Life Skills: Love and Logic
We all know that a safe and orderly environment in any school is necessary before learning can take place. Without it, teachers cannot teach and children cannot learn. At Zinser Elementary School, our belief is that the best discipline is preventative discipline. We provide students with skills necessary to make good choices in their lives. Embedded in the Integrated Thematic Instruction program are five "Lifelong Guidelines": Trustworthiness, Truthfulness, Active Listening, No Put-Downs, and Personal Best. These guidelines along with the eighteen "Life Skills": pride, responsibility, integrity, cooperation, caring, resourcefulness, effort, courage, initiative, patience, friendship, perseverance, curiosity, flexibility, organization, sense of humor, common sense, and problem solving, provide the basis of our program for imparting the skills to our students to be successful.
In addition, the Zinser staff holds students responsible for their behavior by allowing logical consequences to follow student behavior choices. Each consequence can be as unique as each of our students. These are the tenets of the successful Love and Logic program created by Jim Fay.
Zinser has an excellent discipline plan that is presented to all new parents at registration. The plan was researched and written by Zinser staff members. The plan includes behavior expectations, rules, consequences, and rewards. The programs listed on this page are all part of this plan; which creates a positive school climate for all our students. Zinser staff has also logged many hours training in the "Love and Logic" Discipline Model.
Special Friends
Special Friends is a program where an upper elementary classroom is paired with a lower elementary classroom to become their "Special Friends". The two classes work on social and academic projects, meeting once or twice monthly. The older students learn how to communicate, problem solve, and demonstrate leadership with someone younger than themselves. The younger students get individual attention from an older student to help them with their school work or social needs.
Leadership Club
The purpose of this club is to develop leadership skills within the student population of our school. 3-5 students from each third, fourth and fifth grade classrooms were selected by their previous teacher to participate. Responsibilities of Leadership Club members will be: flag duty, kindergarten bus helpers, acting as hosts for visitors, selecting service projects, courtyard maintenance, and acting as role models for the student body.
