By Kari Thompson and Sandy Snyder
At Greenville Middle School, we have created a team for Positive Behavior Interventions and Support to help our students achieve success during each academic school year. Throughout each year, the team meets monthly to create small and large goals. Various incentives are provided for students who achieve those goals. We would like to see 100% of our students committed to reaching the goal and to doing their absolute best. We work to select goals that follow the Wave Way Expectations we set each year for students. These goals include being respectful, responsible, kind and safe.
This year, we are focusing on those expectations and have students work to achieve various goals in areas including attendance, homework, and behavior. Our PBIS team selects various activities and events throughout the year for students who achieve these larger goals. Rewards will include such activities as dodgeball and kickball games, ice cream and a dance party with music provided by a local DJ. The PBIS team also sets smaller goals for students. They can be recognized through student of the month nominations and can earn WAVE awards by showing they are following the Wave Way Expectations. Students can redeem those WAVE awards for small prizes or for chances at larger prizes throughout the year.
At the end of the first quarter, we held our first PBIS Reward Day. Students who had no unexcused absences for three weeks in October were eligible to participate in a dodgeball tournament among their peers. Each grade level competed in their WAVE time groups. Winners for each grade level: 5th – Mrs. Miller’s WAVE group, 6th – Mrs. Lange’s WAVE group, 7th – Mr. Newland’s WAVE group, 8th – Mrs. Burnside’s WAVE group.
As the academic year continues, we at Greenville Middle School will continue to support our students through various events and activities to showcase student achievement goals. Our focus always remains the same, for our students to be the absolute best they can be. We also hope students will continue to show their understanding of these various skills into the future as they grow as students and into adulthood.