Code of Conduct

The intent of the Georgia Park Elementary code of conduct is to establish guidelines for acceptable conduct to maintain a safe, caring, and orderly environment conducive for learning. All students are subject to the school's code of conduct while on school premises and during school activities off of school grounds. 

Georgia Park Elementary School operates with the belief that all students have the right to learn. To do so means that each student works towards and within a climate that is safe, positive, productive and respectful. A corollary to this is the belief that each teacher has the right to teach within the same climate.

Georgia Park Elementary School has adopted a code of conduct which reflects both our mission and our discipline philosophy. The majority of students behave responsibly most of the time. Some students, however, may make poor choices in their judgment of what is acceptable behaviour. The school code of conduct is designed to teach students that there are expectations for appropriate behaviour at school and to help them recognize behaviours that are unacceptable.

Conduct Expectations

The staff of Georgia Park Elementary School believes that students wish to be successful learners and positive young citizens. In order to facilitate positive student behaviour, Georgia Park Elementary School has developed routines to reinforce acceptable student behaviours. These routines include:

• Inclusion of the behaviour expectations and the school wide behaviour matrix
• A week-long review, at the beginning of the school year, where teachers implement lessons around school wide expectations. During this time students will also learn about using their WITS. (Walk away, ignore, talk it out, seek help)
• Visible signage in key areas that highlight expected student behaviours
• Classroom codes of conduct developed by teachers and students

Acceptable Conduct

Students are expected to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner at school, while going to and from school, and while attending any school function at any location. This includes:

• respecting self, others and the school
• helping to make the school a safe, caring and orderly place
• informing a “tellable” adult, in a timely manner (in advance, if possible) of incidents of bullying, harassment or intimidation
• engaging in purposeful learning activities in a timely manner
• acting in a manner that brings credit to the school

Unacceptable Conduct

These behaviours are examples only and are not an all-inclusive list.

• •Behaviours that:
  • demonstrate a lack of respect for other students, staff, parents, school (facility, inclusive of computers and the school/district network) and the community
  • interfere with the learning of others
  • interfere with an orderly environment
  • create unsafe conditions
• Acts of:
  • bullying (inclusive of cyberbullying), harassment or intimidation
  • physical violence (or threats of physical violence)
  • retribution against a person who has reported incidents
  • Discrimination as set out in the BC Human Rights Code.
• Illegal acts such as:
  • possession, use or distribution of illegal or restricted substances
  • possession or use of weapons
  • theft or damage to property

Members of the school community will be held accountable for actions that contravene the Human Rights Code. Examples of discrimination include, but are not limited to: race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, marital status, family status, physical or mental disability, age, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression.

Additionally, any activity that violates a local, provincial, or federal law is prohibited

Rising Expectations 

At Georgia Park Elementary School, as children become older, more mature and move through successive grades we expect:

• increasing personal responsibility and self-discipline
• increasing consequences for inappropriate behaviour

Consequences

At Georgia Park Elementary School, we believe that the severity and frequency of unacceptable conduct as well as the age and maturity of students needs to be considered in determining appropriate disciplinary action. For example:

• responses to unacceptable conduct are carefully considered, consistent, and fair
• disciplinary action, wherever possible, takes into account the needs of the student(s) and/or the school community
• some situations may require a suspension from school
• students, as often as possible, are encouraged to participate in the development of meaningful consequences for violations of the established code of conduct