This College promotes the ideals of Respect:

• Respect for Others
  Always be courteous; no bullying, no fighting, no verbal abuse, no slander.
• Respect for Property
  Value each person’s, and the community’s, right to property. No stealing, no vandalism.
• Respect for Self
  Present yourself neatly, be a gentleman at all times.
• Respect for School
  Pride in one’s uniform. Care for the School’s name.
• Respect for our Faith.
  Visits to chapel and to Mass. Personal prayer.

The Merit System

“Schools [should] focus on positive behaviour and preventive measures rather than punitive actions to improve discipline. In some cases, the shift has been associated with conscious whole school efforts to consistently praise and reward acceptable behaviour so that it becomes the norm throughout the school community” (‘Vinson Report’, Chapter 5, ‘Student Welfare and Discipline’ p.72, July 2002).

At Riverview, teachers carry a blue card (available in Common Rooms and in Administration) to award merit points for those boys who deserve them.

The card indicates:

• a boy’s name
• boy’s Year and House or Homeroom
• brief description of the desirable behaviour
• merit points awarded.

Suggested consistent behaviour that may result in one merit point maximum for each instance:

• courtesy, kindness, generosity to others
• excellence in classwork or homework
• consistent and courteous participation in class
• picking up litter; tidying up
• neatness of uniform
• neatness and efficiency of the College Diary.

At the end of each month, Housemasters and Homeroom Teachers will present Merit Certificates, with appropriate verbal commendation, to those who earn TEN merit points.

Exceptional Merit Certificates may be awarded at a College Assembly and such boys may deserve other rewards.

In addition, Housemasters and Homeroom Teachers will make reference to merit points in their Semester Reports on each boy.

There is a definite need for positive reinforcement for desirable and worthy behaviour. Boys who show a consistent attitude, which demonstrates itself in positive behaviour that goes beyond the normal or accepted, deserve to be acknowledged.

The Demerit System

Teachers themselves should, in the first instance, attempt to correct the boy. If this is inappropriate or ineffective, then the demerit system may be put into effect. The demerit system emphasises consequences and accountability.
Boys must be informed of the demerit points lost at the time of the misdemeanour.

The number of demerit points given depends on the seriousness of the incident.

Teachers use a pocket-sized card readily available in Common Rooms and Administration to record demerit points for a boy’s misdemeanour.

The card indicates:

• boy's name
• the boy’s Year and House or Homeroom
• brief description of incident
• demerit points given (maximum of two for each incident).

Completed demerit cards are to be placed in a box in the Common Room at the earliest convenience for compilation into a permanent record of demerits.

The Director of Students regularly checks the demerit list.
The Director of Students sends boys to penals and notifies them when they accumulate five demerit points.

Boys are sent to penals for a second time when they accumulate a further five demerit points.

Any boy who accumulates fifteen demerit points within one semester will attend an interview with his parents/Division Master, Housemaster or Homeroom Teacher and the Director of Students or the Director of Middle School.

Housemasters and Homeroom Teachers , Division Masters and Year Co-Ordinators will be informed and given regular (weekly) summaries of demerit points relating to each boy in their care.

Guidelines To The Demerit System

Only after the teacher has attempted to correct the boy’s behaviour, and after sufficient warning the following may be put into action.

Boys will lose one demerit point for the following behaviour:

• being 5-10 minutes late to class (without a note from the appropriate teacher).
• consistent inattention in class or in a year assembly
• failure to complete work set in class
• failure to complete homework by the due date (this is in addition to homework penals – see homework penals below)
• unsatisfactory uniform (shirt, tie, shoes, socks)
• use of offensive language
• littering (other than food – see two demerit points list below)
• eating food in the classrooms
• spitting in the playground
• consistently not bringing material or gear to class
• failure to sign out of class on a Year Co-Ordinator's sign-out sheet
• pushing in on bus lines or tuckshop lines
• running in corridors
• swinging on chairs in classroom.

