Safety and Recess

Safety is our primary concern. Much time is spent in the classroom and (even during Physical Education classes) discussing rules and friendly and fair play. However, we have a large play area with 2-4 adults supervising per day. The following are our rules for the Playground:

1.    Walk to the Playground
2.    Treat other kids nicely and fairly. Everyone deserves respect.

3.    Use the equipment properly.
a.    Slide – One at a time. Down only. Don’t stay at the top.
b.    Swings – No baby swings.  Swing straight.  No running under swings. Take turns, don’t make anyone wait too long. No spinning the tire swing. Only three on the tire swing at a time.

4.    Follow the rules of a game and play fair.
5.    Take turns. Encourage classmates, don’t yell at them.
6.    Get permission to go after out-of-bounds balls.
7.    Remember throw only things that are meant to be thrown: balls /Frisbees.
8.    Take all of your own items back inside.

**Special Reminders**

No Tag in caged area.

No older kids picking up younger kids.

No jumping off any equipment.

Stay off the fence and stone wall.

No sitting on the equipment box.

No going beyond the tennis court.

Stay in the field area for safety sake, a teacher needs to be able to see you.

What happens when someone breaks a rule?

Sometimes when children are playing and interacting, a playground or recess rule is broken.  At Horace Mann we have several procedures in place for when this happens.  First we instruct all children in a proactive, pro-social procedure we call TAG.

TAG

If someone is bothering you, the steps you take are outlined by TAG.  

First, Tell the person you don’t like what they are doing.  

Next, Ask them to stop. This promotes self-advocacy.  

Finally, if these two steps fail, Get a Grownup.

When the grown-up speaks to the child involved, if the offense is serious enough, we have a Think About It Form.  The Think About It Form asks the child these questions:

What did you do? 
Why was that not a good choice?
Who did you hurt or bother?
How do you know you hurt or bothered them?
What problem were you trying to solve?
How will you solve that problem next time without hurting or bothering anyone?

Depending on the severity of the incident, a parent’s signature may or may not be required. Also, if the incident is severe, a student may be sent directly to the Principal’s Office for further action to be taken. However, this will not and does not happen very often if students start advocating for themselves and use the TAG system.