PBIS- Watson Elementary - Restorative Practices

What Are 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 build and maintain relationships with others (community)
how to repair broken relationships when a mistake is made (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
Morning Meeting
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 school community. 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 is A Morning Meeting?

Every morning, all elementary classes start the day with a morning meeting right after morning announcements. Morning meeting is an intentional way to start the day where all classroom members (teachers and students) gather in a circle, greet each other, and take time sharing and checking in with each other. This helps set the tone for the day, build community and adress any obstacles to learning.

What is A Restorative Circle?

A restorative circle is a time when members of the classroom sit in a circle and take turns talking and sharing about a topic, often times with the intent of solving a problem that may have occurred. 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, share respectfully and to build trust.

What are Think Sheets?

We know 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 appropriate, a 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 Think Sheet at school but may sometimes be asked to complete one at home and send it back.

K-2nd Grade Think Sheet

3rd-4th Grade Think Sheet