The values of respect, responsibility and personal best are intrinsic to the Neutral Bay experience, and will become character traits that defines your child's time here.
Our Positive Behaviour for Learning program is comprehensive in scope, yet individual in its delivery. It is designed to provide students with the support they require at various stages of their school life. Ultimately, when our students leave Neutral Bay, they are socially and emotionally mature, with the knowledge and experience to make a successful and confident transition to the world beyond the school gates.
Neutral Bay Public School Rules
1. Be Responsible
2. Show Respect
3. Do Your Best
Our school rules are underpinned by our shared belief that all members of our school community have:
- the right to learn
- the right to be safe
- the right to be treated with dignity and respect, and
- the responsibility to uphold these rights for others
Promoting Positive Student Behaviour
Students are much more likely to willingly behave in an appropriate manner when they feel that school is a place where they belong, are cared for, experience success, and are able to make some decisions and enjoy themselves. To this end:
- our school fosters a strong sense of community through encouraging parent volunteers, Open Days, assembly performances, Grandfriends' Day, trivia night, fireworks night and fete, breakfasts for Mothers and Fathers Days; where all families are made to feel welcome
- students, staff and parents actively cooperate in joint activities that we all value, such as sports carnivals, school performances, and fundraising activities
- we ensure students' gender, class, ability, language and cultural background are included in all aspects of school, from signs and celebrations, to the content of lessons and teaching materials
Our staff help to foster and maintain a climate of respect by:
- endeavouring to know all students' names and pronouncing them correctly
- speaking in a friendly tone, smiling, making eye contact
- showing appropriate personal interest in students
- being sensitive and supportive when students are hurt or upset
- providing individual attention or extra help when needed
- avoiding ridiculing or demeaning students
- setting clear limits and boundaries, and by being firm and persistent when students test them
- treating reports of bullying seriously
We recognise that students experience success when:
- they are competent in the basic skills of literacy, numeracy and technology
- the school day is varied, interesting, well paced and actively involving
- staff set high and achievable expectations
- teachers provide a learning program that is high in Intellectual Quality, Significance and a Quality Learning Environment
- teachers differentiate the curriculum to suit students' varying abilities and needs
- assessment provides frequent, informative and constructive feedback
- the school offers a wide range of opportunities through extra-curricular programs in which all students can achieve eg dance, band, chess, debating, fencing, choir, gardening, public speaking, and science
- planned and systematic support is provided for students experiencing difficulty monitored by our Learning Support Team (LST)
Students are able to make decisions at Neutral Bay PS through:
- being offered choices about what they learn, how they learn, and how they are assessed, where appropriate
- being given responsibilities in the classroom
- opportunities to participate in forums such as classroom meetings, House Captain meetings and the SRC, where their feedback and suggestions on significant issues are sought and responded to
- being held accountable for their behaviour and required to make explicit choices about future behaviour when they misbehave
Recognising and reinforcing student achievement
- Verbal praise and ongoing positive feedback
- Stickers and other tokens
- House points
- Class awards
- Merit Awards at assemblies
- Principal's Awards
- Public praise in assemblies, through the school newsletter and website
- Contacting parents - in person, by letter or phone
- End of year Presentation Day recognising academic, sporting and citizenship achievements
- Acknowledging student achievements in the local media
Managing inappropriate student behaviour
Classroom
- Model and teach acceptable behaviours
- Verbal redirection / reprimand to an appropriate activity or behaviour
- Cueing, eg referring a student to the class rules posted on the wall
- Time out in the learning context (recorded)
- Time out with Stage Supervisor (recorded by supervisor)
- For serious incidents, students are referred straight to Deputy or Principal
- Meeting with Principal, Deputy Principal, parents or carers to develop appropriate intervention (develop and implement individual behaviour plans)
Playground
- Verbal reprimand / redirection to an appropriate activity or behaviour
- Time out on a silver seat
- Removal from playground and referral to Deputy Principal. (Referrals to DP recorded in Student Welfare file and reviewed at weekly Executive Meetings)
- Serious incidents involving violence – off playground immediately
- Consequences may include: time off playground at recess or lunch, school community service, contact with parents, in-school suspension, or short / long suspension (in line with Departmental guidelines)
- Referral to School Counsellor