All students and staff at Summit Preparatory School live according to these five basic principles.  They are informally referred to as the “Codes of Conduct.”  All formal rules at Summit Preparatory School are derived from these core beliefs and principles, and students are expected to abide by them.

Respect

We show respect to ourselves, others, and property.

 

Responsibility

We are responsible for knowing our obligations to ourselves and others.  We are accountable for the good and poor decisions that we make.

 

Trust

We will earn the trust of one another and rely on each other.  We can be counted on to be helpful, honest, fair, and kind to one another.

 

Safety

We will look out for ourselves and one another and make decisions that ensure our safety and the safety of those in our community.

 

Cooperation

As community members, we seek to do our part for our teams and to explore and practice new ways to get along with others.

If students do not actually break an existing rule, a staff member may always refer directly to these basic values and expectations in recognizing inappropriate behavior.  This principled approach allows a much higher degree of individualization than a systems approach, which is where both rules and consequences are predetermined.  Students invariably find ways around rules, and pre-specified consequences may not be helpful for all students.  By expecting the students to conduct themselves according to a set of principles rather than merely a set of rules, we are encouraging them to think more critically about their behavior and how it affects others.  This allows for greater individualization of consequences and encourages a higher degree of internalization of those consequences by the student.