A School-Parent Partnership in WMS Student Discipline
A wonderful article about discipline from a mom/principal’s perspective, A Principal (and Mom) on School Discipline, is well worth the read! As the author says, “There's more going on behind the scenes than most parents realize. Keeping these insider tips in mind will help you and your child.” I want to give you our view of discipline at Wredling and how we manage things when an issue arises.
As our kids grow and develop, we expect them to make mistakes. Our kids send inappropriate messages, start rumors, act out on the bus, swear in the hallways, throw food at lunch… or are just defiant about something making them angry. I want to share with you how we handle discipline at Wredling.
We set clear expectations around our school. We have taught our students specific behaviors we want to see at WMS. We spent time reinforcing those behaviors and re-teaching them where needed. We also had teams and teachers work on a Charter for their grade level that outlines how we want to act and feel. All students had the opportunity to participate in creating the WMS Student Charter we shared in last week’s Friday Forecast.
Teachers typically do the hard work first! Most often, we give gentle reminders for most issues. “ID around the neck, please. … Remember to put your cell phone in your locker. …” For lesser infractions, the teacher talks to the child. For more serious infractions, we start to track negative issues. For a second infraction, teachers should communicate with home. At the third infraction, a discipline referral is sent to the office.
We take the time to investigate the issue. We interview other students and get statements from any adults who might be involved. We also ask the student to write a statement.
Sometimes when a student comes in angry or agitated, we give the student time to calm down before we interview the student. We have found that, if you give a student some time to recover, they respond better to questions.
In the office, when we get a referral or a student is brought in for a major issue (i.e., vaping or fighting) we look at several factors. How serious was the issue? Does that child have a past history of serious incidents? How honest has the child been in helping us determine what has happened? Has this impacted the learning environment in a classroom? Has it created a safety issue?
When we decide on a consequence, we again look at the above factors. We determine consequences based on each issue separately. We know that what may have an impact with one child may not with another. If our goal is to change behaviors or prevent the issue from happening again, we have to figure out what consequence works.
We don’t tend to call parents for small issue unless they become chronic, and we don’t notify parents of every small consequence like a lunch detention. We always call parents for larger issues that have bigger consequences, when issues are chronic, or when a student does not change behavior.
When we do call parents, please understand that we have investigated the issue and are calling to let you know what has happened. Our goal is that we work together to change the child’s behavior. We sometimes find that parents don’t believe us or want to blame other students. Again, we want you to know that we take these issues seriously, investigate them, and then give out an appropriate consequence.
And we need your support. This quote, from the included article, tells you how. “You can support your child's relationship with his teachers by explaining that school rules are to be followed, even if your rules are different at home.” If you or your child feels they have been treated unfairly, please come to us with some suggestions as to who we might need to talk to or what we may have missed. We are not perfect, and we sometimes do an additional investigation and change consequences based on new information we have learned.
Your Wredling Administrative Team
WMS BOOK FAIR IS HERE!
Our Book Fair in partnership with Scholastic OPENS this MONDAY - CLICK HERE to check out the flyer! Your reader will have an opportunity to walk through the Book Fair in the LRC and choose books they may want to purchase. Plan to stop by yourself for some great reads and do some holiday shopping!
November 12th - 16th, the hours will be:
- 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday through Wednesday
- 8:00 am - 4:00 pm AND 6:00 - 9:00 pm Thursday - We are open LATE in conjunction with the WMS Choir Concert! Come to hear some great singing and do a little shopping too!
- 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, Friday
- 9:00 am - 7:00 pm Monday, November 19th during Conferences
There is a Book Fairs App and an online shopping option!
Dear Parents:
We have noticed that many students do not have locks on their lockers. There has also been an uptick in reports of items missing from various students. Please take the time to talk to your RedHawk and make sure that they have a Wredling lock on locker. Wredling locks have a WMS stamped on the backside. Should they need to purchase a lock, they are available in the main office for a cost of $5.00 each. Thanks for your help!
Clarification on Box Tops for Education
As we are approaching the holiday baking season, there may be many more box tops available on some of your baking goods. Collect and send them in as soon as you get them. We mail in throughout the year!
Thank you!
Dear RedHawk Families:
The Salvation Army’s annual Jim Wheeler Toys for Kids program is once again in full swing. This program, which collects and distributes toys for the needy boys and girls of the Tri-City area, is celebrating its 35th year. The program has been named in honor of the late Jim Wheeler who was the creator and driver behind this effort.
Once again, we are asking for your support of this program for children at Christmas time. We are looking for new unwrapped toys and games and also will be accepting monetary contributions and gift cards to help make this Christmas a very special one.
Collection Boxes will arrive at Wredling next week - the week of November 12th
Collection Ends Wednesday, December 12th and Boxes Picked up December 13th
Wredling Middle School - Home of the Redhawks
#WredlingLearns
Website: Wredling.d303.org
Location: 1200 Dunham Road, St. Charles, IL, USA
Phone: 331-228-3700
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Wredling-Middle-School-537757163011275/
Twitter: @WredlingD030