Happy March All!
Ok, so March only has a few days left in it, but I have been so busy creating that the time has gotten away from me! Plus, a school counselor's life is always a bit crazy in the daily grind. This month has been no exception; between Professional development days, new curriculum, Career units, and getting those 8th graders ready for high school, I am nothing but exhausted by the end of the day! I have used the most of my Spring Break this week rejuevenating and resting, plus a little fun here and there. But I also wanted to share with you a week we celebrate before we leave for Spring Break in our school: SW-PBS Spirit Week! So, how does this week work? Well, let me give you the rundown:
The Purpose
The purpose of SW-PBS Spirit Week is to help maintain a positive atmosphere among teachers and students right before a big break. We actually host it twice a year; the week before Thanksgiving break and the week before Spring Break.
Spirit Days
We have spirit days for the students to help them get pumped up for the week. We let the SW-PBS Leadership Team decide on the days, and then they are approved by our administrator and SW-PBS Team. Here are the Spirit Days they chose for this last spirit week:
PBS Spirit Week for Students
March 20 - 24 MONDAY: Thunderbird Pride! TUESDAY: Athletic wear WEDNESDAY: Luau Day THURSDAY: Hat Day FRIDAY: Rainbow Day
We also have Spirit Days for the teachers as well! We coordinate the days mostly around food and any days where the teachers can dress comfortably. Here are the Spirit Days for the teachers this last spirit week (very inspired by Pinterest):
SW-PBS Spirit Week for Teachers
March 20-24 Monday: There is "Muffin" Better than our Teachers! (Muffins provided) Tuesday: Just "Poppin" in to say there is no one "Butter" than you! (Popcorn provided) Wednesday: Thanks a "Latte" for all you do for PBS! (Coffee Bar) Thursday: "Nacho" average teachers! (Nacho Bar) Friday: PBS is no "Sweat" for you! (Sweats Day)
Check out some of the posters we created for the workroom using the awesome website of Canva:
Golden Tickets
Needless to say, this week is a big hit with students and staff! And it provides the perfect, positive way to cruise into a much needed break.
As a SW-PBS School, we are also busy with recognition paperwork and wrapping up the end of the school year. WE are excited to be attending the 2017 Summer Training Institute in Missouri in June! Check out the link; if your school is serious about SW-PBS, then this conference has a plethora of resources! I hope you all are having a great week and I hope you are finding the energy to finish your school year strong.
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Hello Everyone! Where did September go? I feel like Labor Day just happened, and here I am, prepping for October already. October is my favorite month out of t he year, but as an educator it is also the busiest month with the first round of parent teacher conferences, meetings, and professional development days. In the hustle and bustle of September, our building managed to get back to the basics with a school-wide reward we have done in the past. When our school started our SW-PBS journey back in 2010, we looked for ways to reward our students building-wide. When you have such a diverse age range like we do, that can be sort of difficult; finding something that will motivate a kindergartner and and eighth grader can prove to be challenging. Nonetheless, we were up to the challenge! So we started a system were the students earned "leaps" on days when the whole building went without an office referral, and/or earned 100% attendance. At certain milestones, we give the students a reward our bulletin board reflects our school theme for the year. Check out how we track this year's progress. in our building: This reward falls on our reward continuum under the Short-Term category. The student body is able to earn these rewards within 10-15 school days.
Rewards So how do we rewards our student body? We look for free and time-efficient rewards. Some rewards we utilize are: -Extra recess time -Technology time -Movie time during lunch -Social time for Jr. high students -Popcorn during lunch -Teacher's Choice How do you reward your student body? We would love to hear your ideas! Have a great start to October! Hello all! How are we already done with the first full week of school?? Somehow we have flown through this week, and I am sure all the weeks to come will fly just as fast. I am sure you are wondering: how did we prepare our students this week for success this school year? Well, let me tell you, the journey was quite adventurous. The journey starts with your school-wide matrix. Don't have one?? That is perfectly fine. There are plenty of examples on Missouri's SW-PBS website. Now, How do you teach this school-wide? The answer is simple: create a schedule where all students cant travel to each non-classroom location and practice the expectations! Here is an example of a schedule we have used: What Happens:
Each class travels to non-classroom locations in the school building to practice the rule related to the school-wide expectations. There is a teacher at each location reviewing the rules for each expectation, and then have each student practice the rule. For example, there will be a teacher reviewing hallway expectations, and the students will practice how to walk in the hallway and use the appropriate voice level. When it Happens: The first week of school. It is important for this to take place within the first week so that students are given the blanket expectations of the school building. Who Delivers: The SW-PBS team members should be the ones to deliver the teaching. If you have experienced teachers in the building that are not apart of the SW-PBS team and they feel comfortable teaching it, that will also work. Why it Works: This event ensures all students hear the rules at least once in the actual locations they apply. Also, it will help classroom teachers with their weekly SW-PBS lessons throughout the year. Teachers travel with their classes throughout the rotation, so this way new teachers hear the rules as well. I hope your school is planning some fun ways to kick off the school year with SW-PBS. Have some new ideas? Please share them below; I would love to hear them! |