At Westbrook Middle School, we are safe, responsible, respectful. These words sit at the heart of our expectations for student behavior and are also how we talk to students about their behavior.
We are a part of a group of Maine schools that are implementing Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, or PBIS. Through this program, we are hoping to not only find better ways to address challenging student behavior, but also recognize positive student behavior.
Last year, we started our Falcon Feather program to recognize students who met our expectations of being safe, respectful, and responsible in areas such as the hallway or cafeteria. Students entered their Falcon Feathers into a weekly raffle for prizes such as a ride with our school resource officer, or an a la carte lunch item. We are looking forward to continuing this program again this year.
We also send our surveys twice a year to students, teachers, and families to gauge our work and understand where we can improve. This is an essential component of our work as we progress throughout the year; your input is invaluable. Please keep an eye out in the coming days for a parent survey. We have translated paper copies in a variety of languages if families feel more comfortable completing the survey in a language other than English.
As families, we appreciate your support in this work. Donations for Falcon Feather prizes are always appreciated. More importantly, reinforcing and talking about our school expectations at home goes a long way. Different locations have different expectations. Appropriate behavior at the pool or in your own homes, might be different than expectations at school or in adult work places. By working together, we can help to ensure our students are successful academically and socially.
I also want to extend a big thank you to your PBIS team:
Katrina Harriman (coach)
Carigan Allie (coach)
Kelsey Taylor
Tyler Crosby
Amanda Kuczewski
Casey Waters
Emily Droge
Amie Boucher
Sophie Dobben
Aymen Haddad
Abbey Chase
Ginger Reoch
Kerrie Lapointe
Sarah McNally (family)
Shani McGill-Morehead (family)
If you have questions about PBIS, please contact Sam Chatto, assistant principal, at chattos@westbrookschools.org.