Running head: TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 1

River Valley Academy Team Discipline Plan

Franciscan University of Steubenville

EDU 360

Dawn Cutri, Casey Haggerty, Megan Hukill, Madison Jennings, and Joseph Schuster

May 1, 2016
TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 2

River Valley Academy

TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN

EXPECTATIONS

R  espect
Students will respect themselves, their peers, faculty, and staff.

I  ntegrity
Students will strive to exhibit unity, cohesiveness, and virtuous actions
by working as active members of the Academy.

V  alue
​Students will recognize their self-worth and take pride in their education
and school community.

E  xcellence
​Students will exhibit academic achievement, perseverance, and growth.

R  esponsibility
Students will be held accountable to a high standard of honesty,
organization, and dedication.
TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 3

CONSEQUENCES

MISCONDUCT 1st OFFENCE 2nd OFFENCE 3rd OFFENCE

UNEXCUSED Communication with Meeting with school Restitution until

ABSENCES parent/guardian administration. missed assignments
are completed.
Meeting with truancy
officer.

SUBSTANCE If a student is caught If a student is caught If a student is caught

ABUSE in possession of or in possession of in possession of
under the influence of under the influence of under the influence of
drugs or alcohol, the drugs or alcohol, the drugs or alcohol, the
authorities are authorities are authorities are
immediately notified immediately notified immediately notified
and parents/guardians and parents/guardians and parents/guardians
are contacted. Student are contacted. Student are contacted. Student
will receive three (3) will receive out of will be expelled and
days of in school school suspension for sent to an alternative
suspension. Students five (5) school days. school.
will attend a The student will have
mandatory meeting to complete ten (10)
with the school hours of community
psychologist. service in addition to
completing all school
assignments.

DAMAGE TO The student will The student will The student will
SCHOOL repair damage to the repair damage to the repair damage to the
PROPERTY best of their ability best of his or her best of their ability
with the help of the ability with the help with the help of the
janitor. The student of the janitor. The janitor. The student
will meet with the student will meet will meet with the
principal to apologize with the principal to principal to apologize
and make amends. apologize and make and make amends.
amends. Student will Student will serve
serve detention by detention by assisting
assisting the janitor in the janitor in his daily
his daily duties. duties for one week.
Student will lose a
privilege depending
on the offense.
TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 4

BULLYING/ Any incident of Any incident of The school

HARASSMENT bullying/ harassment bullying/ harassment authorities will be
will result in a will result in a immediately notified
meeting with school meeting with school and parents/guardians
administration and administration and are contacted. Student
parents/guardians. A parents/guardians. A will be expelled and
written apology will written apology will sent to an alternative
be required of the be required of the school if the situation
student at fault. student at fault. The persists.
student will receive
three (3) day in
school suspension
and ten (10) hours of
community service.
All students involved
will meet with the
school guidance
counselor.

VIOLENCE In any case of In any case of The school

violence, the students violence, the students authorities will be
involved will be sent involved will be sent immediately notified
to the principal’s to the principal’s and parents/guardians
office and office and will be contacted.
parents/guardians will parents/guardians will Student will be
be contacted. The be contacted. The expelled and sent to
students will remain student will be given an alternative school.
in in school out of school
suspension for the suspension for five
remainder of the day. (5) days and ten (10)
hours of community
service.

PLAGIARISM/ If a student is caught If a student is caught If the student is

CHEATING cheating or cheating or caught cheating or
plagiarizing on any plagiarizing on any plagiarizing on any
assignment, the assignment, the assignment, the
student’s assignment will student will receive a
parents/guardians will receive the grade of zero on the
be notified, the zero with no chance assignment and the
student will have to of redoing the work overall grade average
redo the assignment and the student’s will drop one letter
and can only receive parents/guardians will grade.
up to half credit. be notified.
TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 5

