Green Choices/Red Choices and ’Stayin’ on the Star’

This week we started our Star Behaviour program in kindergarten. It is a system that serves as a reminder for students to follow all of the (strange and new) rules that come along with starting school. It is simple and effective. It has built-in consequences and incentives and it’s my favourite way to manage fifteen energetic 4- and 5-year olds who are getting used to raising their hands, changing into indoor shoes, and asking to use the bathroom. I use a punch card as a way to communicate with parents about how their child’s days are going, and as a way to reward students who make an effort to follow classroom expectations. After seven days on the star, your child will get to pick a ticket which will give them a prize like staying in at recess with a friend, eating their snack at the teacher’s desk, or wearing a costume to school. Track your child’s school behaviour by asking them, "Did you stay on the star today?"

We learn about and practice school expectations with a system called Green Choices/Red Choices. It is a concrete way for students to understand that some choices can hurt ourselves or others and that other choices can help to make our classroom a happy and safe place to be.