Thanksgiving

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I would like to express my thanks and appreciation for Wenatchee School District educators!

Please support Columbia Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, and Pioneer Middle School in their latest PBIS[*] training and implementation efforts.  Please continue to support Lewis & Clark Elementary School.  L&C is working on their second year of full implementation of PBIS after dropping Make Your Day in 2012.

All four of these schools sent educators to the NorthWestPBIS annual conference in Spokane, Washington on November 7^th and 8^th.  Please consider offering a verbal or written thank you to each of the educators on the list below.  A thank you can go a long way at providing the positive spirit that PBIS brings to Wenatchee and over 20,000 schools across our country. 

Please support all the efforts made in Wenatchee School District schools to provide a more positive environment for our students.  Many schools are working on providing grade level Social Emotional Learning and/or character connections.  Several schools are using GLAD (Guided Language Acquisition Design) teaching strategies.  These programs and curriculums align well with the PBIS framework.

Columbia Elementary School

·         Principal Bill Eagle

·         Kelli Ottley, counselor

·         Alison Haug, 5^th grade teacher

·         Maggie Martinez, kindergarten teacher

Lewis & Clark Elementary School

·         Principal Alfonso Lopez

·         Gio Jackson, counselor

·         Nancy Navarro, 1^st grade teacher

·         Cliff Bull, music specialist

·         Adelita Sollis, 1^st grade teacher

Lincoln Elementary School

·         Principal Tim Sheppard

·         Jim Bowen, counselor

·         Susan Miller, 3^rd grade teacher

·         Denese Sollom, special education

·         Camille Jackson, physical education specialist

Pioneer Middle School

·         Vice Principal Dan Wilson

·         Thomas Tilton, counselor

·         Dawn Wood, 8^th grade teacher

Other Educators

·         John Waldren, district special programs

·         Anna Riggan, substitute teacher

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[*] PBIS is an acronym for Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports

Film highlights PBIS success story

I am considering trying to get a community screening of the film, Who Cares About Kelsey?, in Wenatchee.

Here is the film synopsis from the website - Who Cares About Kelsey:

Dan Habib’s new film project Who Cares About Kelsey? documents the lives of students with emotional/behavioral challenges, and shows innovative educational approaches that help these students to succeed – while improving the overall school culture and climate. Habib is creator of the internationally acclaimed documentary, Including Samuel.

Film Synopsis

When Kelsey Carroll entered high school, she was a more likely candidate for the juvenile justice system than graduation. Diagnosed with ADHD and carrying the emotional scars of homelessness and substance abuse, as well as the actual scars of repeated self-mutilation, Kelsey was volatile, disruptive and, by her own admission, "not a nice person" to be around. As a freshman at Somersworth (NH) High School, she didn't earn a single academic credit, but she did get suspended for dealing drugs.
During Kelsey's sophomore year, a new school leadership team implemented Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS), a youth-directed planning process called RENEW, and other reforms to improve the school's culture and reduce the dropout rate. This schoolwide overhaul gave Kelsey a chance at a different outcome.
Who Cares About Kelsey? follows Kelsey through the ups and downs of her senior year. As the film delves into Kelsey's life, we watch her navigate the halls and classrooms of her school and the fraught terrain of family and romantic relationships. Kelsey interacts with a military father who questions her account of the past and dismisses her plans for the future. She manages her relationship with a mother trying to atone for past failures that set in motion some of Kelsey's most destructive behaviors. She spends much of her time with a boyfriend she cherishes but whose loyalty and support for Kelsey's newly forming independence are uncertain.
Who Cares About Kelsey? will make viewers reconsider the "problem kids" in their own high schools and spark new conversations about an education revolution that's about empowering--not overpowering--our most emotionally and behaviorally challenged youth.


Any thoughts or input?  Please comment!

2013 PBIS Conference coming to Spokane

Are you a parent or teacher who wants to learn more about PBIS? Are you a counselor or administrator who wants strategies for students with behavior problems? This is an excellent conference!  You will not only learn from the experts but you will also have the opportunity to network with other educators across the Northwest.

More information and registration can be found under Events at the Northwest PBIS website or www.pbisnetwork.org.

