At our school, we are committed to cultivating a safe, supportive, and inclusive environment where all students feel a deep sense of belonging, autonomy, and competency. Guided by restorative justice practices and the Culture of Care framework by Dr. Tom Cavanagh, our discipline policy focuses on relationships, reflection, and restoration—not punishment.

 

What This Means for Families

Rather than reacting with punitive measures, we aim to:

• Understand the root causes of behavior, recognizing that all behavior is a form of communication.
   
• Support students in regulating emotions, rebuilding trust, and learning the skills needed to be successful in school and in life.
   
• Partner with families to address barriers and challenges that may be impacting student behavior or attendance.
   

Restorative Practices in Action

Our approach includes:

• Community Circles and Norm-Setting Circles to build trust and shared responsibility.
   
• Restorative Conversations to repair harm, understand impact, and create solutions collaboratively.
   
• The Regulation Station, a calm and supportive space where students can reflect, learn, and return to class with renewed readiness.
   
• Skill-based reteaching, tailored to students’ needs, instead of one-size-fits-all consequences.
   

 

What to Expect if Behavior Challenges Arise

If a student engages in repeated or significant misbehavior:

• They may be referred to the Regulation Station for reflection, emotional regulation, and a reteaching of expected skills.
   
• Staff will guide them through a process of identifying unmet needs, making amends when necessary, and preparing to return to the learning environment.
   
• In more serious or ongoing situations, a restorative circle may be held to include the student, affected peers or adults, and caregivers as appropriate.
   
• We collect and review behavior data to tailor support plans and ensure student growth over time.
   

How You Can Support

We deeply value our partnership with families. You can support your child by:

• Communicating openly with us about any challenges your child is facing.
   
• Reinforcing social-emotional skills at home (such as empathy, reflection, and conflict resolution).
   
• Working with us to develop a plan for consistent attendance and behavior if concerns arise.
   

 

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By centering care and connection, our goal is to help students not only succeed in school, but also develop the emotional intelligence and resilience to thrive in life. If you have questions or want to learn more about our restorative practices, we welcome your engagement.

 

Billie Martinez Behavioral Flow Chart

Minor Behaviors

Use strategies (not necessarily in this order):

• Ignore
• Give choices
• Give a break
• Take away privileges
• Give consequences related to the misbehavior 
• Meet one-on-one
• Send to a partner teacher's classroom

The consequence happens in the classroom. Document the behavior in IC after contacting parents. 

Major Behaviors

• Same Day Response
  • Complete a Major Referral slip and enter into IC. Someone from the office will assist you as soon as possible. 
• Immediate Response
  • Call the office and state what the emergency is and where it is located. 
  • Complete a Major Referral Slip. Office will enter into IC

Billie Martinez Elementary School PAWS!

Location	Perseverance	Attitude	Work Together	Self Control
Classroom	Give my best effort, even when it's difficult. Learn from my mistakes. Try all the strategies I know before asking for help.	Try again when I fail. Encourage my friends to do their best. Treat others the way I want to be treated.	Model appropriate behavior for my friends. Do my job when working in a group. Take turns with materials and share my thinking.	Stay in my seat and at my table spot. Keep my materials organized so I'm ready for class. Use an indoor voice and don't talk over my teacher or friends.
Breakfast & Lunch	Don't waste my food; try to eat everything. Clean up after myself. Try new foods!	Take my time while eating. Be polite: "Please, thank you, excuse me, etc."	Pick up trash, even if it's not mine.  Model appropriate behavior for my friends.	Use an indoor voice when talking with my friends.  Keep my food on my plate or in my mouth.  Keep my table spot clean and throw my trash away.
Hallways	Practice HALLS at all times. Focus on where I'm walking and where I'm going.	Practice HALLS at all times.  Accept my place in line.	Practice HALLS at all times.  Model appropriate behavior for my friends.	Practice HALLS at all times.  Keep my hands and my feet to myself.
Playground	Return the equipment to my classroom or class bag. Line up when I hear the whistle so we can start and end recess on time.	Take care of school equipment.  Show good sportsmanship; be a good winner or good loser.	Wait my turn for equipment.  Share the playground and the fields.  Follow playground and game rules.	Be responsible for my own actions.  Try to solve my own problems. Keep my hands and feet to myself.
Bathrooms	Walk to the bathroom quietly, return to class quickly.	Give my friends privacy; keep my own privacy. Use an indoor voice.	Wash my hands to keep everyone safe.  Take turns.  Encourage my friends to help keep the bathroom clean.	Keep the floors and walls clean. Keep myself dry. Throw trash in trash cans and flush toilets.