Behaviour Policy | St Monica School Bkara

Behaviour Policy

The Student Good Behaviour Policy

This Policy is based on

Spinellian theory regarding discipline that states that discipline and correction must be applied “according to their personality and need – some with firmness and others with tenderness, in silence, with a look, or with a merited sanction.”

(Const. 1827 Part V Ch II Sect III No. 7)

The “Good Behaviour and Discipline Policy for Schools”, Ministry of Education, Malta, 2002, where it is stated that

“No school can impart an effective education unless it has managed to instill in the members making up its community a sense of discipline and good behaviour. Indeed, contemporary educational philosophy has recognized that the behavioural outcomes of an educational programme are as important as the academic outcomes.”

(2002: 45)

The firm conviction that

- good behaviour and discipline are necessary for students to obtain a good education

- a true understanding of discipline would help students appreciate good moral values and make the right choices

- true discipline helps instill a sense of responsibility, commitment and self-confidence in our students

- all rules are there to encourage students to respect themselves and others

- self-discipline is the final aim of every Behaviour Policy

- self-discipline and respect for law and order are the foundation of democratic living and underlie social justice.

The school publishes three Students’ Good Behaviour Policies, one for Grades 1 – 3, one for Grades 4 – 6 and a final one for the Secondary classes. They are all based on the same principle of “showing respect for ourselves and for others” and cover as many aspects as possible of school life. However, we are living in a rapidly changing world and, therefore, if a particular circumstance arises for which provision has not been made, the case will be considered on its own merits, keeping in mind the best interests of the student/s concerned and of the other members of the school community.

Students’ Responsibilities

Students are to attend school regularly and punctually. Absenteeism always has to be accounted for by a medical certificate or the Absentee slip to be brought to school as soon as the student returns to school
Students are to wear the proper school uniform and / or school sports wear during the school day and when they are representing the school during visits, outings and other school functions outside the school
Students should be prepared, pay attention and participate fully during lessons.
Students should respect themselves and their schoolmates at all times
Students are encouraged to show courtesy, respect and obedience towards authority
Students are to respect their school environment e.g. never deface desks, etc and the world around them e.g. by abiding by the school recycling rules

Supplementary Support

Any student who does not behave properly and is perceived as needing support to take up her responsibilities and behave in a proper way is given such support by the School Counsellor and / or the Guidance teacher. These will collaborate with the teachers and school administration to give her the needed help and support.

School Uniform

St Monica promotes the wearing of the school uniform in order to enhance in every student a sense of belonging. Personal cleanliness, smartness and a feeling of pride in being part of the school are encouraged.

Winter Uniform: grey trousers/knee-length skirt and belt, striped shirt and tie-band, maroon sweater, maroon blazer, white socks, black rubber-soled shoes (casual, ballerina style not allowed). Light beige school tights are allowed. Water Proof Jacket (Maroon) and Quilted Jacket (Maroon) to be worn over the school blazer when necessary.

Summer Uniform: grey knee-length skirt and belt, summer beige top, white socks, black rubber-soled shoes.

Sportswear: white top, tracksuit trousers, white socks, white sports shoes, maroon shorts (summer), and grey polo neck, tracksuit, white socks, white sports shoes (winter).

The use of make-up and jewellery, except a watch and one pair of simple earrings in the form of studs, is prohibited because they may be detrimental to the students’ safety as well as jarring within the school context. Dyed hair, lights, and/or heavily gelled hair are strictly not suitable as part of the school uniform. Hair ornaments are to be kept to a minimum and be black or in the school uniform colours.

N.B. – If, in exceptional circumstances, a student cannot come to school in uniform for a short period of time, a note explaining the reason must be written by the parents / guardians and addressed to the Head of School

- All items of uniform must be clearly marked with the student’s name and Grade / Form as items are often mislaid and, if not marked, they are difficult to return.

What to bring to school

Only school material should be brought to school.
The school bag is bought from school and should be carried properly with both straps in place to prevent damage to the student’s back. Moreover, students should not overload it; the timetable has to be followed carefully.
Only the necessary amount of pocket money is to be brought to school and every student has to be responsible for her purse at all times.
The school home-work diary is to be bought from school at the beginning of the scholastic year.
No chewing gum is allowed anywhere in the school.
It is in the student’s best interest for a member of the SMT and / or class / form teacher to be told about any medication that the student gets with her to school. The age of the student and the seriousness of the medication are of great importance regarding this rule.
Any illegal substance e.g. cigarettes, alcohol or drugs and pornographic material on school premises lead to exclusion and even expulsion from school.
Mobile phones or electronic gadgets like iPods, MP3s, etc are not allowed in school and will be confiscated. In exceptional circumstances, e.g. family illness, a girl may bring her mobile phone to school in an envelope / case with her name on it and leave it with the Administration to be collected at 1.35pm.

