We work well together because we share mutual respect and trust; all have an opportunity to speak in a safe environment and we listen to each other. We are a well-rounded group as all grade levels and special areas of teaching are represented on the PBS team. Our administrator offers input and supports our team. The entire team collaborates on all decisions.

Our team analyzes data each month looking for hot spots, or for individual students getting an unusual number of referrals. If there seems to be a problem area, committee members make suggestions for problem solving, or take it back to teams to discuss. A decision is made on how to address the problem or improve the area. Some changes that have been made this year are: additional playground toys, signs for car rider line, chains for car rider to prevent cars from moving too soon, retraining of assistants on playground expectations, etc. If a problem can be addressed on the morning news, our “Miss Manners” discusses it or students role play a problem and solution.

In addition, during our meetings “frequent flyers” and the type of problem behaviors are discussed. Some teachers take it upon themselves to befriend or support a “frequent flyer” that is in a different class on campus. An effort to reward positive choices in the form of “Pawsome Student Awards” has improved positive behaviors for many students.

Information is shared with the faculty at LPE in a variety of ways. Each grade level has joint planning at least one time a week. Our core team has a representative from each grade level and the related arts. The discussion notes from our PBS core team meetings are shared during grade level team meetings. PBS meetings are held at least one time per month and the minutes are distributed to our teams at the next scheduled team meeting. Information might also be shared via email, newsletters, faculty meetings and morning announcements during interim periods.

The overall strengths of our team are that we respect each other, we collaborate, and we are supportive of the plans we implement. We respect each other by not putting down anyone’s ideas or thoughts; we listen actively and give constructive criticism when necessary. We collaborate by brainstorming ideas, assigning roles to accomplish tasks, and pulling together to help implement the PBS model at our school. We support the plans we implement by taking information back to our grade level teams, training staff on the model, and working outside of our own time to make sure that the resources are available to make our plan successful.

Student Rewards - Individual: “Pawsome” Awards – are given for an outstanding display of Respect, Responsibility, and being Ready to Learn. These slips are designed to ‘catch’ kids being good. Teachers and assistants give these awards out daily. There are two copies, one goes into a box for a weekly drawing and one copy goes home to parents. The drawing is held on Friday mornings and is broadcast on the morning news. The winner gets a $10 gift certificate to a local establishment (toy stores, movies, restaurants). This reward serves as an instant recognition for desired/expected behaviors and encourages students to stay on task. Class: Panther Pride slips – are given to classes in related arts and lunch. These slips recognize classes as a whole. Students earn either a (1) WOW!, (2) Good, or (3) Keep Trying. Classroom teachers keep track of the “1s” earned and when the class fills up their PBS chart they earn a class reward. Teachers are at liberty to choose, or have the class vote, on the reward. Things such as, a popsicle party, movie/popcorn, extra recess, extra computer time, game day, art project, etc. Our PTO provides a small supplement to teachers to defer the cost of these rewards, however, several rewards are of no cost at all.

Teaching Expectations - Beginning of the Year Expectations: On the first day of school, students are walked through the expectations of different locations on campus. The guidance counselor, media specialist, and principal are stationed in the cafeteria, car rider line, and playground. Every class rotates through each station to learn and practice appropriate behaviors. Video Examples: At the beginning of each school year (and as needed throughout the year) examples of student expectations – performed by students – are featured on the morning news. Students/classes are recruited to act out proper behaviors in various situations – cafeteria, playground, waiting outside for school to begin, etc. Lesson Plans: Teachers are provided with lesson plans that correlate with our monthly character traits. We also have a compellation of video and unitedstreaming.com movies that focus on good character and good decision making. The videos are divided by grade level and have lesson plans and activity ideas to go with them. This makes it very easy for teachers to implement the program, without having to spend a lot of time planning and searching for ideas. Miss Manners: Every Monday, we have Miss Manners on the morning news. She is an eccentric character who addresses school-wide issues, such as cafeteria/ playground behavior, taking turns, addressing peers/adults, etc. Students and teachers can ‘write in’ with issues/concerns/questions for Miss Manners to address.

Data-Based Decision-Making SWIS reports are analyzed at monthly committee meetings. Members use the reports to identify trends across grade levels and to recognize ‘problem’ areas at a school-wide level. We discuss current policy implementation and brainstorm new ways to solve recurring problems.

Teacher Involvement The committee has representation from every grade level which allows easy dissemination of ideas and concerns. By involving all teachers (not just committee members), PBS procedures are unified across the campus. We try very hard to keep everyone on the same page and working toward the same goals.

Parent Involvement PBS updates and character trait education are featured in monthly newsletters to parents. We use this opportunity to address relevant character/behavior concerns happening at school. The guidance counselor addresses parents’ concerns with behavior and other life issues that influence student well-being at home and school. Through this collaboration we promote the implementation of PBS at home and school.

Our team has had to overcome different obstacles the last three years. Among those were issues with our major/minor infractions, classroom reward system and student reward system. When we first began our major/minor infraction system many teachers were confused about what constituted each type of infraction. To address this we conversed as a team and at faculty meetings to come to a census. Our meetings prompted changes in the wording on the forms and a better way to classify each incident. Although there may still be some areas that are "gray" we have made much progress toward properly identifying problem behaviors and their classifications as major or minor.

Another big issue with our teachers has been our classroom reward system that is given on the basis of behavior at lunch and during specials. Many teachers were finding discrepancies between the scores being given by the aides and specials teachers. To address this our PBS Team Leader met with the lunch aides and provided training on what constitutes a 1, 2 or 3 during lunch. We also discussed specials with our PBS team representative who is a specials teacher. As a result scoring has become more uniform and all minor kinks are being worked out.

Finally, we had a need for recognizing individual students for good examples. We had tried in the past to find a token system to motivate and reward students without success, due to logistics of the system. However, through brain storming (and consulting other schools), we have created a simple system of a carbon copy certificate that students receive for a reward. One copy is put in a drawing for a $10 gift card on Fridays (paid for by our PTO), and the other copy is brought home to the student's parents. We have found that students are very motivated to earn these certificates.