Letter to Parents
Hello MVES Parents!
We are excited to start a new school year with your student! Over the last few years, we have implemented the Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports management system otherwise known as PBIS.
We will continue utilizing PBIS this school year; however, we are changing a few things that we want you to be aware of. In the past a color system may have been used to indicate what type of day your child has had (especially our younger grades). Example of colors: Green = good day, Yellow = warning, Purple = excellent day. This year our students will all start on red and work their way up. In the past red meant that your child may have had a hard day following the school expectations. Most students believe that RED is a “bad” color. Although we never want our students to come home on a red, this year we want the students to understand that they are starting their day on red; however, it does not mean that they are starting their day off “bad” or “negatively” it is just a starting point for the dayand we want them to work their way up the color chart. This method allows our teachers to continuously provide positive feedback to your students throughout their day.
We need your support! If you have not signed up for Class Dojo, please do so as soon as you can. Not only is this a system for collecting students points for positive behaviors, it is also a great communication tool between you and the school!
If you have an older student they may not necessarily come home on a green, purple, or blue but if you have access to Class Dojo you can check their points daily or weekly depending on when your child’s teacher inputs their points.
The following is a guide to how your students will earn points this year:
Purple: Your student went above and beyond met all school expectations across several settings (Café, Connections, Commons Area)!!! Way to GO!!! 5+ Points
Blue: Your student met all the expectations that day!!
Green: Your student met at least 3 expectations that day! 3 Dojo Points
Yellow: Your student met at least 2 expectations that day. Please speak to them regarding school expectations and how they can do a better job at meeting those expectations. 2 Dojo Points
Orange: Your student met at least one school expectation that day. Please speak to them regarding school expectations and how they can do a better job at meeting those expectations. . 1 Dojo Point
Red: Starting point and is worth 0 points.
The colors are a guide for giving points to our students. If your student is hitting green or higher every day they will always have enough points to cash in and enjoy the fun!
All students will start their day on the color Red and move up through the colors as they meet school expectations. The following are the school wide expectations for all MVES students:
● Being Safe: walking in the hallways in a line, staying quiet when necessary, washing hands, working together etc.
● Respect: Speaking with kind words, being nice to others, respecting ourselves, using manners, being a friend, playing fair etc.
● Responsibility: arriving to school on time and prepared, completing your work, working hard, following teacher directions, following school rules etc.
We really want our students to reach Green or higher every day! Once your student has earned a point, it will not be taken away. We all know that students make mistakes so although your student may have earned points it does not mean they may not make a mistake later in the day. If they do make a mistake the teacher will have a conversation with them and determine the level of corrective action that may need to be taken. Example of corrective actions: note/phone call home, loss of recess, sent to the office.
Why are points important? Points are like cash and they can be exchanged to “purchase” items they may want. Teachers may allow students to cash in their points at the end of the week for a small prize (if that is the system they are using in their classroom). There will be monthly incentives that students can cash in their points for, and there will be quarterly parties that students can buy their way into with their points.
Please review school expectations with your student and encourage them to move up the colors throughout their day! Each teacher will use their own behavior data collection tool and will share what their class policy will be with you!
In service of your children,
Angela Bradberry, M.Ed, BCBA
PBIS Coach