"Golden Time" has been included in each classes weekly curriculum as part of our school positive behaviour policy.
With "Golden Time" children are rewarded for behaving well. Often in school it is children who behave badly who are rewarded in different ways in an attempt to modify their behaviour pattern and this can cause resentment amongst both children and staff in school. "Golden Time" ensures that the majority of children who behave well are rewarded.
Before implementing "Golden Time" each class are introduced to a set of 'Golden Rules' which is a short well-defined list of positive behaviour statements agreed on by both staff and pupils.
Children who are in danger of breaking one or more of the rules in class or elsewhere in school or playground are usually given two verbal warnings followed by a visual warning eg. a yellow card. If the child continues to ignore the warnings they are given a red card which means they lose an allotted period of 'Golden Time' - usually a 5 minute block. Children are given the opportunity to 'earn back' their time before the next "Golden Time".
"Golden Time" activities are suggested and agreed on by the children. It is hoped that we will be able to offer a wider range of activites including some outdoor ones once the better weather arrives.
In this way, the message we are giving the children is that if they are sensible, co-operative and go about their business to the best of their ability, the will be consistently rewarded for their efforts and they are secure in the knowledge that their reward will not be forgotten about due to pressure from other committments in the curriculum.
Ideally those children who have a tendency towards disruptive behaviour will be less inclined to continue if they are risking the loss of a privilege which they had a part in deciding on.
These are our Golden Rules in School.
Do be gentle
Do be kind and helpful
Do work hard
Do look after property
Do listen to people
Do be honest
Do not hurt anybody
Do not hurt people's feelings
Do not waste your or other people's time
Do not waste or damage things
Do not interrupt
Do not cover up the truth
These are our Golden Rules in the Playground.
Do be gentle
Do be kind and helpful
Do play well with others
Do care for your playground
Do listen to people
Do be honest
Do keep to the playground safety rules
Do not hurt anybody
Do not hurt people's feelings
Do not spoil others' games
Do not damage or spoil anything
Do not interrupt
Do not cover up the truth
Do not break the playground safety rules
To create a welcoming, stimulating and secure environment where pupils, staff and parents feel valued and respected.
To promote positive citizenship through self-discipline, self-reliance and consideration for others, the school and the wider environment.
To provide for the needs of individual pupils, a balanced and progressive reange of motivating and varied learning opportunities using high quality resources.
To promote, encourage and reward positive behaviour in an atmosphere of mutual respect taking account of the physical and emotional well being of each child.
To nurture children's awareness and respect for diversity within our community and the wider world in preparation for life in an ever changing society.
To promote, sound working partnerships with parents/carers and the wider community through effective communication, including School Board, PTA, and appropriate agencies.
To pursue the sound management of Culter School through:
open and interactive communication with all staff
staff working as a team valuing individual strengths and contributions
continuous professional development and life long learning
School lunches are served in the Canteen each day with a choice of main course and pudding.
Currently there are three sittings, the first at 12.10 for P1-P3, the second at 12.20 for P4 and the final sitting at 12.40 for P5-P7. The Children's Supervisor and two Lunchtime Auxiliaries, in the Canteen and afterwards on the playground or in school, supervise children as weather permits.
Presently, a school meal costs £1.55 or a book of 10 tickets can be obtained for £15.50. Tickets are sold in the classes each Monday morning and at any time in the Canteen between 9.00 and 11.30 am. Cheques should be made payable to Aberdeen City Council. If a pupil forgets or loses their lunch ticket then they can still have a lunch, which can be paid for next day. We would encourage parents to ensure that their child always has a dinner ticket.
Children can also bring a packed lunch from home and this is also eaten in the canteen. Please help us by making sure that any drinks containers are unbreakable, and ensure that your child's lunch box is labelled clearly with their name and class since many are identical and this helps us to ensure that children eat their own lunch and have their property returned to them if it goes missing.
Following a Scottish Executive report on School Meals - 'Hungry for Success' a number of recommendations have been made to the school meals service. In August 2002, every Primary School kitchen received an Aberdeen City Council Recipe Book. It is currently being reviewed and adapted to meet the Scottish Nutrient Standards for School Lunches.
In order to inform and encourage children to choose the 'healthy option', the dining room menu is colour coded to highlight the choices available:
