Lima PBIS 4th Quarter Updates

Unity celebrated its 15th Mini Relay for Life at Spartan Stadium. Students participated in healthy activities, learned about healthy eating and healthy choices and raised money for the American Cancer Society. What a great day for students and staff.

Students at Freedom Elementary enjoyed Field Day activities. There were several different stations including the limbo and a water game. These students who are pictured are completing an art square with sidewalk chalk. Thank you to the staff and students who made this such a great day!

Heritage continues to notice Acts of Kindness every day! Students names are announced and their photos are displayed in the building. Saphira and Masie were "caught being kind." Thanks, Saphira, for helping your sister pick up supplies she dropped in the hallway!

We rolled out a survey to our amazing teachers to gather their thoughts on our PBIS treat for the fourth quarter. The students cast their votes, and guess what won? A Silent Disco party! It was a hit as the 1st quarter reward, with only the top scorers on Class DOJO snagging an invite. Laughter and dance moves filled the air - it was a blast!

Liberty had several exciting events take place in the fourth quarter. We did our first ever penny drive and students brought in almost $800 dollars worth of change. The winning homerooms got to pie a participating staff member in the face. The second event was a dance for 5/6 and 7/8 grade students. Mr. Wilson was the DJ and students had snacks and danced their feet off. The final event of the year students in grades 5-8 got to go to the Axis Center. Students in grade K-4 used the remainder of their Spartan Bucks at the Spartan Store.

North students who met the PBIS discipline and attendance criteria for the entire school year enjoyed an end-of-year reward / celebration at Cedar Point. The rain didn't stop our students from having an amazing experience!

-We've had a remarkable 4th quarter at West Middle School with our PBIS programs! Fifty six students (up from the first three quarters) were treated during lunches for Spartan Attendance Awards, one hundred and thirty students (our biggest group all year) earned free gym time for earning less than three checks for the quarter, and fifty students were celebrated with a field trip to the Axis Center for having Honor Roll for the entire year. Additionally, our PBIS team, in conjunction with Builder's Club, planned a Dodgeball Tournament Fundraiser for PBIS. Classrooms paid to play for the first round of play and then were able to "buy" their way in to watch the final four games with their PBIS points that they'd earned throughout the quarter. We also took some time to honor our 8th grade scholars who had honor roll for their entire 8th grade year with a banquet with the their families. 6th Grade students from North was able to tour West in May as we prepare them for the transition to our building as well. We look forward to a great summer and start to the 2024/2025 school year!

-Students at the Alternative School had a wonderful finish to the school year. Our End of Course ELA and American History results came back and we were very please to see the progress some of our students have made. Zy'a Young was named our Student of the Month for April and was recognized this month. Zy'a also was selected as our Ohio Means Jobs $1,000 Scholarship winner. Students also celebrated Field Day in style with a whip cream pie eating contest.

The last month brought the final PBIS rewards of the year. We ended with giving away iPads, computers, apple watch, and more. You could hear the screams of excitement in the halls when the names were called.

We also held our 4th quarter reward for nearly 250 students. Students who had perfect attendance the 4th quarter or had a 2.6 GPA or higher as of midterm with no F's were eligible to participate. The other way students were eligible is if they had earned enough PBIS points to purchase a ticket with their points. Unfortunately, the rain kept us from having our field day as planned, but we were able to watch a movie in the auditorium.

Changes in routine and seasonal transitions can cause emotional upheaval for families. A few strategies, described below, might help families keep things chill this summer and beyond.

These ideas come from education, where research has helped teachers see the benefits from using Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Here are some things that you can do at home with your students over the summer to help with unwanted behaviors and create a positive atmosphere for everyone!

Define, teach, and routinely acknowledge family expectations

• Discuss how you want to live as a family and identify some “pillars” (important, building-block concepts) that represent what you value. Talk about what those pillars look and sound like in every-day routines. To help the family remember and be consistent, choose only 3-5 and create positive statements about them. Here are a few examples:
  • Speak in a respectful voice.
  • Be responsible for actions.
  • Be safe; keep hands, feet, and objects to self.

• Identify a couple of “hot spots” to begin. Challenging behaviors often occur within routines. Perhaps mornings or mealtimes create hot spots for the family. After discussing 1-2 ways to be respectful, responsible, and safe in the morning, teach what each looks like. Have fun with it! Set up “expectation stations” for practicing the plan and assign each family member one pillar to teach to the rest.
• Behaviors that get attention get repeated. Notice when a child does the right thing and say something about each success: “I noticed you stopped to pick up your shoes in the hallway. Thanks for putting them away and keeping the walkway safe for others.” The easiest way to change a behavior is to point out what a person does right!
• Remember this catchy phrase, “5-and-1 gets it done” to ensure five positive interactions for each negative interaction. When the expected behavior becomes routine, the reinforcement can fade away.

Create engaging and predictable routines

• Children crave structure and routine. Adults may look forward to a relaxing evening or weekend, but kids often need regular activity and engagement. Consider that either the kids are busy, or the adults are busy managing bored kids!
• Use visuals to create predictability. A visual schedule can display major routines of the day with pictures that are drawn, real photos or cut-outs from magazines. Create the schedule together, if possible. Parents can ask a child to check the schedule – especially when moving from a preferred to non-preferred activity. It’s hard to argue with a picture!

Set the stage for positive behavior

• Teach, pre-teach, and re-teach. Children need to learn behavior just like they learn colors and shapes. A quick reminder can help reinforce a developing skill: “When we get in the car, sit up, buckle up, and smile!”
• Give transition warnings or cues to signal the end of one activity and the beginning of another: “In five minutes, it will be bath time.”
• First/then statements set up a child for delayed gratification: “First take your bath; then we can play dolls.”
• Focus on Go instead of Stop. Children often tune out words like No, Don’t and Stop and only hear the word that comes next, which is what an adult is trying to avoid. Tell a child what to do instead of what not to do: “Take your plate and put it in the sink.” Save Stop and No for dangerous circumstances that need a quick reaction.
• Choices prevent power struggles: “Would you rather play for five more minutes or get in the bath now?” “Feel free to choose the pink pajamas or the green ones.”

While these strategies may not eliminate all problem behaviors, they create consistency, predictability, and a more positive atmosphere. They teach new skills to help children get their needs met. The solid foundation will help even if challenging behaviors persist by creating a bedrock for additional layers of support.