Student Engagement & Behaviour: Bracken Ridge State School is committed to providing a safe, respectful and disciplined learning environment for all students, staff, parents and visitors. All areas of Bracken Ridge State School (BRSS) are learning and teaching environments. Our school has it's own Student Code of Conduct which we consider to be an opportunity for valuable social learning as well as a means of maximising the success of student learning.
Our Student Code of Conduct (SCoC) outlines our system for facilitating positive behaviours and responding to inappropriate and unacceptable behaviours. Through our school plan, shared expectations for student behaviour are anticipated from all students at Bracken Ridge State School. This helps us create and maintain a positive and productive learning and teaching environment, where ALL school community members have clear and consistent expectations and understandings of their role in the educational process.
Our school community has identified the following school rules to teach and promote our high standards of responsible behaviour: - Be Safe
- Respect Others
- Strive to Learn
- Solve Problems the High 5 Way
Our school rules have been agreed upon and endorsed by all staff and our school Parents and Citizens Association. They are aligned with the values, principles and expected standards outlined in Education Queensland's Code of School Behaviour.
Bracken Ridge State School is a school that implements the Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) approach as an integral component in the management of student behaviour. Student Success and Wellbeing is an evidence-based whole-school systems approach that: - addresses the diverse academic and social needs of every student to support them to be successful;
- supports students in early childhood settings through to senior years of schooling;
- incorporates the Berry Street Educational Model;
- engages neuroscience and mindfulness;
- integrates the Student Success and Wellbeing Curriculum.
Our three key priorities throughout our Student Success and Wellbeing Curriculum are: - Neuroscience - toggling, Hand Brain Model, memory storage;
- Mindfulness - mindfulness activities, brain breaks;
- Relationships - unconditional positive regard, self-regulation and co-regulation.
We teach students the hand model to demonstrate what happens when we flip our lids, as well as the importance of using our PFC (Pre-frontal Cortex) in clear thinking and keeping ourselves up the stairs. Students are continually are asked and can answer the following questions. - What part of the brain do we want to be in if we are seeking to learn? PFC
- If we flip our lid, what part of the brain have we activated? Amygdala
- What can we do if our amygdala turns itself on? Toggle (recalibrate or decompress)
We also specifically teach children what they can do to help quieten their limbic system before they flip their lids, or to get them back into their Learning Zone. Teaching our students about toggling. Toggling is: - being Strong enough to realise that you are not in your Learning Zone
- Brave enough to try to get back into your Learning Zone;
- Courageous enough to change the way things are to return to your Learning Zone.
Students learn about the need to be in their ''Learning Zone' to learn and though this might feel uncomfortable and mean that you find things difficult, it is okay. Students are explicitly taught and can articulate: - the teachers' job is to teach;
- student job is to learn;
- each student is responsible for managing their own behaviour.
Ultimately, we want students to consider themselves as STRONG, BRAVE and COURAGEOUS, not only with their learning but in all decisions that make in regards to everyday life. Considerations of Individual Circumstances At Bracken Ridge State School we consider students' individual circumstances, such as their behaviour history, disability, mental health and wellbeing, religious and cultural beliefs, home environment and care environments when responding to inappropriate behaviour and applying a disciplinary consequence.
Clear Expectations At Bracken Ridge State School we emphasise the importance of directly teaching students the behaviours we want them to demonstrate at school. Communicating behavioural expectations is a form of universal behaviour support - a strategy directed towards all students designed to prevent inappropriate behaviour and provide a framework for responding to unacceptable behaviour.
A set of behavioural expectations in specific settings is attached to each of our four school rules. The School Behaviour Matrix below outlines our agreed rules and specific behavioural expectations in all school settings.
These expectations are communicated to students via a number of strategies, including: Weekly parade presentations including certificates (You Can Do It), behaviour warm-ups, Green Cards celebration; Yearly Givens (classroom displays, language used) developed by the Student Success and Wellbeing (SSW) Committee with a focus on supporting student behaviour and wellbeing; - Morning Chat;
- School newsletter column from WilI.I.Bee (our school mascot) and Deputy Principal discussing current focus areas and highlighting progress;
- Neuroscience (parts of the brain and how the brain works), brain breaks, mindfulness;
- Emotional Check-Ins and Circle Time.
Bracken Ridge State School implements the following proactive and preventative processes and strategies to support student behaviour: - SSW committee meetings - dedicated fortnightly meetings that analyse school-wide behaviour data, act on feedback from school staff, implement the SSW Strategic Plan and implement strategies to reinforce and address behaviour;
- Behaviour goals – set as students engage with class teacher being based on gold, silver and bronze criteria;
- Neuroscience common language sheets;
- Copies of the SCoC – provided to new members of the Bracken Ridge State School community;
- Professional development for staff - on strategies to enhance the service delivered to students in a supportive manner;
- IBSPs - developed with students, parents and relevant specialists (where appropriate) for students who require additional support;
- Support folders - in classrooms outlining individual student needs.
Reinforcing expected school behaviourAt Bracken Ridge State School, communication of our key messages about behaviour is backed up through reinforcement - providing students with feedback for engaging in expected school behaviour. The overall aim is for students to develop more adaptive behaviours towards - self, others and learning. We want our students to engage their Pre-frontal Cortex and be in their Learning Zone. Through teaching our students about the Neuroscience of the brain as well as an explicit focus on mindfulness we are deliberately targeting the development of relevant skills for effective: a) Relationships, and b) Emotional regulation. The first step in facilitating standards of positive behaviour is communicating those standards to all students. At Bracken Ridge State School we emphasise the importance of directly teaching students the behaviours we want them to demonstrate at school. Communicating behavioural expectations is a form of universal behaviour support - a strategy directed towards all students designed to prevent inappropriate behaviour and provide a framework for responding to unacceptable behaviour. A set of behavioural expectations in specific settings has been attached to each of our four school rules. Our School Behaviour Matrix outlines our agreed rules and specific behavioural expectations in all school settings. These expectations are communicated to students via a number of strategies, including: - Weekly assembly presentations;
- Term memos developed by the SSW Committee with a focus on supporting student behaviour and wellbeing;
- Morning Chat;
- School newsletter column from WilI.I.Bee (school mascot) and Deputy Principal discussing current focus areas and highlighting progress;
- Weekly behaviour warm-ups which are presented at assembly and then conducted during the week by classroom teachers;
- Distribution of reward cards (Green Cards) to reinforce the school rules. These cards are used as part of a weekly celebration on school assemblies.
Addressing behaviour incidents When responding to behaviour incidents the staff member determines the function of the behaviour. Consideration is given to individual circumstances, Individual Behaviour Support Plans (IBSP) and individual classroom support passports. The following systems/programs are presently in place at Bracken Ridge State School: · Neuroscience (common language) · Mindfulness · Daily monitoring through IBSP and Playground Passport · Buddy Class · Zones of Regulation · Circle Time · Emotional Check-In · Lunchtime clubs · Supported Play Group · Mindful Hive (focus areas and signature practices) · Referral to Behaviour Support Services* or private providers · Withdrawal from classroom and implementation of alternate timetable · Berry St Resources
Behaviour Support Services include · Student Welfare Officer · School psychologist · Mind with Heart · ROCKET · Growth mindset Resilience Integrity Thinking styles (GRIT) · Outreach services · School and Family Support Team · Metropolitan Behaviour Support Services (AVT)
Our school seeks to ensure that responses to inappropriate or unacceptable behaviour are consistent and proportionate to the nature of the behaviour. Consequently when making decisions in response to inappropriate behaviour they are viewed in terms of minor or major behaviours.
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