TEAM ENCOURAGEMENT STRATEGIES

River Valley Academy is divided into three grade levels. The 6th, 7th, and 8th grades
will be divided into three groups each. The 6th grade team will be referred to as ​Streams​ one,
two, and three, the 7th grade team will be ​Channels​ one, two, and three, and the 8th grade team
will be the ​Deltas ​one, two, and three. By using this grouping, the students can ​flow ​from grade
level to grade level.
Together, the teams will work on a service project throughout the entire year. For
example, one service project would be to tend to a greenhouse. Streams, Channels, and Deltas
will have specific tasks to complete in order to care for the River Valley Academy’s greenhouse.
Students will research and select seeds to plant and will care for the greenhouse for the entire
school year. At the end of the year, the school will have a potluck dinner using the vegetables
grown in the greenhouse. By engaging in this service work, the students collaborate with their
teams to build a sense of community. Through these activities, the students focus on the school’s
mission for encouraging integrity, value, and responsibility. The students witness the fruit of
their labor.

TEAM PROCEDURES

TRANSITIONS Locker usage is limited to 5 minute time periods between class

and 5 minutes before homeroom in the morning. Using the
restroom and getting drinks at the water fountain should also
occur in this 5 minute period, so students must use this time
wisely. Hallways will be monitored by teachers and any horseplay
will be handled accordingly. Lockers and hallways should be kept
neat and clear of garbage to ensure the safety and well being of
everyone in the school. At the end of the school day, anything
needed from the locker should be taken care of quickly as
students clear the hallways and go to their designated areas (either
the pickup or bus line). Loitering in the halls will not be tolerated
at any time throughout the day.

ACADEMIC SUPPORT All students will be held to a high standard of excellence.

Students will be given a signup sheet at the beginning of the
school week to sign up for a mandatory weekly advising session
with their assigned teacher. They will also meet every Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday with their teams and team leaders to
discuss any issues they may be having, both academically and
TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 6

emotionally. Any child who feels stressed or overwhelmed will

have the guidance counselor at their disposal at all times. All
students will also have the option to receive peer mentoring or
tutoring. Sign-up sheets in each room will be checked daily. If
an advisor decides a student needs extra help, he reserves the right
to assign that student a mentor/tutor. All 8th grade students will
be required to schedule an appointment with the school guidance
counselor at the end of the school year to develop their high
school schedule to correspond with their potential future area of
study (college prep. or vocational).

ABSENTEES Students are responsible for any work missed due to absence.
Students will be emailed any homework they were assigned for
that day. These assignments must be completed and turned in
immediately following their return to school. Any notes missed in
class can be received from their assigned “note buddy”. For every
class day that an assignment / homework is not turned in, the
letter grade for said assignment / homework will go down ½ a
letter grade (hence a assignment that would have been an A will
become an A- after 1 day, a B after 2 days and so on and so forth).
Any tests missed during a student's absence must be taken within
one (1) week of the original test day. If the test is not completed
in this week the student will receive a zero (0) for that test.
Absolutely no exceptions are made to this procedure.

ANNOUNCEMENTS Each team will send home a bi-weekly newsletter to the student’s
family to notify them about the current learning goals, service
work, and upcoming events. School wide announcements are
given over the PA system during homeroom. Team wide
announcements are given during advising sessions on MWFs.
Any other important announcements will be handled on an “as
needed” basis.

CLASSROOM Students will be given an assigned seat on the first day of school
EXPECTATIONS and this will remain their seat throughout the school year.
However, the teacher reserves the right to rearrange the class as
need. The only time a student would not sit in his or her assigned
seat is during group work or free work times. All students are
responsible for keeping both their desks and the areas around their
desks neat and free of any objects that could cause someone to
trip and fall. Destruction or abuse of school property is absolutely
prohibited and will be handled swiftly and accordingly. Pencils
should be sharpened at the start of class so as to not disrupt
instruction time. Students should always have at least two (2)
sharpened pencils at all times. Calling or yelling out answers
TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 7

without raising a hand will not be tolerated. All written

assignments must be neat and legible. If not, the assignment must
be redone and will be counted as late. The heading of all
assignments and assessments must include the Name, Date, Class
period, and the Title of the assignment in the top right-hand
corner of the paper. Improper headings will result in a grade
deduction.

