Vermont Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (VTPBiS) is a state-wide effort designed to help school teams form a proactive, school-wide, systems approach to improving social and academic competence for all students. Schools in Vermont are engaged in using a formal system of positive behavioral supports in their schools. Involved schools who implement PBIS with fidelity and integrity see a dramatic decrease in the number of behavior problems experienced in their schools. Additionally, students in these schools enjoy greater levels of support and inclusion than those in comparative schools who do not use a system of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.
Features of PBIS at UES are:
The development and teaching of behavioral expectations
Acknowledging students for meeting these expectations and for engaging in positive behaviors
Celebrations when goals are met to further acknowledge positive behaviors and to build school community
Procedures for responding to unexpected behaviors and to re-teach expected behaviors
Check In/Check Out system for students who need some extra support in meeting the behavioral expectations
In the past, we used C.A.R.E.S. (Cooperation, Assertive, Respect, Empathy and Safety) but we wanted to transition to something a bit more simple and kid friendly. We have shifted our school expectations and community building to:
Be Kind
Be Responsible
Be Safe
We are using those three guidelines to build our expectations in all areas of our school. When students demonstrate these expectations, they can earn gems which are collected to go towards earning classroom and schoolwide celebrations.
We already had one school wide celebration on October 31st; students earned a 30 minute vacation from class and had free time in their classrooms. On Wednesday December 20th, we will have our second celebration! We will have two showings, in our auditorium, of the Wallace and Gromit short film, A Grand Day Out. If for some reason you would prefer that your child not watch the movie, we will have an alternative activity for them. Please let your child’s teacher know before Wednesday if this is the case.
The UES PBIS Team