Below is a preview of sessions:

Your Red Zone Just Got Rosier                                        
Integrating SWIS Data with Your District Database
Practical Classroom Strategies for Students with EBC      
H.U.G. Student Check-In, Check-Out
Early Childhood, An Overview                                          
Cultural Competence in PBIS
PBIS 101                                                                      
Tier One: Where to Begin
Collecting and Analyzing Data with PBIS Apps                  
Tacoma Whole Child Initiative
HPS Developing Tier 3                                                    
Creating Welcoming Schools
Preventing Bullying Behavior                                            
Greenzone Alive and Well                                      
PBIS in the Classroom                                            
KBPSD: Our Journey Implementing PBIS One School at a Time
PBIS in High-schools                                                  
The Positive Bus Experience-Bringing PBIS to the Drivers
Tier 3 Wrap-Around                                                                
De-Escalate Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime-
Early Childhood, Autism, Behavior and PBIS                          
Building Successful Learning Communities              
CICO SWIS                                                                          
Tertiary Team Process Fidelity and Data Collection
Sustaining Tier 1 in a Middle School                                        
Behavioral Screening for Tiers 2 & 3
Creating a Culture of Change: One Conversation at a Time        
Integration of Technology Tools to Enhance a Tier Two Team
Exploring Behavioral Consultation-                                          
Built to Last
The First Twenty Days of School                                           
ISIS SWIS-: Linking the Pieces of a Student Individualized Plan
Tier 2                                                                                    
Bridging the Gap - Bringing PBIS into the home for Early Childhood
Home and Family Success                                                    
Promoting Positive Behavior, Play and Physical Activity at Recess
Knowing What to Do and When to Do It                                  
What We Know and What We need to Learn about Discipline Disparities
Team Initiated Problem Solving (TIPs)                                    
Strengthening PBIS through School Counselor Leadership
Making PBIS fit the Culture of your Middle School                  
Office Referrals: minors, Majors and Classroom Concerns
Expanding the Use of FBAs in School Settings                        
This Kid is driving me crazy
Rules and Puppets and Tools, Oh My!                                    
Servant Leadership to Strengthen and Support Tier One Interventions
WOW! Incentive Program at Enterprise Middle School

Does PBIS work? Yes, it does.

Check out the latest video featuring Lori Lynass, Executive Director of NWPBIS, about the success of Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports in schools across the state of Washington.

Follow this YouTube link to view - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZmJJx-G43U&feature=youtu.be

The Northwest PBIS Network,is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting educators, families, and community members to implement and sustain positive, effective and culturally inclusive environments and supports to achieve social and academic success for ALL children and youth. This video is a brief glance at schools using PBIS...does PBIS work? Yes it does!

Lewis & Clark Elementary PBIS program

Lewis & Clark Elementary School in the Wenatchee School District dropped the Make Your Day program last school year choosing to completely adopt the PBIS framework.  For more on this change, please see post on PBIS in Wenatchee 10-7-12.
 
Tonight I attended the curriculum night at Lewis & Clark Elementary School and received the following brochure.  Thank you and way to go, Lewis & Clark staff!  I sure am proud to be a Trailblazer parent!

PBIS taking hold in schools

Check out page 4 of the June 2013 issue of INSIDE Wenatchee Schools regarding PBIS. Also, lots of good information on how the school district is working on the Wenatchee Learns goals. http://home.wsd.wednet.edu/sites/default/files/news_june_2013.pdf

Example letters of support for PBIS

Three schools in the Wenatchee School District will be attending PBIS training this June.  See Happy dance post for more info.

Have you offered a word of encouragement?  Have you written a letter of support?  If yes, fantastic!  Thank you!

Positive support will yield positive results.  

Below are some examples of the letters I sent to school and district administrators and educators this week.  Feel free to copy and add your own words of encouragement.

Dear

I would like to offer my praise and support to {Lincoln Elementary} school as you prepare to send a team to the PBIS training this year.  I know that there are many parents and community members that appreciate your efforts and are excited about the possibilities for the students and staff at {Lincoln}.

Sincerely,

Example of a letter sent to Wenatchee School District Superintendent and School Board members:

Dear

I would like to thank you for your pledged support of Columbia Elementary, Lincoln Elementary, and Pioneer Middle schools in their training for PBIS this year.  I know that many parents and community members share my appreciation and are excited about the possibilities for our students and staff at these schools.  Thank you for your continued support of Lewis and Clark Elementary and Valley Academy of Learning in their implementation of PBIS.

Sincerely,