Restorative Practices

Part of our PBIS program involves Restorative Practices.  Restorative practices is a school-wide approach that addresses student behavior by teaching students:

• to consider how their actions impact others (empathy)

• how to repair broken relationships (making it right)

• how to identify the cause of a behavior and to get what they need to change their behavior

Restorative practices focuses on building strong and trusting relationships between teachers and students, as well as between students and their peers.  Some of the ways we do this are:

• Respect Agreements

• Restorative Circles

• Reflection Sheets

What is a Respect Agreement?

At the beginning of  the school year, each classroom spends time talking about the way students want to be treated by other students, how they want to be treated by their teachers, how the teachers want to be treated by their students and how everyone should treat the building.  After these conversations, each classroom makes and displays a Respect Agreement chart to serve as a reminder of these conversations and to help hold each other accountable to their agreement.

What are Restorative Circles?

A restorative circle is a time when members of the classroom sit in a circle and take turns talking and sharing about a topic.  Students have the freedom to "pass" if they don't feel comfortable talking on a given topic.  Circles focus on providing students a chance to hear the thoughts and perspectives of others, to have their own voice be heard, and to resolve conflict through open dialogue.  Students are taught to listen and share respectfully and to build trust.

What are Reflection Sheets?

We know that nobody is perfect and at times everyone makes mistakes. Understanding the reason behind a behavior and thinking about how our behaviors impact others can be difficult for a child. When approrpriate, a Reflection/ Think sheet may be used to help a student think through their behaviors with the goal of repairing any broken relationships and correcting the behavior. In most cases, students are asked to complete a Refletion Sheet at school but may sometimes be asked to complete one at home.