Our behavior plan is based on the Above The Line program that was developed by Corwin
Kronenberg (a nationally recognized expert on behavior management) and the Olweus AntiBullying Program. At Cedar Mountain School we have 4 expectations:
Be Respectful Be Responsible Be Productive Be Safe.
The goal of the Above the Line plan is to promote a safe and caring environment where all
students are taught the behavior expectations in each area of our building. In the program,
behavior is divided into three groups. The three groups and some sample behaviors are
illustrated below.
Above the Line
Be respectful
Be responsible
Be polite
Be safe
Be cooperative
Be a worker
Below the Line
Swearing
Teasing
Budging in line
Hitting
Uncooperative
Wasting Time
Bottom Line
Weapons
Vandalism
Stealing
Assault
Students are expected to demonstrate Above the Line Behaviors. If a student makes a bad behavior choice and falls Below the Line, the student will be expected to assume responsibility for the behavior .They will be given a choice by the adult in charge and will be asked if they want to “Fix It’ of if they want a consequence for going Below the Line. If the child selects the “Fix It” option, the child will be expected to assume responsibility for developing a plan for fixing the problem he/she has caused. When a child requests a consequence for the behavior, the consequence will be worked out with the child and the adult in charge. Parents will be notified when the child has gone below the line by either a note or phone call.
We do not have a standard consequence for every Below the Line Behavior. A consequence will be generated for every situation following these guiding principles. The consequence must be related to the behavior, delivered respectfully, and it must be reasonable.
There are some behaviors that are considered totally inappropriate at school. These behaviors are considered Bottom Line Behaviors. A Bottom Line Behavior is a violation of state law, district policy, or any totally unacceptable behavior. When a student demonstrates this behavior, it will require involvement by the principal, parent/guardian, and maybe legal authority.
Bullying behavior is taken very seriously and consequences for this will be given based on the severity and number of times the child has exhibited this type of behavior. On the positive side, we like to recognize children for following the expectations of our school. Cedar Mountain Pride Paws are given daily to children when they are following the expectations and are accumulated in a Pride Jar in their classroom. Names are drawn on Fridays for special classroom prizes and names are drawn at the end of the quarter for super fun awards or activities! Cedar Mountain Pride Postcards are sent home each Friday to students that have gone ‘above and beyond” in meeting a classroom goal or following the expectations. They are awarded with a pencil and a picture of them is displayed in the hallway and on our website.
At the end of each quarter we have a celebration. Good Character awards are given to a student from each classroom that has consistently followed the character trait of that quarter.
Student’s names are drawn from the Pride Jars for special fun group activities. Perfect Attendance awards are also given to all children that have been in attendance for every minute of every day of the quarter.
Our goal is to create a safe caring learning environment for all of our students. We appreciate your support and cooperation.
In a partnership between Cedar Mountain schools and communities, we
nurture an environment of Preparedness, Respect, Responsibility and
Safety which empowers us to “live above the line”.
We just can’t hide that Cedar Mountain PRIDE!