GRADING POLICIES All grades will be uploaded into the student’s grade book so that
they can be viewed by the student and their parents. Progress
reports and report cards will be sent home each quarter to be
reviewed and signed by the parents and then returned to the
student's advisor.

The grading scale for all classes is as follows:

Grading Scale:
95%-100% = A
90%-94% = A-
85%-89% = B
80%-84% = B-
75%-79% = C
70%-74%= C-
65%-69%= D
60%-64%= D-
59% & below = F

PARENT CONFERENCE FORMAT

River Valley Academy encourages open communication between students, parents, and
teachers. Parent/guardians will receive the form below from Appelbaum (2009)​ ​from every
teacher (p.113). The parents/guardians will receive this form at the beginning of every year at
the school open house. Following the open house, the teacher will send a follow up e-mail or
phone call to begin the communication.

Let’s Stay in Touch

Hello,

I am your child’s teacher this year. My name is

_____________________________________.
TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 8

I am looking forward to teaching your child this year. Here is a way that you can contact me.
My e-mail address is __________________________________________________________.

Please return this form with your e-mail address so I too can contact you. Together, we will
ensure your child’s success this year.

Child’s name _________________________________________________________________

Parent’s name ________________________________________________________________

Parent’s e-mail address ________________________________________________________

Parent’s daytime telephone number _______________________________________________

Thank you!

One-on-one conferences between parents/guardians and teachers will take place on an

appointment basis. Teachers will be flexible and accommodating to meet at the
parents’/guardians’ convenience. The following form from Appelbaum (2009)​ ​will help
document the teachers’ and parents’/guardians’ interaction (p. 96). A copy of this form will be
provided to the parents and the administration if requested.

Conference Documentation

Student’s name_______________________________________________________________

Date of conference ____________________________________________________________

Name of individual who attended conference________________________________________

Relationship to student_________________________________________________________

Issues discussed_______________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 9

Action plan__________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________

Teacher’s signature____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________ __________, 20___________

The following form Appelbaum (2009) is sent to parents as a follow-up for parent/ teacher
conferences (p. 97). The form will be sent to the parents/guardians within a week of the
conference.

Follow-Up for Conference

Dear_______________________________________________________________________,

Thank you so much for attending the conference concerning

__________________________ held on ____________________ _____________, 20______.

It was great to meet and speak with you. I am looking forward to working with you as a team
for your child.

As a positive reminder for both of us, I am outlining the suggestions and plans we made at the
conference.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 10

Thanks again for coming. It was a pleasure meeting you. I look forward to working together
with you.

Sincerely yours,

____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________ _________________, 20___________

In addition to scheduled parent teacher conferences, Friday afternoons from the end of
the school day to 4pm will be “open-classroom hours.” Every teacher on the team will be
available to talk with parents/guardians; no appointment necessary. Parents/guardians are
encouraged to come meet with the teachers during these times.

SCHOOL “COMMUNITY” PLAN

The school community plan at River Valley Academy is seamlessly incorporated into the
expectations of our “R.I.V.E.R.” acronym. Each semester, students are encouraged to be active
members of the community by participating in one of the various service opportunities listed
below. These acts of service correspond with our five pillars, and promote a sense of
involvement for the students both within the school community and in the local community of
Steubenville, Ohio.

Note: Students are not assigned to community-building projects as a team. Rather, each
student is allowed to pick which one they would like to participate in. In this way, students of
different ages, grades, and maturity levels mix together and build the community of River Valley
Academy with fellow students outside of their team.

R​espect Students respect the elderly members of their community.

Once a month during the semester, students visit the Laurels of
Steubenville nursing home. Residents will be able to spend time with
the students and participate in activities planned by the students
throughout the semester. The middle schoolers are also encouraged to
work together to prepare musical performances for the residents.
Each student is required to keep a reflection journal to record their
experiences and write a short story at the end of the semester based on
memorable moments. At the end of the semester, students will have
TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 11

built strong relationships of respect with the residents and gain a new
awareness of the joy and purpose they can bring to their lives.

I​ntegrity Students demonstrate integrity in community service.