Good Behaviour

In School

The school is not responsible for school transport; it is the responsibility of the parents. However, the school expects students to behave well, showing the necessary respect and courtesy towards their schoolmates, the passers by and the bus driver. If anything goes wrong, students are asked to report the matter immediately to one of the Assistant Heads (Primary or Secondary).

School starts at 7.55am. Punctuality is very important. Repetitive latecomers will miss the first lesson.
Those students who arrive at school early are to stay in the allotted corridor areas. Running and screaming are strictly prohibited.
The Assembly Roster on the school notice boards shows on which days Assembly is held.

Primary students have Assembly in the grounds every day (weather permitting) and in the Hall on Tuesday. Line up with your teachers and be on your best behaviour. We start the day with a prayer to the Lord our Father.

Secondary students have Assembly in the Hall according to the roster. After depositing their belongings in their classroom, students are to proceed to the Hall quietly and in an orderly manner and find their allotted seats.

Whenever students have to leave their classrooms e.g. for an Options lesson, they should not linger in corridors or bathrooms but arrive promptly for their next lesson.
Shouting and eating are not allowed in the corridors or on the stairways. Nor is running which may lead to serious accidents.
Students should always show respect to students, sisters and adults who are in wheelchairs, using crutches, sticks, etc. They should give them preference. Similarly they should give precedence to school visitors, teachers, members of the administration and any other staff.
The school forms part of our sisters’ convent, so students should always show the proper concern and courtesy to the sisters living in the convent.
During Break students are to leave their classrooms unless asked to remain in class for some reason or other by the administration. No one is to remain inside the school unless special permission is obtained.
Students are never to remain unsupervised during break in the gym, the Foyer, laboratories or special rooms e.g. Art Room.
All forms of bad language and bad example dishonour the perpetrator. Students should take pride in the way they talk and behave in school (as well as everywhere else).
Teachers are entitled to their Break too. So, unless asked by the particular teacher, students should not disturb the teachers during Break.
Photocopying is done during Break. A proper queue in front of the secretaries’ office would speed up proceedings and show courtesy and concern for others.
After break students should proceed to class quietly and in an orderly manner accompanied by their teacher.
Whenever there is Mass or any other activity in the Hall, students should proceed to the Hall in the same manner as above.
When there are after-school activities e.g. Vocation Centre, drama rehearsals, games, students should act in a responsible manner. They should not run about, shout or litter leaving wrappers, cartons, etc. behind them. They should also be responsible for any equipment / apparatus used.
Students cannot stay unsupervised in the Hall.
Permission is needed to leave school in all circumstances. Notes asking for permission and duly signed by parents / guardians must be given to the administration in time. Parents / guardians are required to sign a special permission sheet to collect their daughters from school before 1.35pm. Their ID card is necessary for this purpose.

In Class

Students should politely greet their teacher and prepare themselves for the lesson first of all by saying the short prayer before the lesson together with their teacher.
Every student must have the necessary files / books / apparatus / stationery items for the lesson.
Every student must get her homework for the lesson. It must be done fully and to the best of the student’s ability. A friend is not helped when she is given homework to copy. On the contrary she is being made to lose on her education!
Students should never interrupt lessons or distract their classmates.
It is very impolite and often useless to comment or answer aloud. Students should therefore put up their hand as an indication that they would like to make a comment, give an answer or ask a question.
Schoolwork should be done quietly and to the best of the student’s ability without distracting others in class.
Group work is very important both for social and educational purposes. It should also be carried out without noise and confusion.
Whenever a student has to miss a lesson, she must inform the teacher concerned and give her the reason for it.
Whenever a student arrives late for a lesson, she must apologize and give a valid reason.
No student can leave class without the teacher’s permission.
Eating and drinking are not allowed in class. A teacher may in exceptional circumstances, however, give permission to a student / students to do so e.g. drinking in class during the warm season.
The end of lessons bell does not mean that students pack away their belongings and stand up before the teacher tells them to do so!
Thanking the teacher for the lesson shows courtesy and appreciation of the teacher’s efforts.
When the teacher leaves the classroom, the prefect and / or the sub-prefect is / are in charge of the class, but each student is responsible for her own behaviour.
When students go to a different class for an Options lesson, they should never touch the possessions of the students of the particular class. They should leave the classroom tidy and rearrange the desks and chairs in the way they found them if they had changed around the class with the teacher’s permission.
Between lessons, students should prepare for the next lesson. They should not leave their classrooms, if not to go for the next lesson. Students should ask the prefect / sub-prefect’s permission to go to the bathroom and not loiter. Others may need to go too.

