Student Book
This booklet contains some useful information to help you
contribute positively to our school and make St Kevin’s a better,
safer and happier place where everybody can get on with their job
of teaching and learning.
At St Kevin’s School we:
RESPECT OTHERS
ACCEPT OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
ACT SAFELY
CARE FOR OUR SCHOOL
As you read, you will see that we have School Rules. When we
have rules we know what is expected of us. When we keep the
school rules we are doing our part to improve St Kevin’s. Our rules
are brief and there are some ideas on how you can keep them.
Your teacher will help you understand our rules, however, if you are
still unsure, you should talk it over with your teacher.
Apart from our School Rules, each class will also have some class
rules that you will decide on with your teacher early in the year.
Keeping the rules leaves you free to learn all you can and to enjoy
your time at school. This booklet explains a little of what you can
expect if you are prepared to keep the rules and also explains what
will happen when some children choose not to keep the rules.
There is also some advice on bullying. At St Kevin’s, you have the
right to feel safe and be treated with respect. Sometimes though, it
might happen that you don’t feel safe or respected. If you feel like
this then you can follow the advice in this booklet, talk to your
teacher and another adult about it as well. They can help you
decide on the best course of action to sort out the problem.
Our school rules will be displayed in all classrooms:
RESPECT OTHERS
• show respect to staff members and adults
• show respect to fellow students
• respect your property and that of others
ACCEPT OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
• be responsible for your own actions
• keep our school’s good name
• bring the correct equipment to school
• be honest and truthful
ACT SAFELY
• be in the right place at the right time
• keeping hands and feet to yourself
CARE FOR OUR SCHOOL
• keep our environment clean
• take care of school property and equipment
Teachers will help you understand these rules
RESPECT OTHERS
Respect all staff members
and other adults
You can follow this rule by:
-listening to what you are told by any adult
who is known within the school community
-following your teacher’s instructions
-speaking to staff members and other
adults politely
Respect your fellow students You can follow this rule by:
-being courteous and considerate by
avoiding name calling, teasing, put downs
-allowing others their own personal space
-avoid injury and embarrassment to others
-moving and working quietly in
consideration for others
-maintain appropriate noise levels during
all school activities
Respect your own property
and that of others
You can follow this rule by:
-making sure your property is correctly
named and marked
-making sure your own property is put in its
correct place
-taking lost property to the lost property box
-obtaining permission to borrow others’
property and returning it promptly in good
order
-leaving your area tidy
ACCEPT OUR RESPONSIBILITIES
Learn all you can
You can follow this rule by:
-staying on task
-being involved in school activities
-trying to develop your skills with the help
of your teacher
-cooperating with other students during
lessons
-working consistently
Be responsible for your own
actions
You can follow this rule by:
-raising your hand to answer a question
-keeping a tidy desk and work area
-having all books, pencils etc in your desk
before the first bell
-avoiding
• annoying habits & noises in class eg.
tapping pencils on desk
• put downs
• making noises not appropriate in a
class
• back chatting
• swearing
• “parroting” an adult in authority or
another child
• any classroom behaviour that stops a
teacher from teaching and children
from learning
Keep our school’s good
name
You can follow this rule by:
-wearing correct and complete school
uniform with pride
-behaving appropriately at school and on
excursions
-showing respect for visitors
-behaving appropriately and obeying road
rules when travelling to and from school
-playing fairly
Bring the correct equipment
to school
You can follow this rule by:
-bringing the necessary equipment for
every lesson
-having equipment in good order
-leaving prohibited materials and valuables
at home
-labelling all your property
Be honest and truthful
You can follow this rule by:
-respecting all school rules
-being helpful and cooperative in following
school rules
-taking responsibility for your own actions
ACT SAFELY
Be in the right place at the
right time
You can follow this rule by:
-arriving at assemblies, lessons and other
activities on time
-staying in designated year level areas
-remain in the undercover area between
8.00am and 8.30am
Act safely
You can follow this rule by:
-keeping your hands and feet to yourself
-playing sensible games that everyone in
your group can enjoy
-notifying the teacher on duty of accidents
& dangerous incidents
-maintaining a walking pace in and around
the buildings and concrete areas
-keeping to left hand side of paths and
walkways
-remembering to wear your hat and
sunscreen
-all ball games to be played on oval, except
handball in marked areas
-walking beside your bicycle or scooter in
school grounds
-leaving the playground promptly on the
first bell
-always use school pedestrian crossing
-entering and leaving the school by correct
entrance and exit points
CARE FOR OUR SCHOOL
You can follow this rule by:
Look after our school
-taking care of buildings, furniture, grounds
and other property
-helping to keep everything clean and tidy
-avoid playing in gardens
-eat only in designated areas
-placing all rubbish in the bins
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT IF RULES ARE FOLLOWED?
