ST. CROIX — Students and staff at Ricardo Richards Elementary School (RRES) vibrantly rolled out their School Year 2016-17 Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiative to improve students\u2019 overall behavior on the campus and on school buses.<\/p>\n
Activities at an opening ceremony on October 31 included a recital of the school\u2019s pledge, a discussion on the school\u2019s beautification project, and cultural performances by students.\u00a0 The school\u2019s Strawberry mascot also came out to encourage good behavior.<\/p>\n
Students later rotated by class to eight significant areas of the campus where they received graphic instructions on the expected behaviors.\u00a0 School staff were appropriately stationed at the office, library, hallway, cafeteria, playground, restroom, classroom and the bus station to coach students on the required behaviors.<\/p>\n
Speaking at 5th<\/sup> grade teacher Jenelle Hendricks\u2019 classroom, Principal Wendy Gonzales referred to Ricardo Richards School students as strawberries.\u00a0 \u201cThey are four qualities that make for a great strawberry,\u201d she began.\u00a0 \u201cWe do not have any strawberries in here that are rotten.\u00a0 We do not have any that are malnourished.\u00a0 They are all nurtured and stimulated, which come primarily from their teacher.\u201d<\/p>\n Following the Ricardo Richard Elementary School acronym, RRES, Principal Gonzales added that students are great because they are R<\/strong><\/b>esponsible, R<\/strong><\/b>espectful, E<\/strong><\/b>nthusiastic and S<\/strong><\/b>cholarly.<\/p>\n In her PBIS classroom presentation, Hendricks instilled in students the following:<\/p>\n \u201cTeachers are constantly coming up with exciting ways to engage our students so we really don\u2019t have rules (at school).\u00a0 Students know that there is a certain level of expectation because our standards are very high.\u201d Principal Gonzales said. \u201cStudents know their purpose, no rules just expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n Dr. Sandra Covington-Smith, the Virgin Islands Department of Education PBIS national consultant, said that all schools on St. Croix, including the Alternative Education Program received training in the PBIS format.\u00a0\u00a0 Covington-Smith, also the expert PBIS coordinator across the country and in some countries in Europe, said that learning institutions from Head Start to universities are involved in the behavioral training.<\/p>\n Kathleen Merchant, the Data Manager for the Virgin Islands Office of Special Education serves as the local PBIS coordinator and liaison for Implementation for the Student Centered Solutions (SCS) Group.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Feature Image: From left to right:\u00a0Kg teacher Denise Vanterpool, SOSE Data Manager Kathleen Merchant, VIDE PBIS Coordinator Sandra Covington Smith and Assistant Principal Juliette Heddad-Miller flank Ricardo Richards School\u2019s Strawberry mascot along with Kindergarten students after a PBIS rollout program on Monday, October 31. (Credit: Department of Education)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ST. CROIX — Students and staff at Ricardo Richards Elementary School (RRES) vibrantly rolled out their School Year 2016-17 Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) initiative to improve students\u2019 overall behavior on the campus and on school buses. Activities at an opening ceremony on October 31 included a recital of the school\u2019s pledge, a discussion […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":46545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1078,191,147],"tags":[5815],"yoast_head":"\n\n