Special Rooms – Rules and Regulations

Students are expected to take care of library books borrowed and return them within the stipulated time because library books are there for the use of all students. Eating, drinking and talking loudly are not allowed in the library.
Students are not to stay unsupervised in the gym at any time. Appropriate shoes are to be worn and equipment is to be taken good care of and properly stored after use. For safety purposes the rules set by PE teachers are to be strictly followed.
No eating and drinking are allowed in the computer laboratories and all computers and resources are to be used for educational purposes only.

Rules set by teachers regarding networking procedures and powering up or shutting down the computers are to be followed. Handling of hardware is strictly forbidden for safety purposes. Students are not permitted to make use of Floppy Diskettes / CD ROMS / Pen Drives unless permission has been given by the teacher in charge. Satchels and any other bags should be left in class or, if it is the last lesson, outside the laboratories.

Students are not allowed unsupervised in the Physics and Chemistry / Biology laboratories, and eating and drinking are strictly forbidden. They should follow the Laboratory Safety Rules, and the teacher’s instructions during all experiments and sessions in the laboratories. Students should report all accidents, however minor, to the teacher or technician.

Students are also to follow the safety rules in the Home Economics Room especially when food preparation is taking place. Hygiene is extremely important and appropriate clothing has to be worn as advised by the teachers in charge.
As part of our responsibility towards the school environment, all special rooms e.g. ICTAC Room, PSD room, etc must be left tidy and no equipment handled by students.
Drinks from the Coffee Machine are to be consumed in the Coffee Machine area.

N.B. Any student who damages any school equipment deliberately will be excluded.

Disciplinary Action – Sanctions

Unfortunately, sometimes, not all students behave responsibly and obey the rules which are there for the good of the individual students and the whole school community. For this reason the school has a system of Report Cards to serve as a deterrent against bad behaviour and to encourage good behaviour.

The three Report Cards are the:

Internal Report Card
External Report Card
Merit Card

The Internal Report Card is to be used for ‘minor’ offences, not doing homework, forgetting important items for lessons, chatting during lessons, etc. The teacher who gives the Report Card asks the student to sign the card. The class teacher is informed of the student’s transgressions so that she would speak to the girl and discuss her behaviour. Three such Report Cards would lead to an External Report.

The External Report Card comes in when the student, after repetitive warnings, keeps on transgressing. In this case an External Report Card is sent home and the parent or guardian has to sign it. This External Report Card lists the instances of the student’s misbehaviour. These cards are filed and a record kept from year to year, thus making it easier and fairer to fill in the student’s School Leaving Certificate at the end of Form V.

The Merit Card is given to any student who shows exceptionally good behaviour, outstanding progress or commitment to her school work or does some meritorious action over and above what is asked of every student. Two Merit Days are held every year for Secondary students. Primary students are given Merit Cards by their class teacher.

When bad behaviour occurs, students are given a detention. They have to attend school on Saturday wearing their school uniform and do the work allotted by the school administration.

Serious Offences

A student is given a Saturday detention for each serious offence. More serious offences e.g. skiving school merit an exclusion from school. This is given by the Head of School. Parents / guardians are informed directly an exclusion is given.

Exclusions are to be taken into consideration when the School Leaving Certificate is issued.

All offences and sanctions are discussed on their own merits by the student/s concerned, the teacher, the teacher / Assistant Head in charge of Good Behaviour and the Head of School if the offence is a serious one.

A Positive Note

The school wishes to encourage good behaviour and reward effort and outstanding achievement. Therefore at St Monica’s we have a system of Merit Cards to reward positive acts and achievements.

The Always / Never Guide

Good Behaviour Rules for Grades 1, 2, 3

ALWAYS

Come to school on time
Wear your uniform smartly
Be clean and tidy
Keep your hair pulled back
Be polite to teachers and school administration
Be nice and kind to all the students
Pay attention in class
Keep your classroom clean
Keep the school tidy and beautiful to look at

NEVER

Come late to school
Be dirty and careless in the way you look
Wear jewellery for school except for a pair of stud earrings
Be rude to anyone
Run in the corridors – you’ll get hurt
Say nasty words to other students
Hurt or hit a girl
Dirty anywhere in the school

Good Behaviour Rules for Grades 4, 5, 6

Our Good Behaviour Rules are there to make our stay at school happy and safe. They help us respect ourselves, respect others, and respect our school environment.

