Circles

Whole School Meetings

Every day we hold daily short circles (or "keybus", as the children like to call them) first thing in the morning, and one Agreements Circle every week.

Welcome Circle ("Keybu")

Welcome circles are the first thing that happens every morning, and involve introducing proposals and creating the schedule for the day or week. It allows the whole community to start the day on the same page.

On Monday, we use a Set-the-Week board to make the schedule (in the hallway) so people can check in throughout the week to see what is happening. If there are external expert visits, outings or recurring activities that will be happening at a set time, we put these onto the board before the meeting starts so other more flexible activities can be planned around them.

This can also be a time when we identify projects that are going to take multiple days to accomplish, and plan field trips. Depending on the scope of a project, we might set time aside each day to work toward that goal.

The goal for welcome circles is also to:

• set intentions for the day (according to what was actually done the previous day);

• support connection among children and facilitators in a smaller, safe, comfortable setting;

Goodbye Circle

Every day ends with a goodbye circle where we share our gratitude for what we have enjoyed that day, play a game, sing a song or tell a short story.

Agreements Circle

The Agreements Circle is an essential part of the democratic process at Kaleide International School, and underpins the functioning of the entire school. At this meeting we reflect on any proposals to change school rules and agreements. All decisions are made through sociocracy.

Conflict resolution circles

A child or adult may at times find some behaviour (by other children or adults) annoying or against school rules, and ask the person or persons involved to stop (this is the Stop Rule). If the behaviour does not stop or alter after a second request, the initiator is encouraged to call a Small Meeting to deal with the problem. A facilitator will act as mediator in this meeting, asking the children about their feelings and connecting them with the children's needs. Please see our Behaviour Policy to read about this process.

Conflict Resolution Circles are used to work through any disputes that arise.

A Conflict Resolution Circle usually results in the parties agreeing to a plan that will enable everyone's needs to be accommodated.

The child or children will offer a reassurance that they will work on the proposed goal. If the same or a similar issue is revisited in another meeting, then the same facilitator and chairperson are asked to attend the meeting so that the continuity of the relationship is maintained.

These meetings provide our children with the opportunity to give and receive feedback from the other children in a safe environment. This feedback will involve emotional awareness, communication skills, and empathy. The facilitator present at the meeting may offer questions and other verbal prompts to help the children clarify and communicate their thinking. The chairperson will listen reflectively and may also offer some possible solutions.