Recess & Playground Rules

Recess

Recess is cancelled only when the wind is strong enough to lift the dust, the chill factor makes it unbearable to be outside or it is raining. We recognize and take care of the very few exceptions to this rule. Children who have been ill and cannot participate in all phases of the school program, including recess, should in most cases be kept home until the illness has passed.

Playground Rules

These rules are designed to ensure the health and safety of all of our students and, therefore, to prevent injuries and dangerous play. Each student is expected to abide by these rules, including, cooperating with and respecting all Heatherwood staff members.

The following behaviors are not allowed:

• physically hurting people
• abusive language
• throwing objects such as sand, rocks and snowballs
• disruptive behavior
• no tag games or “groundies” games on the equipment
• no dodge ball games allowed

The following are never permitted on the Heatherwood playground or in the hallways:

• hard baseballs, wood and metal bats
• hard Frisbees
• water guns
• skate boards
• roller skates, inline skates or roller blades
• portable radios or headsets or video games

The large playground boundaries are:

• the shed on the basketball court, play is not allowed in the west field, or on the platform by the gym wall
• the first light pole by the parking lot on the east side of the school
• the corner of the science lab, play is not allowed on the picnic tables

Slides:

• go down the slide sitting down, feet first (not hands, or head)
• go down the slide only, do not walk up
• do not jump off or climb on the outside of the slide
• go down the slide one person at a time
• once on the slide, go down and get off right away
• do not stand on the bottom of the slide

Swings:

• sit on swings, do not lie on your stomach or stand on them
• swing straight only; do not twist when swinging or when sitting
• never jump off a swing
• do not twist swing seats to make the swing higher

Tetherball Rules:

• Players who want to play must line up at the colored poles
• Blue=3rd,4th, 5th, Green=1st, 2nd, 3rd
• The first player in line gets to serve. After that the new or challenging player gets to serve
• A serve can be a throw (the ball not the rope) or a hit
• After the ball is served, players may only hit the ball
• The ball may hit the pole and still be played
• Players may never touch the rope during play
• Players may never touch the pole during play
• No juggling the ball (no pop-corn)

Players are out if:

• The other player tethers the ball first
• A player hits the rope
• A player touches the pole
• A player crosses the line
• A player catches the ball
• There are never any re-do’s

Under the building over-hang, students should walk, use appropriate voices and not bounce balls.

Playground Equipment

In response to Heatherwood students, parents and staff feedback, and as included in the 2005-2006 School Improvement Goals, a distribution system of recess equipment has been implemented. Equipment was purchased with PTO funds to meet the many diverse interests of our students and to allow for more choices in play activities. The equipment is housed in our new shed which was provided by and constructed by our PTO. Students will monitor and be responsible for dispensing and the return of equipment after use.

A team of two students will supervise, check out and monitor the return of the equipment. Students will sign out the equipment and be responsible for its return after play and at the end of recess. If equipment is left out or not returned after play or at the end of recess, the student will be unable to check out any equipment for a designated amount of time. The student who signs out the equipment is responsible for its return. Equipment managers will rotate on a schedule

As a component of the playground recess plan, students and teachers are reevaluating rules for choosing teams and play partners. Feedback from students and paraeducators has indicated that recess games have become over-crowded for the number of participants in some games and for the amount of space available. Smaller groups of students playing with a greater choice of equipment will allow for more participation and increased playtime at recess.