Building a Culture of Restorative Justice at Mount Madonna School
At Mount Madonna School (MMS), we are committed to fostering a culture that reflects our mission pillars of academic excellence, creative self-expression, and positive character development. This year, the upper school faculty have been engaging in professional development focused on restorative justice (RJ) practices, facilitated by Educators for Peaceful Classrooms and Communities. These tools and strategies help us build strong relationships, strengthen communication, and create a community grounded in fairness, support, and accountability.
RJ is not only about responding to conflict; it is also about proactively cultivating connection and respect. Faculty are learning about and practicing strategies such as:
- Fair Process – ensuring all community members experience clarity, consistency, and voice in how decisions are made.
- Restorative Language & Affective Statements – using language that supports the naming feelings and identifying impacts to build empathy.
- Proactive Circles – creating safe spaces where community members can share, listen, make collaborative agreements and strengthen community bonds.
- Implementation of Practices – integrating restorative justice activities into daily routines.
Through this work, our staff are developing the capacity to:
- Model a culture of restorative justice in their classrooms and interactions.
- Facilitate student communication using restorative justice language.
- Encourage healthy risk-taking in relational communication.
- Understand and use the full continuum of RJ tools appropriately—from proactive practices to responsive circles.
By embedding these practices into the life of our school, faculty are helping students learn to navigate conflict, build empathy, and contribute to a community where every voice matters. This approach reflects Mount Madonna’s commitment to whole-child education: not only preparing students academically, but also nurturing their ability to engage in respectful dialogue, take responsibility, and act with compassion.
