BEHAVIOR/DISCIPLINE

Students are expected to follow the school rules and the policies that are found in the school folder and the student agenda.,

A Safe, Orderly and Caring Environment

 School-Wide Discipline Plan

   White Oak Elementary School faculty and staff strive to provide a safe, orderly, and caring environment in which all children are safe and can learn.  Children learn self-discipline in much the same way that they learn language and math.  To help our students learn self-discipline as a part of our safe, orderly, and caring environment, White Oak Elementary School includes LifeTime Skills as a regular part of our curriculum.  These skills are respect, positive attitude, perseverance, caring, responsibility, and teamwork. Character education is taught within the context of our LifeTime Skills curriculum. A copy of the Character Education Law adopted by the General Assembly of North Carolina is included with other reference documents at the end of this handbook.

   Students will be expected to show respect to others, themselves, and property.  Behavior that prevents others from learning will not be tolerated.  Therefore to ensure that students understand what is necessary for them to display LifeTime Skills, the following rules or expectations will be in place throughout the school:

 ·        Listen and follow all directions the first time they are given.

·        Keep hands, feet, and objects to yourself.

·        Raise your hand and wait to be called on.

·        Take care of our property.

·        Use appropriate language for school.

   The faculty and staff of White Oak Elementary are committed to the education of our students. These folks also recognize that there are other commitments to learning that require the full efforts of the students and the support of their parents. These expectations include:

              1.                Show respect to self, peers, adults, and property.

2.                Come to school prepared with supplies, notes, and homework.

3.                Be on time ...instructional time is very important.

4.                Participate in all school activities to the best of your ability.

    In addition to and in collaboration with the WOES school-wide discipline plan, each teacher will establish rules and regulations for his/her classroom. All regulations on discipline are established within guidelines of state and federal law and Carteret County Board policies, including the Student Code of Conduct.   Please refer to the Carteret County Schools website if you have any questions concerning county policies on behavior. (www.carteretcountyschools.org)

  Specific White Oak Elementary School Regulations

A. Appropriate behavior:

·        Students are responsible for knowing that school-wide expectations include arriving at school after 7:30 a.m. and going directly to breakfast or to classroom area to wait for the first bell.

·        Appropriate behavior is expected from students as they wait in the hallways prior to the beginning of the school day. They are expected to sit along the wall outside their classroom. Book bags and lunch boxes are to be kept at their sides or in their laps. Feet and legs are to be kept out of the walkways. Once a student arrives on his/her hallway, there will be no traveling to other parts of campus unless he/she is on an errand and has a written pass from a specific teacher. Students in the hallways should be prepared to sit quietly and follow the directions of the staff member on duty.

·        In some instances additional grade level rules and expectations will be in place. For example: fifth grade students may be expected to use that morning time to do silent reading; third grade students may be expected to use that time to make up missed assignments or read quietly. 

·        Students will be made aware of additional rules specific to their hallways and areas.

 B. Student dress code

·       Students are expected to dress in a manner appropriate for school, which includes athletic shoes for physical education classes and outside recess.  

·        Several types of clothing are not allowed. These include hats or caps (worn inside the building); clothing which

     displays vulgarity, lewd or suggestive language; short-shorts or mini-skirts (guideline: hemline of garment must                    come to fingertips of wearer); chains; spaghetti straps; tank tops, and unusually baggy or oversized pants worn without belts.

·        Any clothing construed by school officials to be a disruption to the learning environment will be considered inappropriate and will not be allowed.

 C. Items not allowed at school

·        Radios, tape and CD players, skateboards, roller blades, electronic devices such as beepers and cell phones, and toys are not to be brought to school unless they serve a specific instructional purpose approved by the teacher.

·        These items may not be brought on to school buses in any case.

D. Sales of items

·        Students are not allowed to sell anything on the bus or school grounds without the permission of the principal.

 E. Telephones

·        Students are not permitted to use a school telephone during school hours unless it is determined an emergency. When this is the case, such call(s) shall be made in the main office. 

·        The office staff will take emergency messages for students during the school day -- students will not be called to the telephone. Students may not make long distance phone calls.