviour, students may be detained at school under supervision. For C1-C5, detention will usually be during PE, free play, or after eating lunch, supervised by the teacher who has assigned detention. For C6-C10, detention may be held after school from 3:30 pm to 4:30 pm, supervised either by the concerned teacher or assigned staff.
Under no circumstances will any teacher use corporal punishment, humiliation, taunts, or sarcasm. Students should not be sent out of the classroom unless they pose a threat to others. Students should not be given imposition, such as writing a sentence 100 times.
The service project is a chance for students to make the school a better place. It can be used as a team building or leadership activity. Or, it can be used as a consequence of a student’s indiscipline.
- The service project should have the following qualities
- A major task, involving effort, thought, and time (i.e. hours not minutes)
- A student’s initiative, based on his/her own reflection about what should be done; the student should think and then give his/her proposal in writing
- A task that can be observed and evaluated by others; the student must write a report and get it signed by the adult who supervised
- An effort that will make the school a better place in which to study, learn, and grow
- Examples of service projects are:
- Create a soft board (4 ft x 4 ft) to promote an important message. Decorate it and make it attractive and informative.
- Clean or tidy up an area of the school for several days (after school hours). For example, arrange desks and chairs in several rooms, wipe down the walls, help clean bowls and brushes in the art room, etc.
- Perform a puppet show or skit during assembly to convey an important message.
- Help a teacher to prepare teaching materials (after school hours). For example, sharpening pencils, cutting chart papers for an activity, creating teaching aids, etc.
- Make greeting cards to be used when any classmates are sick.
The school encourages and recognizes good discipline as much as it discourages and counteracts indiscipline. Thus, the coloured card system records four categories of behaviour: blue, green, yellow, and red.
- Blue card: highly commendable acts in which a student demonstrates leadership in discipline and benefitting others
- Green card: commendable acts in which a student shows initiative in exceeding discipline expectations
- Yellow card: indiscipline in which a student fails to fulfil expectations or procedures, or there is danger of harm to himself or others
- Red card: serious indiscipline in which a student actively harms himself and/or others
Green and blue cards will be in the form of certificates kept with coordinators. Yellow/Red card is shown below. Yellow/Red cards will be available from the coordinators; each card must be accounted for. The movement of the yellow/red card is shown in the flow chart.
- Teacher observes misbehaviour or indiscipline.
- Teacher chooses appropriate action and then fills yellow/red card (in duplicate).
- Teacher takes signature of coordinator (and if needed, counselor/detention in charge)
- Teacher gives original card to student for signing by parent.
- Teacher keeps carbon copy until action is completed and until student brings back signed original.
- Teacher collects signed original from student, and gives carbon copy to student for his/her information.
- Teacher carries out actions and records completion on original.
- Teacher gives signed original to class teacher for filing and recording in behaviour record
- Teacher observes commendable behaviour
- Teacher fills green/blue card (in best handwriting) with details clearly stated
- Teacher takes signature of coordinator (and/or principal)
- Teacher gives green blue card to class teacher for recording in behaviour record
- Class teacher gives green/blue card to assembly in charge for distribution in group assembly
Darushifa Campus
Behind Salar Jung Museum
Hyderabad TS 500024
Reception: 040 - 2440 4060 / 85228 30520
Accounts: 72070 15060
Timings:
Weekdays: 07:20 am - 03:30 pm
Weekends: 08:00 am - 02:00 pm
Sunday: Closed
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.focushighschool.org
Location
Noor Khan Bazaar Campus
Beside Get Well Clinic,
Hyderabad TS 500024
Reception : 040 - 2456 5070 / 95735 77110
Accounts: 73306 66017
Timings:
Weekdays: 07:20 am - 03:30 pm
Weekends: 08:00 am - 02:00 pm
Sunday: Closed
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.focushighschool.org
Location
Purani Haveli Campus
Opposite to Commissioner of Police,
Hyderabad TS 500024
Reception: 040 - 2938 7502 / 89789 97980
Accounts: 89789 97984
Timings:
Weekdays: 07:20 am - 03:30 pm
Weekends: 08:00 am - 02:00 pm
Sunday: Closed
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.focushighschool.org