School gives behavioural advice to students and parents
Woy Woy South Public School has issued behavioural guidelines to both students and parents for "when things go wrong at school".
"We have spent many years working hard to set a strong set of age-appropriate expectations for student behaviour," said principal Mr Matt Barr.
"We have had great success, based on our well-known principles of Respect, Responsibility and Relationships.
"Part of this success has been the strong relationship we have formed with our families and the consistent messages we have delivered to our children about what is considered acceptable behaviour.
"Could I request that parents and carers reiterate that students are required to solve problems by speaking politely and seeking assistance from the teachers - as soon as an incident occurs?
"Additionally, please remind children that inappropriate language will never be acceptable."
"Your approach as a parent when your child has difficulty at school makes a huge difference to their resilience and their ability to effectively deal with similar situations in the future.
"It also helps them maintain positive future relationships with their teachers and peers."
Mr Barr provided a three-point checklist as a guideline: Stay calm and rational, get all the facts, and assess whether to go to the school or not.
"It's natural as a parent to protect, or defend your children, particularly when you think that they've come in for some unfair or poor treatment," he said.
"Acting when you are full of emotion is usually not a good option.
"Rather than getting on the phone or email or storming up to the school, take your time to think through how you might assist your child.
"Once you've calmed down, then get the facts about the situation.
"It is our job as parents and educators to help kids process what has happened in an incident, so that all the facts emerge and they understand their place in any problem. "Sometimes this is difficult and may mean telling kids things, that at the time, they do not want to hear.
"Kids, like adults, like to vent and in some situations may benefit from having their side of the story told to a trusted source.
"Often problems can be dealt with at home, simply by talking through an issue and giving kids some common sense tips on how to cope.
"The skills they develop from situations like this will prepare them well for dealing with situations as teenagers, in early adulthood and in future workplaces, when they will need to address circumstances on their own."
Mr Barr said: "Children of primary school age are by nature, highly egocentric, meaning they often recall situations purely from the perspective they want it viewed from, and this is very normal.
"When schools are aware of an incident, it is often at this time that they will contact parents to ensure that they are made aware of the facts and details.
"It is important to recognise that no teacher enjoys calling a parent with potentially bad or upsetting news, and that the sole purpose of their contact is to find a quick and fair outcome for your child."
Mr Barr said the three-point guideline was "essential to the ongoing success and harmony of our school".
SOURCE:
Newsletter, 2 Mar 2023
Matt Barr, Woy Woy South Public School