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Aspenwood Elementary School
School District No. 43 (Coquitlam)
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Code of Conduct

​​​​​​​​Code of Conduct ​​
2023-2024

Aspenwood Elementary



Mission:

Aspenwood Elementary is rooted in care and excellence.


Introduction

Aspenwood Elementary is committed to promoting and maintaining a safe, caring, and orderly school environment, as outlined in the Safe Caring and Orderly Schools Guide. The following document reflects Aspenwood’s efforts to establish and maintain a Code of Conduct that defines our philosophy with respect to student behaviour, our expectations for student behaviour, how we will communicate those expectations, how we will facilitate student compliance with those expectations, and how we will respond when a child behaves in a fashion counter to our expectations.


Our Code of Conduct represents a belief that we all work together to take care of ourselves, others, and the environment.

Code of Conduct: Key Elements 1. Process

We recognize that, in developing and maintaining our Code of Conduct at Aspenwood, it is imperative that we involve all

members of our school community including students, parents, caregivers, staff, and appropriate community partners. Through this continuing process, we hope to maintain a strong sense of ownership for our Code of Conduct and establish common expectations, language, and practices in our school and in our community of schools.


Aspenwood’s Code of Conduct is reviewed annually. The 20223/2024 Code of Conduct is aligned with both district and provincial safety initiatives, and we plan to review it with stakeholder groups during the school year to educate, increase commitment, and reflect stakeholder values.


2. Communication

We believe that the Code of Conduct (and its implementation) is one of the cornerstones of a school-wide program developing social responsibility in students. We routinely promote our expectations, reinforce the positive language associated with our expectations, and recognize when students have demonstrated exemplary behaviour consistent with our expectations.


In the 2023-2024 school-year the Code of Conduct will be:

• Published on the school website

• Distributed to all grade 1 – 5 students/parents through the student planner

• Provided to all new students, though the planner, who enroll throughout the year

• Discussed routinely at staff meetings

• Discussed as a central element of the first week activities, as well as throughout the year 

• Embedded in class meetings and in the development of classroom expectations

• Referred to in communication with parents

• Communicated to parents, as appropriate, through school newsletters, the school planner, emails, and at the Parent Advisory Council as an element of a PAC meeting early in the school year


Parents will be asked to read Aspenwood’s Code of Conduct and an abridged version of the District’s Code of Conduct and sign that they have reviewed it with their children.


3. Implementation

Students are reminded of the school’s Code of Conduct and their personal responsibility to be a good citizen of Aspenwood Elementary in opening week activities and throughout the year within classrooms and at assemblies. Students are explicitly taught what taking care of ourselves, others, and the environment should look and feel like. 


• The Code of Conduct is taught in a range of ways, mainly through interaction of students with their teachers

• Staff members model the expectations of the Code of Conduct and guide students in decision making, problem solving, and how to play safely and fairly

• Student leaders in the school are asked to model behavior that reinforces the expectations laid out in the Code of Conduct 

• Students are taught strategies to resolve conflicts through peaceful means such as mediation and to follow due process when resolving problems/challenges 

• Staff provide students with consistent feedback to both guide and assist them in learning from their experiences

• Our counselor works to promote pro-social skills through targeted “friendship groups” and classroom lessons

• All school staff expect community members to adhere to the Code of Conduct everywhere on the school property

• The principles of the Code of Conduct are evident in sports activities, both at home and away, where a commitment to sportsmanship and fair play prevail

• Parents are asked to review the Code of Conduct with their children

• Parent Advisory Council will have a role in the review of, and any modifications made to, the Code of Conduct 


4. Monitoring and Review

Student conduct has direct implications for every aspect of the school. We constantly monitor patterns of behavior and assess our responses in the context of ensuring students learn how to behave in ways that are positive for the community. While issues are often dealt with at the classroom level, they are referred to Administration if they appear significant or if behaviours are repeated. The number of incidents is small and patterns of behaviours become apparent quickly.


The implementation and monitoring of the Code of Conduct will be an agenda item and reviewed at the first staff meeting of the year each September to ensure the code reflects the current and emerging situations that contribute to school/student safety. Teachers will be given the onus of reviewing the Code of Conduct with their students, so that future and on-going discussions can be informed by their assessment of student behavior. The Code of Conduct will also be referred to the PAC with the suggestion that it be reviewed at a PAC Meeting. 


5. Alignment

While we routinely discuss students we articulate with the Middle School we send them to, we have yet to specifically discuss our Codes of Conduct. We will propose more formal discussions with the administration from Eagle Mountain and propose an annual meeting with them and the administration from Heritage Woods. In addition, our code of conduct is aligned with district and provincial policy, administrative procedures, the BC Human Rights Code, the School Act, and the Criminal Code of Canada. 


6. Standards

Aspenwood promotes the values as per Section 8 of the Human Rights Code of British Columbia, that students shall not discriminate against others on the basis of Indigenous identity, race, religion, colour, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, family status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or physical or mental disability. Furthermore, as per Section 7 of the Human Rights Code of British Columbia, no student shall publish or display anything that would indicate an intention to discriminate against another, or expose them to contempt, hate, or ridicule. Finally, a student must not, without a bona fide and reasonable justification, 

a.) Deny to a person, or class of persons, any accommodation, service or facility customarily available in the school environment, or

b.) Discriminate against a person or class of persons regarding any accommodation, service or facility customarily available to the public in the school environment 


Behaviour Expectations

These expectations apply to behaviour at school, during school-organized or sponsored activities, and behaviour beyond the school day (including on-line behaviour) that negatively impacts the environment of the school, student learning, and/or student safety/wellbeing.