Boys will lose two demerit points for the following behaviour:

• being more than 10 minutes late for class (without a note from the responsible teacher)
• being uncooperative in class or in the playground; being argumentative with a teacher
• failure to attend a tutor group meeting, singing practice, Year assembly, House meeting
• unsatisfactory behaviour in chapel or at a College Assembly
• throwing food
• failure to complete homework within 48 hours of the due date (this is in addition to homework penals – see homework penals below)
• graffiti on chairs, desks or defacing any College property or other students’ property
• leaving a class without permission
• being out of bounds without permission
• failure to attend a College Assembly or School Mass.

The maximum number of demerits for any offence is TWO.

The following actions will be considered more serious and demerit points or other consequences will be assessed by the Director of Students or Director of Middle School, in consultation with others (Headmaster, Year Co-Ordinators, Division Masters, Housemasters or Homeroom Teachers):

• smoking
• physical assault
• harassment
• use of alcohol, drugs
• misconduct on public transport
• stealing
• driving to school without appropriate authority
• giving a lift to boys whose names are not on the card giving permission to drive
• reach of student Internet contract
• truancy
• abuse of a teacher
• bullying (refer to bullying policy)
• failure to attend penals by the due time (ie within two afternoons of being given)
• vandalism.

Consequences When demerits Are Accumulated

Every multiple of 5: The boy is sent to afternoon penals (run from 3.40 - 4.45 pm Monday to Friday) by the Director of Students (Years 9-12), or Year 7 or 8 Co-Ordinator (Years 7- 8). The notice board outside the Director of Students’ office will be used for this purpose.

15+ Housemaster or Homeroom Teacher (Years 7-8) will contact parents. Parents will be obliged to arrange an interview with the Housemaster, Homeroom Teacher, and the Director of Students or Director of Middle School where appropriate.

30+ The boy is placed on the promotions list and his future at the school is reviewed. Demerits will be referred to on the boy’s Semester Report by Housemaster or Homeroom Teacher.

At the beginning of each semester, the number of demerits for each boy is returned to 0 provided that all penals have been completed. A record of previous semester’s demerits will still be able to be accessed.

1. PENALS

Afternoon Penals
These take place from 3.40 – 4.45 pm on Mondays to Fridays under the supervision of a master.

These penals may be given by the Director of Students or the Director of Middle School for boys who accumulate multiples of five demerit points or, in exceptional cases, by Housemasters and Year Co-Ordinators also.

The penals are to be done on the afternoon that the boy is informed or on the next afternoon.

Boys are to have their Diaries signed by the master in charge of penals.

Boys are given jobs that will occupy them for at least an hour and may be required to work under supervision of one of the Maintenance or Ground staff.

2. UNIFORM PENALS

These take place from 3.40 – 4.45 pm on Friday afternoon only, usually under the supervision of the Director of Students. Boys are to report to his office.

Boys may be sent to these penals by Year Co-Ordinators or their Assistants or on the recommendation of any teacher for consistent inability to wear the uniform correctly.

3. HOMEWORK PENALS

These take place from 8.00 to 8.40 am on Monday to Friday, under the supervision of a master. Boys are to report to the appropriate room. They are to complete the homework that they did not complete by the due date. Boys may be sent to these Homework Penals by any teacher who should also record demerits. The demerits will help form a profile of the boy’s behaviour and the penals session will ensure that the homework is done.

4. SATURDAY PENALS

These take place on Saturdays for three hours. There are two sessions – from 9 am to 12 noon and from 1 pm to 4 pm. The
9 am session is under the supervision of a master in the classrooms. The 1 pm session is supervised and is only available to those who have co-curricular commitments on Saturday mornings.

Boys are sent to these penals for serious offences such as not attending penals during the week and other offences for which weekday penals are not sufficient.

The Director of Students of Director of Middle School must be notified beforehand.