When you follow the rules you will be making a positive contribution
to our school community. At times, this contribution will be
recognised through:
♦
Verbal praise
♦
Terrific at School awards and tickets for voucher to spend at
Tuckshop
♦
Student of the Week Awards
♦
Principal’s Awards
♦
Name published in our newsletter, the “Connection”
Name____________
NAME__________________________
Grade________
TERRIFIC
AT
SCHOOL
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT IF RULES ARE NOT FOLLOWED IN
CLASS?
Teachers will help you to remember how to keep our school rules so
school will be safe and happy for everyone.
However, if you choose not to follow our school rules in class the
following will occur:
• You will be given one reminder in class about expected behaviour.
If you then choose not to be responsible with your own behaviour,
you will be given a Time Out card.
• 3 Time Out cards in any one day means you automatically lose
play at the Second break and will spend eating time and playtime
discussing your behaviour with a member of Administration.
• If you are given 3 Time Out cards, you will take a Time Out Form
to the Office to have your name written down.
• At the second break of the day (1.20pm), you will go to the Office
Area with your food where you eat and have your name marked
off. When you have finished eating you will sit in the Office Area
and talk about your behaviour problem with a staff member, write a
behaviour plan and reflect.
• When needed you may be asked to discuss your behaviour with
your teacher before going back to class.
• A phone call home will be made telling your parents/carers that
you have been to the Office Area for Time Out (and the reason
why) during the day – this happens for each Time Out Form you
have.
• No Time Out cards will be carried over to the next day.
• If you have 3 visits to the Office Area for Time Out during the
Term, your parents/carers will be asked to meet with your teacher
and other staff to talk about how you can be helped to make better
choices.
• Another visit to the Office Area for Time Out after this meeting will
mean that your parents/carers are phoned again to speak about
your behaviour.
• If you have a 5th visit to the Office Area for Time Out, your
parents/carers will be asked to meet at the school again, this time
with the Principal and, if necessary, the Guidance Counsellor.
More ways of helping you make better choices are talked about.
WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT IF RULES ARE NOT FOLLOWED IN
THE PLAYGROUND?
Teachers will help you to remember how to keep our school rules
so school will be safe and happy for everyone.
However, if you choose not to follow our school rules in the
playground the following will occur:
• You will be given one reminder about expected behaviour. If
you then choose not to be responsible with your own
behaviour, you will be asked to sit out of play in a supervised
area.
• The duty teacher will decide when you will be allowed to
continue playing.
• If again you choose not to be responsible with your own
behaviour you will be given a Time Out Form.
• At the second break of the day (1.20pm), you will go to the
Office Area with your food where you eat and have your name
marked off. When you have finished eating you will sit in the
Office Area and talk about your behaviour problem with a staff
member, write a behaviour plan and reflect.
• At the end of recess you will return to class.
• A phone call home will be made telling your parents/carers that
you have been to the Office Area for Time Out (and the reason
why) during the day – this happens for each Time Out Form you
have.
• If you have 3 visits to the Office Area for Time Out in a term, your
parents/carers will be asked to meet with your teacher and other
staff to talk about how you can be helped to make better choices.
• Another visit to the Office Area for Time Out after this meeting will
mean that your parents/carers are phoned again to speak about
your behaviour.
• If you have a 5th visit to the Office Area for Time Out, your
parents/carers will be asked to meet at school again, this time with
the Principal and, if necessary, the Guidance Counsellor. More
ways of helping you to make better choices are talked about.
BULLIES AND VICTIMS
Who are bullies?
Bullies look for victims. They look for people who don’t look
confident and stand up for themselves. Here are some of the
reasons why bullies behave the way they do:
They are jealous of others;
They don’t know how to feel successful in other ways;
It makes them feel powerful if they bully someone else;
It helps them be noticed by other people;
They feel inferior to others and use bullying as a way of
covering up those feelings and trying to convince others that
they don’t feel inferior.
Here are some things bullies do when they are trying to injure,
upset or embarrass:
What do bullies do?
They hurt others physically, or damage their property;
They call them names or use insults and “put downs”;
They draw attention to their weakness in a nasty way;
They deliberately exclude them from activities;
They play mean practical jokes and try to set them up to be
embarrassed;
They try to get other students to do all these things too.
What can I do ?
If the situation is not too serious ignore the behaviour;
Use strong ‘I’ statements. “I don’t like the way you are treating
me, please stop it”.
Find a peer mediator to help resolve the problem;
Help the person being bullied by letting a teacher on duty
know;
Let your teacher know if you are being bullied.
How can we deal with bullies?
♦
♦
♦
♦
We can let them know that what they are doing is bullying
We can refuse to join in with their bullying
We can support students who are bullied
We can stand up for ourselves if anyone tries to bully us by;
Say “Stop it”
Say “Leave me alone”
Join a group
Look confident
or ask an adult for support if nothing else works.
YOUR TEACHER WILL TALK TO YOU MORE ABOUT BULLYING
YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO FEEL SAFE AND BE TREATED WITH
RESPECT