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 team is made up of one kindergarten teacher, three first grade teachers (one started out as a fourth grade teacher when we first implemented PBS), a third grade teacher, a fourth grade teacher, the principal, assistant principal, and the coach. The assistant principal is our data person and is in charge of inputting the data and running the reports as needed. He clarifies any questions we may have on the data. Our principal keeps us informed of any guidelines we need to be aware of and be sure to follow when we plan our school-wide activities. She also helps in planning the PBS training for the new staff, continuous training for returning staff, and scheduling PBS information sessions for parents, such as at the Open House events, etc.
How does your team use data to make decisions on campus? By using the data, our PBS team knows where the majority of behavior problems occur. It may be on the buses, in a specific grade level or in a certain area on campus, such as the lunchroom, etc. After pinpointing the problem area, we come up with strategies to implement what will decrease the problems. If it is a specific classroom, we plan strategies that might help the teacher and offer assistance to help with whatever the problem maybe.
How do you share information with the rest of your faculty (e.g., emails, newsletters, meetings, etc.)? How often do you share this information? After reviewing the data at the PBS meeting, we determine what part of the data that will be most beneficial to the faculty. We then present that information at the monthly faculty meetings along with a copy of the information, if possible. We send an email if it is something that we feel the staff needs to know sooner. If it is information that an individual needs to be aware of then one or two team members approach that staff member to address the issue.
What do you see as the overall strengths of your team? Please provide details. We have kept the original team members, with the exception of a change in the assistant principal, and added more members to represent the middle and upper grades. We respect each other’s opinions and each other. By having representatives from the different levels, we learn better ways to help the different grade levels. Our team members are open to suggestions on how to change or improve things. But our biggest strength is that our first priority is the students. We focus on how PBS can give our students more opportunities to succeed, which in turn helps build their self-esteem. Students with higher self-esteem work harder to achieve their goals academically. We teach students the school expectations from the first day of school and continue all through the year. We use the vocabulary (respect, responsibility, cooperative attitude, keeping the campus clean) so that students continue to hear it and learn to use it themselves. PBS provides equal opportunities to all our students, from the lowest to the highest academic achievers so that they all become high achievers. |
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. Our team works hard and excels in several areas. The first area would be in teaching the students the Winston Expectations. We spend the first couple of months teaching the expectations by incorporating them into the curriculum. The expectations are posted around the schools in areas students spend any amount of time, as well as in the classrooms. Reciting the Winston Expectations is part of the school’s daily schedule on the morning news. As the year progresses, lessons on the expectations are reviewed when teachers find it necessary.
Another area we excel in is making data-based decisions. In the past we have used our data to discover a high number of bus referrals. Because of that information, we targeted bus behaviors by applying for a bus grant in the 2006-2007 school year, which we received. All bus drivers were invited to a breakfast where we addressed the problems, got their input, and explained what the PBS team would be doing to help decrease negative behaviors on the buses. Students riding buses who had no referrals for a designated amount of time were rewarded with a nutritious snack. The drivers of those buses were also rewarded with certificates to various restaurants. We also use the data to target classrooms that may have a high number of referrals. As a team, we compile strategies to present to the classroom teacher when we offer support to help with the area of concern.
The area we most excel in is student rewards. Students are given punch cards. Each grade level has a different color. On the punch cards are six rows of ten strawberries (because we are an original strawberry school). Students earn punches on their cards when they follow the expectations in various ways. When a student gets one row completed, he/she earns a small prize from the classroom teacher. When the student completes the card, he/she earns a larger prize from the classroom teacher. At the end of the month, full punch cards are placed in the library in a designated area. The principal and assistant principal draw two cards from each grade level to receive a special prize (ex: t-shirt with the Winston Expectations printed on it). The students get to receive their big prize on the morning news so their classmates and friends see them on television. There is also a school-wide activity at the end of the month. Every student who has earned a full punch card is allowed to participate in the activity. One month may be jersey day where the students can wear any type of sports jersey in place of their uniform shirt. Other days we have had are Tropical Dress Out Day, Silly Sock Day, Hat Day, etc. Only students with full punch cards are allowed to participate. Teachers with students participating in the special dress out day also get to participate. By giving students different ways to receive rewards, every student has the opportunity to achieve.
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Discuss the changes you have seen on campus since PBS implementation (e.g., data, climate, morale, etc.). Office discipline referrals 2006-2007 (503), 2007-2008 (258). Some of the changes seen since PBS implementation include significantly less office discipline referrals, fewer students waiting in the front office to be seen by an administrator, far less discussion in the teacher’s lounge about students misbehaving and safer and orderly class movement from difference areas of the school (e.g. cafeteria, P.E., and bus ramp). |