A search by school officials of a student under their authority or a search of student property may be undertaken if the school has reasonable grounds to believe a school rule has been or will be violated, and that the evidence of that violation will be found in the location or on the person of the student being searched. Students know that their teachers and other school authorities are responsible for providing a safe learning environment and maintaining order and discipline at school. As a result, they must know that, where reasonable grounds exist, this may require searches of students and their personal effects and the seizure of prohibited items.


Students should also be aware that schools may collect, use, and disclose personal information about students for the purposes of investigating and addressing student misconduct, safety and maintaining order and discipline in school. Such collection and use of student information may include information that is obtained from witnesses or collected from other secondary information sources (e.g. social media). All personal information of students collected by the school will be collected in compliance with and under the authority of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (ss. 26(a),(b), and(c)) and the School Act. Questions about the collection, use or disclosure of student personal information should be directed to the Director of Information and Learning Technologies, Stephen Whiffin, at swhiffin@sd43.bc.ca.


Statement of Purpose

Aspenwood’s Code of Conduct is in place to:

• Establish and maintain a safe, caring, and orderly learning and teaching environment that ensures physical and emotional safety while promoting socially responsible behaviour choices

• Provide common expectations for the behaviour of all students and to ensure all members of the school community understand these expectations

• Ensure a positive community that values openness, diversity, fairness, and equality

• Maintain appropriate balances among individual and collective rights, freedoms, and responsibilities

• Encourage thoughtful and reflective citizenship

• Clarify and outline school expectations and acceptable student conduct at school, in the community, and while acting as school ambassadors 


Expectations for Student Conduct

Acceptable Conduct

• Behave, at all times, in a manner that is respectful of self, others, the environment, and the school 

• Help to ensure the school environment is a safe and caring place for all to learn 

• Demonstrate pride in self and the school and act in ways that bring credit to both 

• Engage in responsible behaviour in all learning and school activities 

• Comply promptly with the moral, lawful, and age-appropriate directions of a supervising adult 

• Where safe to do so, give others clear, appropriate feedback when their behaviour is inconsistent with the Code of Conduct 

• Report ALL incidents of violent or threatening behaviour to a supervising adult immediately 

• Use technology in an appropriate, safe, and respectful manner both on and off campus 

• Be aware of AP 140: District Acceptable Use Policy when using the Internet and/or school technology 


Unacceptable Conduct

The school will treat seriously any behaviours that interfere with and/or compromise the physical, social, emotional, or academic well-being of others including:

• Behaving in a way that has some likelihood of injuring self or others, or bringing emotional distress to others 

• Physical fighting, play fighting, and other aggressive behaviours 

• Bullying (physical, verbal, relational), including cyber bullying 

• Discriminatory or harassing behaviours 

• Behaving in a way that unreasonably distracts other students or interferes with their ability to benefit from learning opportunities 

• Wearing clothes with inappropriate, suggestive, racist or derogatory language and/or drug/alcohol/cigarette advertisements 

• Using/implying having a physical illness, disability or condition to threaten, harass or intimidate others 

• Misuse of any forms of technology or communication on or off campus, if it negatively impacts the school environment 

• Acts of retribution towards someone who reported unsafe or violent incidents 

• Defying the reasonable request or instruction of a supervising adult 

• Denying responsibility for your actions or the consequences of your actions 

• Illegal acts such as: 

 possession, use or distribution of illegal or restricted substances 

 possession, or use of weapons 

 theft, vandalism, or damage to school/others’ property 


Rising Expectations

As students mature, we expect them to demonstrate increasing personal and social responsibility, self-regulation, and self-discipline. Intermediate students are expected to begin demonstrating leadership behavior, particularly where they are possibly modeling for primary students.


A student’s medical, cognitive, social-emotional, and personal profile must be considered in the determination of appropriate intervention and/or consequences. Therefore, the application of the school’s Code of Conduct must consider the student’s ability to meet behavioural expectations.


Consequences

Administrators, teachers, and support staff work hard to ensure appropriate educational, rehabilitative and/or restorative measures are in place to assist students in learning from their mistakes. When a student does not act in a respectful or responsible manner, it is necessary for the school to have consequences which will help that student re-establish positive behaviour. 


• Responses to unacceptable conduct are pre-planned, consistent, and fair 

• Responses will also take into consideration the student’s age and maturity 

• Disciplinary action, wherever possible, is preventative and restorative, rather than merely punitive 

• Students, as often as possible, are encouraged to participate in the development of meaningful consequences for violations of the established Code of Conduct 

• Wherever possible, the consequences will allow the student to make amends to victims of his/her actions and/or provide community service to compensate for time spent in dealing with the incident


Consequences will be implemented based on the severity and frequency of the behaviour. Progressive discipline methods will be applied to alter the inappropriate and/or unsafe behavior.


 Notification

Depending on the nature of the unacceptable behaviour, school officials may contact the following:


• Parents/guardians of the student(s) offender 

• Parents/guardians of the student victim(s) where appropriate 

• Coquitlam school district officials – as required by school district policy

• Police and/or other agencies as required by law

• Staff and school community members as deemed necessary and/or appropriate by school and/or district administration

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Aspenwood Elementary School

2001 Panorama Drive, Port Moody BC
V3H 5G8
604-461-7680 604-937-8002 aspenwood@sd43.bc.ca
8:30 am - 3:30 pm
Our school strives to keep our community informed. However, during urgent events, visit www.sd43.bc.ca to ensure you receive the most accurate and up-to-date information.