Students have an opportunity to help at a local soup kitchen, food
pantry, conduct community-wide food drives around holidays, as well
as take part in Operation Christmas Child during the Christmas
season. Not only will students participate in these projects, they will
also advertise the opportunities to spark community involvement and
set up fundraisers to build profits for the soup kitchen and food
pantry.

V​alue Students see the value in the natural world around them.
Students appreciate and protect the value in the natural community by
cleaning up the local river banks. They also make several trips to
Raccoon State Park to assist the rangers and promote forestry
conservation. Another activity students can participate in is planting
trees at a local nature reserve. To help get families involved, River
Valley Academy will sponsor a Family Hilltop Clean-up day in the
Spring where students and families will go around Le Belle hilltop in
Steubenville and pick up trash and litter.

E​xcellence Students share academic excellence with younger students.

Every other week, students are given the opportunity to travel to the
Public Library of Steubenville and Jefferson County to tutor younger
students in an after-school program. The middle schoolers work on
the younger students’ homework with them, read books aloud, and
play educational activities with them. Explaining academic concepts
to younger students not only reviews and enforces their own
knowledge, but also allows them to act as role models and develop
important life skills such as patience and understanding.

R​esponsibility Students are responsible leaders in the local community.

River Valley Academy’s 8th graders must plan their own community
service-based presentation that they will present at an end of the year
Service Fair as evidence of their hard work to beautify and improve
the community. This presentation will consist of photos that artifact
the experience as well as a chart that catalogs the hours spent on each
pillar of the R.I.V.E.R model. Students will also include a reflection
TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 12

that describes their experience and what values they found to be

integral to their moral formation.

Discipline Theory Rationale

“Dignity is enhanced when students have the opportunity to lead, make decisions, and

give input. It becomes part of the school’s fabric when they are viewed as partners in

creating and sustaining the school climate, rather than simply being recipients of adult

efforts” (Curwin and Mendler, 2008, p. 30).

With this in mind, River Valley Academy strives to focus on our students and staff working as

members of a team towards the same goals to create a cohesive learning environment.

Our discipline procedures serve as a means to create learning opportunities rather than

enforce harsh punishments. Our Expectations and Consequences discipline plan is rooted in the

ideas presented from the Discipline with Dignity theory that was developed by Richard Curwin

and Allen Mendler. This theory implements consequences in such a way that enables students to

grow and become better human beings in the community and world around them. Educators

“have to start to help kids realize that [following rules] is the right thing to do – not because

someone is watching them, but because it will make their lives better” (Delisio, 2011, para. 17).

Coming from the Latin word “disciplina” which translates to “instruction given to a

learner”, discipline should be perceived “as a teaching process rather than a process of

intimidation and humiliation” (McCormick, n.d., para. 5). Curwin and Mendler (2008) suggest

the idea that “rules provide little motivation for students to follow them. It is the values on

which the rules are based that provide the motivation” (p. 29).
TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 13

The Discipline with Dignity method is an approach that supports student value and

integrity even when students do not meet the expectations of River Valley Academy. According

to Curwin and Mendler (2008), “a good consequence needs to teach better behavior. It doesn’t

matter if the student feels good or bad - it matters that the student learns better behavior” (p. 37).

River Valley Academy consistently strives to better student behavior through community service

projects, school support networks, and parent/guardian involvement when expectations are not

met. In doing this, we hope to help our students reach their full life potentials.
TEAM DISCIPLINE PLAN 14

References

Appelbaum, M. (2009). ​How to handle hard-to-handle parents​. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin

Press.

Curwin, R.L., Mendler, A.N., and Mendler, B.D. (2008). ​Discipline with dignity: new

challenges, new solutions. ​(3rd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and

Curriculum Development.

​Delisio, E. R. (2011, October 10). Discipline with dignity stresses positive motivation.

Retrieved April 29, 2016, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_admin/admin/

​admin534.shtml.

​McCormick, R. (n.d.). Discipline with dignity: educators educating educators. Retrieved April

29, 2016, from​ ​http://stuff4educators.com/index.php?p=1_29_discipline-with-dignity​.