Amaroo School


School Policy : Building Quality Relationships Policy

Development: 2004

Renewal Date: 2006

Related Policies and Procedures: ACT Department of Education and Training policies: Safe Schools, Sexual Harassment, Racism, Combating in Schools and the Workplace, Student Management and Welfare School

Procedures for Building Quality Relationships (Amaroo School Staff Guide)

Guiding Statement
 This is my school and my actions matter.

Rationale
 1. To ensure that our values of:

  • Excellence in all that we do and expect and
  • Inclusion of all members of our school community through respect, tolerance and recognition of difference are fostered in all of our dealings between members of our school community.

2. To develop the five conditions of a quality school as described in The Quality School Teacher by William Glasser (1998). The five conditions are to:

  • provide a warm and supportive environment
  • do only useful work
  • expect everyone to do their best
  • evaluate your own work and improve it
  • believe that quality work is its own reward and is never destructive.

3. To promote the concept of identifying and meeting ‘basic needs' (fun and enjoyment, survival, love, belonging and friendship, freedom, empowerment).

4. To work with our students to help them make better choices to meet their basic needs and to achieve their goals. At Amaroo we use Dr. William Glasser's theory to assist us to do this. There are three components to this theory:

  1. Choice Theory explains why, and to a great extent how all living organisms behave. Choice Theory argues that ALL behaviour is purposeful…even if we are not aware of the reason at a conscious level. That purpose is always to attempt match our reality to our vision of how we would like our world to be (quality world pictures), so that we can better satisfy our own needs.
  2. Reality Theory assists people to take more effective/responsible control of their lives. This is achieved either by: helping the person create more realistic pictures about their world view or helping the person work out better choices to meet their perceived needs. Reality Theory promotes a quality communication process. It is the language for improving relationships, which is the key to lead management.
  3. Lead Management is the style of working with people that is based on an understanding and application of Choice Theory.

Implementation

We build our quality relationships through:

  • taking the time to get to know the people in our school community
  • teaching Choice Theory in the classroom
  • celebrating achievements and successes (eg: quality work and community service awards in assemblies, displaying student work, ‘star of the week')
  • identifying and meeting individual needs (eg: student focus meetings and referrals, individual learning plans, personal learning plans, student self assessment)
  • monitoring behaviour and achievements (eg: entering student data on RISC (Register Of Individual Student Contact), assessment procedures)
  • staff training/relationships (eg: professional dialogue at staff and team meetings, providing high quality external professional learning such as the ‘Glasser Basic Week'.)
  • consistency (eg: in use of language, application of Choice Theory)
  • application of agreed procedures within the classroom, in the playground and on any school based excursions / activities (clearly outlined, yet flexible; following through on an agreed course of action)
  • using Choice Theory / Reality Theory techniques with students to help them make better choices. (eg: negotiated class expectations, class meetings, discussion circles).
  • parent partnerships (eg: information evenings, newsletter articles, conversations with parents as issues arise, training sessions for parents on Choice Theory, case meetings).

Status: Approved by School Board May 2005