What makes your team work so well?  Please discuss in detail (e.g., what is your administrator’s role on the team, how is staff represented, etc.)? Our success has been the result of constant reflection, open dialogue, and a willingness to learn from other schools’ plans and PBS incentives.  We have also benefited from district level support and facilitation in revising our current School Wide PBS plan, administrative support, staff buy-in and commitment as well as student and parental support. Our PTO and business partners have actively supported our efforts and pledged financial assistance, in addition to the fund raisers that our school has engaged in throughout the year (such as McDonald’s Night). Our core PBS Team has broad representation that includes administrators, general education staff, ESE staff, resource staff, student services staff, guidance staff and union representation. Our Peripheral Team this year has also included paraprofessionals, student leaders from Student Council, parents, a District Behavior Analyst, and non-instructional staff.  Both our core and peripheral teams are also fortunate to have School Advisory Council members on hand to offer insight and suggestions. 

How does your team use data to make decisions on campus? Our team understands and respects issues regarding confidentiality when we are problem solving regarding issues with frequent flyers.  We have successfully used our data to identify and target locations where students are demonstrating concerns and provide intervention. We decided to place more staff in certain locations and to have them there during the time when we had identified the concern (for example, our lunchroom has been targeted). In the cafeteria, we have also implemented a new initiative that promotes class teamwork.  Students earn “Golden Bobcat Bucks” that can be later redeemed for rewards (for more details, see Obstacles section).  The reward amount continues to rise throughout the year so that students build stamina.  So far, many classes have celebrated through lunches in the classroom, kickball games, and jersey days (to name a few).  Last year, our major focus during dismissal was in our bus loading zone.  Going on the success of last year’s changes, this year we also re-vamped our car rider dismissal procedures.  Again, we had to determine how students would get to where they needed to go, what expectations and procedures we would model for students to follow, and how we would coordinate instructional and non-instructional staff efficiently.   Our Core Team uses the data for the selection of candidates for Why Try, Hospice, Rainbows, Mental Health Collaborative referral and Conflict Resolution in an effort to be proactive in regard to behavioral and educational issues.  We feel that using data is definitely our team’s strength!

How do you share information with the rest of your faculty (e.g., emails, newsletters, meetings, etc.)?  How often do you share this information? Our morning announcements provide one venue for us to effectively communicate and reiterate expectations for the various school areas. In addition, we also include Character Counts’ words of the week as well as famous quotes to reinforce our school expectations.  Data is shared with both school staff and parents at the School Advisory Council once a month.  Members of the Core Team also present information/PBS updates at our faculty meetings, as well as at grade chair meetings. We are diligent about posting information regarding upcoming incentives, in the classroom, on the morning announcements, and around the school. Flyers are sent home with students to parents.  We also offer a brochure to parents interested in learning more about our PBS expectations. 

In what areas of PBS does your team excel (e.g., rewarding students/staff, teaching expectations, data-based decision-making, etc.)?  Please provide details below. Data based decision making has always been a strength for our Team at Port St. Lucie Elementary!  We always analyze the data and look for ways to make improvements.  We have asked for outside assistance, as well as visited other successful PBS schools.  We have broadened our scope of rewards to maintain interest among staff and students.  We listen to students and staff to find out their needs, wants, and ideas.

Discuss the changes you have seen on campus since PBS implementation (e.g., data, climate, morale, etc.). In the six years our school has implemented the PBS model, our school has overseen several faculty and administrative changes.   Each year we have had to train those new to the school site regarding our SWPBS expectations, rules and procedures.  The student population and clientele have also changed over the last few years. We are proud that our number of referrals continues to stay at the same low level (or rate per student). 

What are some obstacles that your team has had to overcome?  Please explain the process for overcoming these hurdles below.

• This year, we targeted our cafeteria due to its large number of referrals.  We had to continually tweak and modify until we found a system that benefited those involved.  Currently, classes earn “Golden Bobcat Bucks” that can be later redeemed for class earned rewards.  Each class predetermines the goal it wants to work for.  Each reward is tailored to the desire of each class and age level.  So far, many classes have celebrated through lunches in the classroom, kickball games, and jersey days (to name a few). 
• We struggled with finding a new central location that was accessible for both free breakfast students and arriving bus students.  For next year, we will be expanding our store to two locations to better meet the needs of our students.
• We also worked diligently to find reliable volunteers that could man the Bobcat Incentive Store.
• This year we have focused heavily on adding novelty and variety with our PBS incentives to increase participation and maintain interest.   
• We had to clear up misconceptions regarding minor infraction procedures.
• We are also working towards creating a centralized location for PBS documents so that new and existing Core members can access the information should we have any administrative or team changes.