Gratitude and Support

I hope you will take a moment to offer your gratitude and support to the teachers and administrators working toward achieving full implementation of PBIS and providing a positive learning environment for our children.  Three more Wenatchee schools are participating in PBIS implementation training this week.  Three schools are working on their 2^nd year of PBIS.  One school has been practicing PBIS without Make Your Day going on their 3^rd year.  Full implementation of PBIS with fidelity often takes a school 3-5 years. 

Wenatchee Learns Connect Grand Opening 8-28-14

Please join in the grand opening celebration on Thursday, August 28th at the new Wenatchee Learns Connect office on 2 South Mission.  Come by anytime between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. and learn about this exciting community partnership with public education in Wenatchee.

The Wenatchee Learns initiative was a critical component in placing a positive learning environment on the long term strategic plan for the Wenatchee School district. Thank you to the Wenatchee community for your strong voice and leadership.

As a community, we need to continue to support our schools and district in the future. By forming business, organization, staff, student, and parent partnerships, we can champion a bright, healthy, and comprehensive future for our young people.  Get connected today!

 

Thank you to Rick Steigmeyer for the excellent articles about Wenatchee School District and PBIS in the Wenatchee World on Thursday, August 14, 2014!

Student behavior: Reinforce the good and the bad will lesson

A more positive approach to student behavior

Wenatchee School District & Building Leaders learn more about PBIS

Wenatchee School district, building, Wenatchee Learns, and community leaders attended a 4 hour PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions & Support) overview awareness training session this morning at the district office.   

The session was led by Wenatchee School District Superintendent Brian Flones and Lori Lynass from NorthWest PBIS. The overview covered an understanding of the research and framework of PBIS as well as a system approach for district and building implementation. 

THANK YOU to our education leaders for learning more about PBIS.

More information on the Wenatchee School District Strategic Plan and PBIS can be found at the following link: Wenatchee School District Strategic Plan Strategy 1.4 - More Positive and Safe Learning Environments

Wenatchee School District Improvement Survey 2014

The WSD Parent Survey is available online at www.wsd.wednet.edu OR in paper form at your child's school.

The Nine Characteristics of Effective Schools survey is used to gather feedback and indicate progress in education. This survey will provide the Wenatchee School District and Board knowledge of areas that are working well and areas that need growth and development.

Please make sure to fill out your survey by Friday, May 2, 2014.  Your feedback is an important and necessary part of the ongoing improvement of Wenatchee Public Schools.

Is my school using PBIS?

You are most likely reading this blog post because positive behavior support and intervention at school is important to you.  What does this research and evidence based framework PBIS look like in a school setting? Some schools are using specific programs or curriculum.  How do I know that a school is implementing the essential elements derived from the PBIS research?

Has the school created 3-5 clear school-wide expectations?  For example, some of Wenatchee schools that have been through the PBIS training are using RSD - show Respect, Solve problems, make good Decisions. Other schools across the country have established expectations with similar themes; for example Be safe, Be responsible, Be respectful.  Can your child name his or her school's expectations?

Are these expectations taught to the students in the classroom or other areas of the school? Ask your child for an example of demonstrating or modeling one of the expectations. For example, what does make good Decisions look like in the cafeteria or the hallway?  How do you show Respect during class time? What does Be safe mean on the playground?

Is there a process for acknowledging and encouraging (reinforcing) positive behavior? Does your child know when they are meeting expectations?

Is there a process for discouraging or correcting inappropriate behavior? Does the school have supports and intervention in place to help students be successful in behavior? Is there an approach to look at the function of behavior?  For example, why is the student demonstrating inappropriate behavior?

Are the school administrators and teachers collecting, monitoring, and evaluating data regarding behavior incidents or referrals in their school?  Is this data being used to make decisions for continuous improvement and growth in the school, classroom, and students?   

More information at www.pbis.org

If a child doesn’t know how to read, we teach.

If a child doesn’t know how to swim, we teach.                                              

If a child doesn’t know how to multiply, we teach.

If a child doesn’t know how to behave, we…

Preventing and Correcting Misbehavior focuses on how to help children learn to behave through teaching rather than through punishment.

John Herner, NASDSE President (Counterpoint 1998, p.2)

Wenatchee School District and PBIS

One of the objectives in the Wenatchee School District's Strategic Plan reads: Design a new approach to creating positive learning environments based on healthy relationships and behavior support.  

Thank you to the Wenatchee community for providing feedback and support in developing this objective via Wenatchee Learns, letters to the Board of Directors and Superintendent, and feedback on parent survey forms.

If you missed the Wenatchee School Board workshop on Positive Behavior Interventions & Supports (PBIS) on March 11, 2014, you can read the minutes and view the presentation materials (pages 9-17) at the following link: http://home.wsd.wednet.edu/sites/default/files/03_11_14_workshop_minutes.pdf 

 

Questions?

If you have any questions about the presentation or the district's progress on PBIS, please contact John Waldren at the school district office (663-8161).

School Summary

If you have any questions for the schools currently working on PBIS, please contact:

Tim Sheppard, Principal

•  Lincoln Elementary has established three school-wide expectations and is focusing on teaching and practicing hallway expectations.

Bill Eagle, Principal

•  Columbia Elementary has established three school-wide expectations, is teaching and practicing these expectations in five areas, and is using Second Step Social Emotional Learning curriculum

Alfonso Lopez, Principal

• Lewis & Clark Elementary is in their second year of working on full PBIS implementation and is using data to drive decisions and practices. Check & Connect, a research and evidence based method, is supporting students that need behavior intervention. Second Step Social Emotional Learning curriculum is used. Lewis & Clark Elementary no longer uses Make Your Day.

Dan Wilson, Assistant Principal

• Pioneer Middle has established three school-wide expectations and is focusing on teaching and practicing hallway expectations.

Thank you to these schools and their PBIS teams for their work.  Parents, staff, and community members: Please continue to support and encourage these schools as they progress towards full PBIS implementation.

Which schools will be next to attend PBIS team training?

Please encourage and support the following schools attending PBIS implementation training this spring and summer:

•  John Newbery Elementary
•  Washington Elementary
•  Foothills Middle School
•  WestSide High School

How can I get involved?

The PBIS approach encourages and needs parent and community involvement. If you are a parent at one of these schools and would like to get involved in the process, please contact your school's administrator to find out how.