Our approach to discipline centers on restorative practices and Love and Logic, a straightforward parenting and teaching philosophy that holds that children learn the best lessons when they’re given a task, allowed to make their own choices — which may involve failing — when the cost of failure is still small. Those failures must be met with love and empathy from their parents and teachers. The Love and Logic methodology allows us to embrace each learner’s uniqueness while modeling and expecting appropriate behavior. We also provide regular opportunities for our parents to learn more about how to implement Love and Logic techniques at home. For more information on Love and Logic, click here.

Our restorative approach to student discipline views relationships as central to a healthy learning environment for our students. We strive to create a community of shared values where student participation is required, not optional. Our facilitators and administrators model these values so they’re viewed as an integral part of our school culture — not simply a slogan on a poster. The goal of our restorative justice philosophy is to help learners find solutions to behavioral or social issues through open dialogue rather than simply handing down an arbitrary punishment. For more on restorative justice, click here.

At SCVi, we adhere to the following expectations for school behavior:

Our disciplinary philosophy is firmly rooted in our commitment to facilitating social-emotional learning. We know that every learner is different, as are the challenges they face. We believe it is part of our job as educators to help our students learn self-direction and discipline. To that end, we include an assessment of social-emotional skills in our learners’ Individualized Learning Plans, Learner-Led Conferences, and Reports of Progress.