School cultures teach. They teach through the expectations set for and by the people working in them, both children and adults. They teach through the visible and invisible ways that people work together. They teach through the ways in which people treat one another. Harbor schools intentionally create a culture that lives what it believes. School cultures teach children and adults directly and indirectly. Everything that occurs within a school culture shapes behavior of people. We are intentional about shaping that behavior. Harbor Schools focus on safety by creating an environment of trust. They come to know that the adults care about them and for them. If there is a problem, the adults will handle it. A focus on kindness and a zero tolerance policy for teasing, taunting, bullying, and negative peer pressure creates a positive, supportive and constructive environment for children to learn and grow. Students learn how to demonstrate respect for others and how to earn it. Personal responsibility is built into classroom and school wide activities. Core practices of Harbor school culture include:

• Conduct expectations are taught at the beginning of a school year. Students learn early that their conduct in school creates the foundation for their conduct after they leave school. They are taught expectations, hear examples and observe the modeling from adults. Consequences occur naturally and always with an explicit lesson.
• Students are expected to walk, without talking, in lines from kindergarten through eighth grade. This is an example of proactive expectations minimizing opportunities for misconduct and distractions in hallways.
• Students learn that there is zero tolerance for bullying. Instead there are opportunities for them to learn how to demonstrate kindness to others, creating a sense of security.
• Respect and responsibility are taught. Respect for property, people and the quality of their work are emphasized in a school using the Harbor Method.
• Students know they will be recognized for their successes, not only in what they know and can do academically, but also in their effort and attitude.

School Culture Core Beliefs

• Kindness is fundamental to safety in a community.
• The time to fix behaviors is when they are not broken.
• Students develop personal responsibility and learn to self-govern in order to positively contribute to a community.
• Leaders create the culture of a school community.