- "...the emphasis on school-wide systems of support that include proactive strategies for defining, teaching, and supporting appropriate student behaviors to create positive school environments. Instead of using a piecemeal approach of individual behavioral management plans, a continuum of positive behavior support for all students within a school is implemented in areas including the classroom and non-classroom settings (such as hallways, buses, and restrooms). Positive behavior support is an application of a behaviorally-based systems approach to enhance the capacity of schools, families, and communities to design effective environments that improve the link between research-validated practices and the environments in which teaching and learning occurs. Attention is focused on creating and sustaining primary (school-wide), secondary (classroom), and tertiary (individual) systems of support that improve lifestyle results (personal, health, social, family, work, recreation) for all children and youth by making targeted behaviors less effective, efficient, and relevant, and desired behavior more functional." [from PBIS website]
Another note. The SVJHS Bully Ambassadors, students who are designated to help with the Safe School statute and Seth's Law, have advocated for more help. Some Ambassadors said that they may be working on a form so that students can report bullying cases in order to satisfy the California and Federal statutes. These students have commented anecdotally in class, when our social contract comes up in our intense study of HISTORY, that outside-of-class bullying may be on the rise, with students seeing more and more students becoming adversarial on campus. We know in our class that the social contract is not just for Room 27, but for everywhere, and at all times. The entire basis of our American legal system is the social contract too—don't forget to use your US brochure from our class handouts. And this Friday, as a school, we filled out our SMART Goals form, putting students' academic goals into words for a more successful semester. The more positive we can be at school—socially, academically, and culturally—the more we can learn for our academic success.
Students and Parents, here is a helpful link that might help you if you have questions about bullying: California Department of Education. Please use these links to help us improve our students' abilities to meet our SMART goals that the principal sees as very important. There is also a blog from August 2015 you can read about how we have approached this topic in class. Also, Students, you are to place the SMART goals sheet into the front of your student agendas. Take care, and follow the social contract, Matadors. Peace, Love, and Happiness.