Community Building

Community Building Goals:

Respect others and ourselves;
Be responsible for our community
Work together to be the best we can be

Building on the community building goals established by the students, parents, teachers and staff: Respect others and ourselves; Be responsible for our community; and Work together to be the best we can be, the teachers, staff, and students at KDES and MSSD are working together to create a learning community in which individuals care about others and treat them with respect and fairness. Adults strive to model the behaviors of trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and integrity so that children learn and practice these behaviors. Students also need encouragement and help to learn decision-making and problem solving skills, and how to resolve conflicts among themselves.

The goal of this "community building" approach is to create a safe, orderly school where children and adults are free to learn and develop a positive set of attitudes and values. Teachers, staff and students use Positive Discipline strategies, developed by Jane Nelsen and Lynn Lott and based on the teachings of Alfred Adler, M.D., and Rudolf Dreikurs, M.D. This is a program that prepares children for responsible citizenship. It encourages the development of emotional intelligence and other important life skills. Students learn social skills, such as listening, taking turns, hearing different points of view, negotiating, communicating, helping one another, and taking responsibility for their own behavior. They also strengthen their academic skills without even realizing it.

Some of the ways teachers and staff member teach and reinforce the ideas of community building are by:

• Creating a climate of support and teamwork. Teachers and staff will take time to make connections between teachers/staff and students on the team use team building and group problem solving games or other activities to build a sense of community and trust within the team.
• Conducting daily community meetings. In these meetings children and adults have an opportunity to greet each other, learn about what is important to each other, discuss problems, find solutions together, and make decisions that impact on their school experience;
  
• Using a variety of Positive Discipline strategies such as: Classroom Jobs, Positive Time Out, Focus on solutions instead of consequences, Parent/ Teacher/Student Conferences, and Teacher Helping Teacher Problem Solving Meetings.
  
• Using a problem-solving approach to discipline. Student can be involved in developing classroom rules, school rules, and resolving conflicts. By providing structures and limits with clear consequences, adults help students develop self-discipline.
  
• Providing opportunities for community service projects both within and outside of the schools;
  
• Providing opportunities for studying and experiencing the diversity of cultures and beliefs among all people.

For more information: http://www.positivediscipline.com/

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