Dear Virginia Lake Families,
Thank you for attending Parent Orientation. The partnership with our families is an important key to our student's success.
A friendly reminder, that Thursday, September 26th is scheduled as a half day of school. Students will be dismissed at 12:15 p.m. Virginia Lake will not be serving lunch on Thursday.
Students are invited to participate in our Virginia Lake dolphin dollar contest. If your child wants to participate in the contest, the due date is Friday, October 4th. A flyer was sent home with more information.
The Virginia Lake staff is excited to be part of the PBIS network which is implemented in all District 15 schools and over 1500 schools in Illinois. It is also supported by the State Board of Education. The focus of our PBIS structure is to create a positive school climate that fosters respect, responsibility, and safety for all students. This year we are also adding an additional classroom component, CHAMPS, to support structure, positive interactions, and expectations for all. The acronym stands for Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, Participation and Success. The CHAMPS approach is a classroom management system that encourages students to be motivated, engaged, and responsible for their learning and interactions within the school environment. It will be implemented over the course of the 2024-2025 school year.
What is PBIS?
PBIS (School-Wide Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports) is a proactive, team based framework for creating and sustaining safe and effective schools. Emphasis is
placed on prevention of problem behavior, development of prosocial skills, and the
use of data-based problem solving for addressing existing behavior concerns. School wide PBIS increases the capacity of our school to educate all students utilizing research-based school-wide, classroom, and individualized interventions. If warranted, some students may benefit from additional reteaching opportunities and natural consequences throughout the year.
There are 5 main components to our PBIS plan;
1. Define-clear and concise definition(s) of behavior expectations
2. Teach-direct teaching of behavior expectations
3. Remind/Reinforce-regular reminders & positive reinforcement for students meeting expectations
4. Celebrate-recognize and celebrate successes on a regular basis
5. Correct-reteach and redirect students when applicable
At the start of this school year, students participate in station rotations to teach expectations in the bathroom, playground, hallway, and during arrival and dismissal. Classroom teachers also spend time identifying key processes and systems within their rooms with their students. This allows students to clearly know and understand what is expected of them in all areas of our school setting and there are no surprises. School expectations are revisited throughout the year when needed. We focus on 3 three B’s-be respectful, be responsible, and be safe.
How do we recognize positive student behavior?
We are always trying to catch students making positive choices by rewarding students with “Dolphin Dollars.” Students are awarded “Dolphin Dollars” throughout the school day as a form of positive recognition for demonstrating any of our 3 B’s. Our regular celebrations vary throughout the year ranging from an extra recess to school wide bingo. We love celebrating our wonderful accomplishments!
Just like we teach academics, PBIS provides us a platform to also address the social/emotional needs of our students. On a regular basis, students with their classroom teachers, will participate in various lessons and role playing activities. They will proactively be taught ways to deal with various social situations that support our PBIS program using a social skills curriculum called Second Step.
What is a minor?
Minor means small. They are reminders/warnings for small misbehaviors. Making mistakes is part of being a child. A student will receive a minor after he/she has been redirected and an inappropriate behavior continues. If a student receives 3 minors within a calendar month, a major will be issued. If a student were to earn a minor, parents are informed by receiving a minor slip from their child’s classroom teacher. At the beginning of each trimester, each student has a fresh start.
What is a major?
Major behaviors demonstrate a purposeful or serious disregard for an expectation at Virginia Lake. For any major offense, students are seen by administration. Consequences may be issued. Parents are notified by a school administrator when a major offense has occurred.
As a parent, how can I support Virginia Lake’s PBIS program?
The routines that students learn at school can carry over to promote positive behavior outside of school. You, as parents, play an influential role within the PBIS framework by becoming involved within our school setting and supporting our 3 B’s-be respectful, be responsible, and be safe. Your continued support is greatly appreciated!
1. Encourage your child to earn as many “Dolphin Dollars” as possible.
2. Use any behavioral situation as a learning experience by discussing positive choices and natural consequences.
3. Help celebrate successes as we do in school on a daily/monthly basis
4. Keep lines of communication between school and home open. We are here to work together to provide the best learning environment for each child.
Let’s make it a great week!
Warmest Regards,
Patti Van Winkle, Principal
