Dear Parents and Gaurdians,
Over the past year our school has been engaged in developing some framework around our Raven Values (see attached). These values are posted in every classroom, and are providing some common language for staff and students to use. As a part of this work, we are utilizing a well-supported school wide framework called Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS).
What is Positive Behavior Interventions and Support?
PBIS is a process for creating safer and more effective schools. It is a systems approach to enhancing the capacity of schools to educate all children by developing research-based, school-wide, and classroom behavior support systems. The process focuses on improving a school’s ability to teach and support positive behavior for all students. PBIS includes school-wide procedures and processes intended for all students and all staff in all settings in and around the school. PBIS is not a program or a curriculum. It is a team-based process for systemic problem solving, planning, and evaluation. It is an approach to creating a safe and productive learning environment where teachers can teach and all students can learn.
What is PBIS at our school?
At Mamquam, we have adopted a unified set of behaviour expectations on a behaviour matrix (see attached) around the three values of :
- Community Minded
- Thinker
- Communicator.
You will see the behaviour matrix posted throughout the school and your child will be learning about these values and expectations during assemblies and instructional time. As part of the structure, students will receive immediate feedback when exhibiting the expected values (in the form of recognition and reward). The whole school is working towards a shared goal and will receive a reward (an extra-long recess) to celebrate our success.
As part of our PBIS process, teachers and other staff members use evidence-based practices to increase student learning and decrease classroom disruptions. To keep students on the rules in a positive manner, we do the following when teaching academics and behavior:
Þ Constantly teach and refer to our school-wide expectations.
Þ Provide students with more praise than correction.
Þ Talk to students with respect using positive voice tone.
Þ Actively engage everyone in the class during instruction.
Þ Use pre-correcting, prompting, and redirecting as we teach.
Þ Look for the positive first and provide positive, immediate, frequent, and explicit feedback.
If you have questions about Positive Behavior Support, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher. We look forward to a wonderful year of teaching your child.
Huy Chexw (thank you) Wa Chexw Yuu (take care)
Kukw`stumc`kalap (Thank you all)
Jeff Maynard / Ts̓qáxa7 Sp̓áq̓em
Principal / Mamquam Elementary School
School District No. 48 (Sea to Sky) | www.sd48seatosky.org
[email protected] | Cell: (604) 698-8003
We are honoured to be learning on the Traditional Territory of the Sḵwxwú7meshÚxwumixw and St’át’yemc Nations.
* Ts̓qáxa7 Sp̓áq̓em is a Lil’wat name given to me by Tanina Williams. It is a new Ucwalmícwts word that translates into horse flower (dandelion). While these plants are not native to these lands, they are strong, can grow anywhere and have become a resource for the Lil’wat people.