a) Punctuality is very important – school starts at 7.55 a.m. Late comers with no valid reason will be sent to the Administration for an appropriate punishment.

b) Regular attendance is important! Signed absentee slips and/or medical certificates are to be handed in immediately on returning to school.

c) Permission is needed to leave school in all circumstances. Notes asking for permission and duly signed by parent/s/ guardian must be given to administration in time. Parents/guardians are required to sign a special permission sheet to collect their daughters from school before 1.35 p.m. Their ID card is necessary for this purpose.

d) Full uniform must be worn to school except on days when students have a PE lesson when they wear their sports wear. Jewellery is not allowed at school

e) Courtesy, respect and obedience towards authority are qualities that make us develop into mature adults and good citizens!

f) To get the greatest benefit from lessons, students must be prepared, pay attention and participate fully!

g) Every student must have the necessary books/stationery for each lesson.

h) Homework must be done carefully and regularly. Students who are repeatedly reported for not doing their work will be called to the Head/Assistant Head’s office and their parents informed.

i) Only school material should be brought to school. To protect all students, the school has the right to confiscate any other items found in satchels/lockers or in the students’ possession.

j) Mobile phones or electronic gadgets like iPods, MP3s, etc. are not allowed in school. If found they will be confiscated.

In exceptional circumstances, e.g. illness, a girl may bring her mobile phone to school and leave it with the Administration at 7.50 a.m. to be collected at 1.35 p.m.

Telephone calls are not allowed except for very special reasons or emergencies and ONLY WITH THE PERMISSION of the Head or Assistant Heads.

k) Bullying hurts both the victim and the bully. The school has a zero tolerance policy against bullying. Any bullying/intimidation, both physical and moral, as well as cyber bullying will be severely punished.

Summer Uniform: grey knee-length skirt and belt, summer beige top, white socks, black rubber-soled shoes.

Sportswear: white top, tracksuit trousers, white socks, white sports shoes, maroon shorts (summer), and grey polo neck, tracksuit, white socks, white sports shoes (winter).

- All items of uniform must be clearly marked with the student’s name and Grade / Form as items are often mislaid and, if not marked, they are difficult to return.

Guide-Lines for Good Behaviour at School

Secondary Students

Our Good Behaviour Rules are there to make our stay at school happy and safe. They help us respect ourselves, respect others, and respect our school environment.

a) Punctuality is very important – school starts at 7.55 a.m. Late comers with no valid reason will miss the first lesson.

b) Regular attendance is important! Absences are reported to the Education Department at the end of each month. Signed absentee slips and/or medical certificates are to be handed in immediately on returning to school.

d) Full uniform must be worn. Should the uniform skirt not fit the student well, she will be asked to have the alterations made within 2 days. Full uniform must be worn on outings.

e) Make-up, jewellery (see below for more details), extravagantly dyed and/or unsuitably gelled hair are strictly not allowed in school. Students may be sent home if they break this rule.

f) Courtesy, respect and obedience towards authority are qualities that make us develop into mature adults and good citizens!

g) To get the greatest benefit from lessons, students must be prepared, pay attention and participate fully!

h) Every student must have the necessary books/apparatus for each lesson.

i) Homework must be done carefully and regularly. Students who are repeatedly reported for not doing their work will be given Report cards (see below for more details)

j) Only school material should be brought to school. To protect all students, the school has the right to confiscate any other items found in satchels/lockers or in the students’ possession.

k) Mobile phones or electronic gadgets like iPods, MP3s, etc. are not allowed in school. If found they will be confiscated.

In exceptional circumstances, e.g. illness, a girl may bring her mobile phone to school and leave it with the Administration at 7.50 a.m. to be collected at 1.35 p.m.

Telephone calls are not allowed except for very special reasons or emergencies and ONLY WITH THE PERMISSION of the Head or Assistant Heads.

l) Bullying hurts both the victim and the bully. The school has a zero tolerance policy against bullying. Any bullying/intimidation, both physical and moral, as well as cyber bullying will be severely punished.

m) A system of Merit Cards is used to reward effort, good work and other special qualities. Each student has a file recording Merit cards and negative reports she receives throughout her scholastic career; this ensures a system of fair certification for all students when they leave school.

Summer Uniform: grey knee-length skirt and belt, summer beige top, white socks, black rubber-soled shoes.

Sportswear: white top, tracksuit trousers, white socks, white sports shoes, maroon shorts (summer), and grey polo neck, tracksuit, white socks, white sports shoes (winter).

- All items of uniform must be clearly marked with the student’s name and Grade / Form as items are often mislaid and, if not marked, they are difficult to return.