Behavioral Expectations

Behavioral Expectation Specific Interest Group: includes parents, P.E. coaches, school administration, and school counselors who will collaborate on developing effective cluster-wide behavior norms for students, parents, teachers, and principals; emphasize respect and consideration; and involve parents in the education of their children. Our objective is to develop a workable behavioral norm that is positive, realistic, and can be implemented.

Cluster-wide vision: All students will have an opportunity to realize their full academic, social, and physical potentials in an inspiring, supportive and secure environment. There is consensus that students who feel safe and secure in their learning environment are in a better position to achieve.

Students are expected to apply the golden rule and show consideration for others, as well as adhere to all school and classroom rules. Bullying - physical, mental, or cyber - is totally unacceptable, as is the taking of someone else’s property (even a pencil) or defacing school property. Consistency of message from K - 12 is vital; as are similar core values throughout the cluster.

Research-based character development programs, with supporting curriculum, will be utilized throughout the schools in the cluster. Professional staff will collaborate on the actual programs, which will be consistent in the overall core values, but vary based upon the age of the students. The Behavioral Expectations SIG will be a forum for discussion and ways to weave core value themes into the curriculum.

Age-appropriate positive reinforcements will be part of the program. The importance of our core values will be promoted on campuses using signage, banners, and posters – many designed by ASB and art students, on cluster and school websites (including "character quality of the month"), and in the student planners.

There will be consequences for students who make 'bad choices'. The behavioral expectations, along with the discipline policies, will be communicated to students and parents. A “Parent Expectation” document will be developed so they are 'involved" in encouraging appropriate behavior (such as parents ghosting their children at school for a day -- versus an at-home suspension where kids play video games and watch television).

February 2013 update: Correia is actively taking a stand against Bullying! The Walk with Power organization made an Anti-Bullying, Anti-Drugs, and Anti-Gangs presentation. The San Diego Police Department SafteyNet group talked to students about cyber safety, cyberbullying, and online predators. Play-it-Safe provided self-defense training. The English Department is partnering with Point Loma High School's Anti-Bullying Club to present their ideas in March.

January 2013 update: During the week of January 14th, Dana students will participate in the "Great Kindness Challenge" to increase the culture of kindness. Students will be given a checklist of 50 suggestions to help them perform many acts of kindness. Items on the checklist http://www.greatkindnesschallenge.org/School/event.html include:

Compliment five people
Sit with a new group of students at lunch
Recycle your trash
Entertain someone with a happy dance
Walk or bike to school instead of driving
Say good morning to 15 people
Design a "thank you" for the Dana Association
Make a wish for a child in another country

January 2013 Update: Dana’s character development program uses “The Four Agreements”, written by don Miguel Ruiz, to build upon the elementary school core characteristics. The Four Agreements are:

1. Be Impeccable with your Word Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the Word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your Word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don’t Take Anything Personally Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won’t be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don’t Make Assumptions Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse, and regret.

May 2012 Update: Pt. Loma High School revised its Home-School Compact, expanding upon the responsibilities of students, parents and the school. Many of the ideas came from the Dana and Correia compacts. Over a period of three months, the respective responsibilities were reviewed, modified, and approved by SSC, ASB, Pointer Association, and Teachers. The compact has been shared cluster-wide so that each school can incorporate any relevant concepts into their respective compacts.

April 2011 Update: Pt. Loma High School recently created a bullying committee. PLHS Counselor Jody Kissin, along with other faculty, a few students, and a bullying consultant, have created a program to educate fellow teachers and students about the issue of bullying at our school. The goal is to improve the overall climate at Point Loma and institute school wide incentives about attendance and bullying prevention. Meetings take place the last Thursday of every month.

According to the National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center, classrooms are the number one place that bullying occurs. There is a problem with teachers being unaware of bullying in the classroom and students taking the effects of bullying lightly. 15% of school absences are directly related to fears of being bullied at school. “Bullying has become a big problem nationwide; all schools are beginning to see an increase in aggressive behavior,” claims Ms. Kissin. The bullying committee wants to make everyone more aware of this problem and make it easier for people to talk about the issue.

Components to help make the program successful: It draws attention to the problem, creates policies for discipline and consequences, and the committee will change the culture of the campus to be respectful. The main goal is for everyone to be held accountable for their actions. There will be no more pretending that bullying doesn’t exist within our school. The committee is planning on implementing change by setting a no tolerance policy and getting the community involved with the program. PLHS is partnering with Correia Middle School and using nationally recognized bullying prevention material. (Nina Teasley)

February 2011 Update: Geoff McCloud of Silver Gate Elementary School has been named 2011 California Elementary Physical Education Teacher of the Year by the California Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. "My mission statement is simple: building better citizens through meaningful movement. Making movement fun at the elementary level increases the chances of having active humans throughout their lives.” Our students have been very fortunate to have learned life skills from you, Coach!

