The Citizenship Expectation
No one has the right to interfere with the learning, safety or well-being of others.
Make Your Day at Desert Hills is a school-wide program to encourage students to become aware of how the choices they make affect themselves and others. Choices and reflection are an essential part of creating citizens that demonstrate respect, responsibility, and integrity.
Make Your Day Program Highlights
The information teachers give so that your child can make informed decisions during the lessons about behavior and participation
Students begin each point period with zero points (points are "earned" not "lost"). Your child has the opportunity to earn points by choosing to do what is expected the best that he/she can
Your child may articulate directly with another student a concern he/she may have if that student directly interfered with your child's learning, safety, or well-being. The teacher facilitates this process
Your child may need your help at school if he/she makes a choice that severely interferes with another child's learning, safety, or well-being or interferes with the teacher in his/her instruction.
At the end of each day, your child does closure by assessing his/her choices and if he/she has made his/her day. If a child does not make his/her day, then congratulate him/her for taking responsibility for his/her choices. Then sit down to talk about choices for the next school day. Help him/her set behavior goals. The "I Didn't Make My Day" slip that goes home is a communication tool. It gives you the information you need to have this discussion. It does not mean your child failed.
Behaviors to Get You to Step 1 and Adjusting Your Points (bothering others)
Talking while teacher is giving instruction
Talking while you should be working
Not keeping hands/feet to yourself
Not coming into class quietly
Behaviors to Adjust Your Points (only hurting yourself)
Not walking safely
Not on task
Out of seat
Not doing class work
Not giving best effort
Procedures for Inappropriate Behavior
Students are aware that behaviors interfering with the learning, safety, and well-being of others are monitored and adjusted through Steps. While on Steps, students may mentally review their behavior, think of alternative choices, and make a decision to rejoin the group.
If a student's behavior interferes with the learning, safety, or well-being of others, they are privately asked to take time facing away (less than five minutes) from the current activity in order to think about their interfering behavior. If a student is able to verbalize to the teacher the inappropriate behavior and indicates a readiness to return to the learning environment, he/she returns to his/her seat.
If a student continues to interfere with learning or safety while on Step 1, the student is privately informed that he has chosen Step 2. Step 2 is standing, which is a kinesthetic cue that the student's circumstances have changed. After a brief time, if the student is able to verbalize the inappropriate behavior and indicates a readiness to return to the learning environment, he returns to Step 1 to fulfill the expectations for that step.
If a student continues to interfere with learning or safety on Step 2, he is informed that he may choose Step 3 which is to continue standing while focusing on the school rule (NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO INTERFERE WITH THE LEARNING, SAFETY OR WELL-BEING OF OTHERS), or choose Step 4 which is a parent conference.
Steps 1, 2 and 3 follow in succession. (A student may not go to Step 2 or 3 without starting on Step 1.) Likewise, the student goes back from Step 3 to Step 2, to Step 1, back to class, in that order.
If a student chooses to continue interfering behavior while on Step 3, they are asked to call their parents for a conference at school. The student will take a Citizenship Referral slip to the office and call his parent to arrange a conference (call monitored by office staff). The student will remain out of class in a partner classroom, sitting on Step 1 until he has the opportunity to have a three-way conference between himself, his parent, and the staff member.
A student advances to Step 5 if he is unable to gain self-control or engages in extreme behaviors while waiting for a Step 4 parent conference. At this point, an administrator or designee will determine the outcome for the student.
Steps are implemented without showing anger, blaming, or moralizing. The teacher uses a quiet, businesslike tone when addressing students.