Our principal and staff are dedicated to creating a positive school culture for our students — and that includes helping them think about how we treat others and how others treat us. It’s critical to set this foundation early, which is why we place a culture of respect and caring as one of the most important things we do at our school.
When students are feeling or acting overwhelmed, we send them to our “focus room,” where an adult can help them explore their feelings and understand where they’re coming from. It’s our way of making students feel listened to and supported — while still letting them know the importance of treating others with respect, just as they would want to be treated (again, our golden rule).
We build an empathetic campus community in other ways, as well. For instance, the communication app ClassDojo has helped us build a larger community of support at our school with its varied messaging capabilities that connect home and school. The principal and teachers at Beacon are so convinced of its positive power, it’s used schoolwide. Our parents enjoy that it’s user-friendly and easily fits into their lives.
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