November 2010 Update: Coach Geoff McCloud at Silver Gate Elementary School has developed a list of "caring values" to be shared with our elementary schools. Our goal is for all of our elementary schools to develop and focus on the same caring values. The sequencing and programs can vary from school to school. The first six are the "Pillars of Character" taken from “Character Counts”. The remaining are qualities/ traits being addressed at Silver Gate. These are: Trustworthiness Respect Responsibility Fairness Caring Citizenship Honesty Courage Kindness Encouragement Giving Self-control Sportsmanship Attitude

May 2010 Update: Dana Middle School students participated in a series of programs during 2010 presented by the Tariq Khamisa Foundation: Ending the Cycle of Violence program, the Circle of Peace program, and the "Violence Impact Forum". Though Dana students already knew the story and had seen Mr. Khamisa and Mr. Felix through the video series they have been watching, everyone agreed that seeing them and hearing them speak in person was a very powerful experience for all. TKF's programs focus on educating students about the effects of violence and empowering them to make positive, non-violent choices.

January 2010 Update: Correia Middle School: The Tariq Khamisa Foundation (TKF) presented at a school assembly on January 13th. Many students had seen the presentation before; however, according to staff and students, the powerful messages are stronger each time. Interestingly, the panelists affected two of Correia's own angry adolescents. TKF teaches students about the realities of gangs, violence, revenge, and the importance of becoming “peacemakers”. Patty Ladd: “Our efforts to better understand one another and work toward peaceful outcomes must be acknowledged and honored”.

January 2010 Update: Dana Middle School counselors and teachers are working with 5th and 6th grade students on character development through the WhyTry Program. The goal of the program is to help students approach life with an optimistic attitude and learn how to persevere when facing challenges in life. The program consists of ten visual analogies with questions and solutions to help youth gain insight into how to deal with daily challenges. Counselors are in classrooms leading students through WhyTry activities. Students learn that in order to achieve their personal best, students must recognize the power of every choice they make.

December 2009 Update: Dana Middle School is using Coach John Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success”, a 12 lesson leadership program identifying 25 behaviors he believed were necessary to achieve his idea of success. "Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming." Also, as part of "Incredible Kids Week", a certificate is presented to each student containing the positive traits their peers recognize in them.

April 23, 2009 Update: Elementary School Character Development Coaches: Geoff McCloud (Silver Gate), LaRue Rockhold (Ocean Beach), and Kelly Touhill (Cabrillo) are excited about creating a set of character development themes that can be taught cluster-wide so that our students will have similar behavioral expectations when they come together at Dana Middle School. It is important that our students feel safe and secure in their learning environment. Geoff McCloud will take the lead and connect with the Coaches from the other elementary schools.

January 2009 Update: Correia Middle School is utilizing the PlayItSafe program, which helps children deal with unique challenges such as bullies, stranger-awareness, and abduction defense. PlayItSafe, in collaboration with USA Freestyle Martial Arts, is designed to teach children the importance of awareness and setting appropriate boundaries. The ABC's of safety are (A) Awareness (B) Boundaries and (C) Confidence. Students learn to recognize inappropriate behavior and to trust their instincts when someone or something doesn't feel right. Students learn the importance of reacting quickly, using their voices to attract attention, and that escaping a bad situation should be their #1 goal.

December 2008 Update: The SDUSD School Board signed a $175,000 contract with Safe & Civil Schools for a new student conduct code and more student compliance. The firm's work begins at 15 schools receiving federal aid for high numbers of disadvantaged students.

November 3, 2008 Update: For safety reasons, students at Correia Middle School are now wearing identification cards displayed on breakaway lanyards. Correia has multiple points of ingress and egress, which makes surveillance challenging. By law, the gates must remain unlocked during school hours. Students not wearing such identification would stand apart from their peers, and staff could more easily monitor the campus for safety. In the case of a natural disaster such as an earthquake, families of injured students wearing clearly visible ID cards are more likely to receive immediate notification.

September 10, 2008 REACH Update: At Correia Middle School, a newly-defined "culture of learning" will guide every student and staff member as we learn and practice the tenets represented by the word "R.E.A.C.H." which calls out the following traits: Respect, Enthusiasm, Achievement, Citizenship, and Hard Work. In addition, students will hear Principal Patricia Ladd exclaim repeatedly that: "Everything you say and everything you do sends a message." Behavioral expectations have been communicated to students and parents at both Correia and Dana Middle Schools via class syllabuses that each student and parent was required to sign at the beginning of the 2008/2009 school year. There will be consequences for students who make 'bad choices'. All students are enrolled in REACH. Please ask your child to share with you his/her progress on the weekly assessments. Should you have questions about REACH, please feel free to contact your child's REACH teacher, counselor, or any member of the school's administrative team.

Fall Semester REACH Update: Students engaged in a variety of activities designed to increase their organizational skills, knowledge of our country's presidential election process and environmental issues, and reading and writing strategies designed to increase comprehension.

January 12, 2009 REACH Update: Time is allocated for students to meet the reading requirements set by the state, to finish uncompleted projects/homework, set goals based on weekly assessments, prepare for a spelling bee scheduled for February, and enjoy a nutritious snack brought from home every Thursday.