SWPBS

Welcome to 2026 at Heatherwood School. We’ve had a great start to the year with students and teachers getting to know each other and settling into their new routines. One of the first things we do in every class is develop expectations. Having Classroom Expectations is the first of eight Universal Supports that form the Effective Teaching and Learning Practices for Behaviour. The Classroom and Specialist teachers, together with students, develop a list of 3 – 5 expectations that are positively stated and reflect the values and expectations relevant to their classroom. These expectations align with school expectations, are negotiated with the students, clearly posted, explicitly taught, monitored and reinforced. Individual classroom expectations complement the expectations in our School Wide Positive Behaviour matrix and reflect the diverse needs and priorities of our school community. 

We reviewed the content of our SWPBS School Wide Positive Behaviours matrix after the first year of implementation and found it has been a valuable support in underpinning our school community values. As such, we left the content unchanged but slightly changed the aesthetic to include specific colours for each individual area of Be Safe, Be Your Best and Be Safe as well as adding our SWPBS logo. These were professionally printed and have been placed throughout the school. We’ll also be looking to create some signage to be placed internally and externally around the school as additional reminders of our expectations.

In the coming weeks, we will be sending out a survey to determine what your understanding of School Wide Positive Behaviours at Heatherwood School is. Your feedback will help us understand where we’re at in our journey and help guide our future planning. We thank you in advance for your participation.

Sharon Koupparis | Acting Assistant Principal

Junior Section Leader, Disability Inclusion and Enrolments