How our School Nurtures Students’ Positive Behaviors

How Our School Nurtures Students’ Positive Behaviors

Our students are encouraged to reach their fullest potential in their social, emotional, and academic skill development. Sakamoto School created the following system of support for three tiers of student growth needs (see PBIS: Positive Behavioral Intervention & Supports at www.pbis.org):

Tier 1 intervention provides Quality First Instruction for all students. Students are given added academic support with afterschool academic camps, Saturday programs, peer projects, and individualized strategies that nurture growth.
Tier 2 supplemental programs include a pull out five day a week reading program for students who need added support in how to effectively comprehend what is being read at grade level instruction. Many of these students test at one to two grade levels below their current grade levels.
Tier 3 students are given individualized tutorial support. These students also receive comprehensive help in their beliefs about their abilities to excel over time. Some students struggle with focusing in class. Others may eventually qualify for a resource specialist in reading. Many speak more than one language and need extra support to process reading sound decoding in English. Some are lacking the self-confidence that reading is challenging and become easily frustrated. When we simplify the learning process for these students, they start to feel more confident in their learning abilities. Over time, these students develop the skills and self-confidence required to adapt to challenging reading assignments.

Throughout the school year, our teachers are expanding innovative instructional strategies. Their classroom level programs continue to expand as we meet the individualized learning needs of more students.

In the comments section below, share how your child’s school effectively meets students’ learning needs.

Kids Become Junior Environmentalists

Kids are excellent idea generators when it comes to the future. They can contribute to solutions with actions in their home environment. Kids can do their part to impact largescale problems like waste.

Limiting Waste

There is a lot of waste at school. Snack food wrappers, utensil waste, food packaging, milk cartons, partially consumed food. ALL of it is thrown away after single consumption. Most snack items that kids bring to school also include unnecessary packaging. Kids do their best to throw their wrappers and waste away, but none of them are recycled.

Single use consumption is a big problem at school when it comes to food. It is important to talk to your kids about minimizing waste through the following suggested actions:

Start at home. When kids get involved in simple acts of making food instead of eating packaged food, they reduce waste from single use products.
Many processed foods come with packaging that can be elimanated by cooking more and using less.
Try hydrating by drinking water out of reusable containers, instead of plastic water bottles.
Encourage kids to participate in sorting and recycling food materials at home. Even at an early age, kids can part of a ripple effect that reduces waste.
Kids can become junior environmentalists at school with little acts that help keep the school clean.
Think about bringing snacks in reusable containers to school, instead of throwing packaging away.
Reusable utensils and hydration containers are excellent resources instead of daily plastic water bottles for reducing waste at school.
Have conversations about reusing lunch bags and plastic containers.

Reuseable Product Options

There are so many reusable plastic-free products targeted at youth. I was impressed with Target’s “Back to School” display and range of products that included cloth themed lunch bags, beeswax wrap, reusable lunch containers, and reusable hydro containers. You and your children can have fun picking out sustainable snack bags and reusable water bottles for the new school year. You can also encourage your children to add stickers to personalize their items. The less single-use packaging that is brought to school, the better outcome for waste. Better habits at home create mindfulness and sustainability at school, which makes for a healthier environment.

Redesign and Reuse Packaging Art Project

Kids love to redesign cardboard and single use materials into TRASHY ART. You and your children can collect paper packaging at home, including cardboard and plastic food containers to complete the following activity:

Recycle a poster board and let kids create a montage of recycled materials including old toys.
Get creative at building with non-standard materials.
Use glue and tape to secure materials on the board.
When the art board construction is completed, paint it with white primer to neutralize the background.
Once it dries, use markers or various paint colors to pop some color into the new design.
Give the art product a title or name to identify a playful theme that has been developed, like a skateboard park with cool jumps.
Display the repurposed art before you just throw it away as waste.

Getting Ready For Next School Year

Getting Ready for the Next School Year

Once you decide on a school for the upcoming school year, it is important to plan ahead throughout the spring and summer. For example, during the last weeks of summer, it is important to help your children plan for the first days of school by coaching them to become organized for the first day of school. Many children have later bedtimes during the summer. It is helpful to slowly adjust their wake-up and bedtime hours to align with the school year schedule a couple of weeks before school starts. Your children may resist at first, but the family will feel successful that they are ready for the new school year.

Schedule Dates with Children to Prepare for School

You can also schedule quality time with your children to plan for the first days of school. These special times may include:

Completing all required medical exams
Scheduling the school bus or carpool for student transportation
Getting help for childcare options if necessary
Scheduling before school, afterschool, and school break childcare and enrichment activities
Preparing for nutritional breakfasts and school lunches
Discussing with each child their food preferences
Encouraging older children to help younger siblings pack lunches the night before school
Planning for daily reading with your children or having them read independently each night before bed
Scheduling homework help and summer review as needed
Helping children organize their clothes for school
Having children practice how to select outfits at bedtime for the next day
Taking children shopping for shoes with added support from family members
Purchasing grade-level school supplies

Middle and High School Considerations

Additional middle or high school student support can include:

Purchasing sports and physical education uniforms and equipment
Having your children meet with academic counselors for course selections
Ensuring that children complete summer reading and homework assignments
Completing documentation for internships, summer jobs, and community service projects relevant for specific course prerequisites, and college and career planning

Family Organizing Activities

During the last summer days, your children will cherish the time you spend with them preparing for the coming school year. It might be a great time to initiate new family routines and rituals for buying school supplies, family shoe shopping, purchasing new clothes for school, cleaning out bedrooms, organizing the arts, crafts, and school supplies, and celebrating with some family fun. Many parents spend the final days of the summer playing at parks and visiting the beach. Parents can shop with their children for school and help them organize their bedrooms and school supplies. Whatever your new routine will be, take the time to talk with your children about their dreams, fears, and anxieties. If they are starting a new school, try to schedule some playdates with neighborhood friends so that they can spend time talking about the first days of school. You can also host a back-to-school family barbecue, moms’ night out, or dads’ sport activity.

Managing the Daily Schedule

After months of planning, playing, and getting ready for school, the new school year is beginning. You have purchased the mandatory school items, helped your children organize themselves for the first day of school, and completed all paperwork and scheduling for transportation, aftercare, and extra-curricular activities. The best plan is to talk through the first day of school at dinner or before bed so that your children know what to expect. Also encourage them to express their concerns and feelings. Sometimes, schools have parents visit with their children in the classroom on the first day of school. Other schools encourage parents to drop their children off at the front of the school or have them take the bus independently. If you are feeling anxious, share your concerns with another parent who has children already attending the school. That parent can answer your questions and their children can help for added support.

First Day of School

Summarized below are suggestions that may be helpful for the first day of school:

Plan meals and clothing options for school.
Talk with your children about what to expect at the school.
Visit the school with your children before the first day.
Meet the teachers when appropriate.
Confirm that your children know the daily drop-off and return from school schedule.
Encourage the children to play outside on the playground and socialize on the school grounds.
Relax with your children when they return home and discuss their successes and challenges.

Additional middle or high school activities may include:

Encourage children to use their course schedule to locate the assigned classroom for each course.
Have children locate their lockers and confirm that the locking combinations work.
Ensure that your teens attend mandatory orientations and school leadership, sports, and activity orientations.
Confirm that the children have their physical fitness and sports team clothing and equipment ready for use.

May your first days of school be filled with many happy memories and adventures as you support your children’s new school year!

Consider Children’s Needs for School Choice

Consider Your Children’s Needs for School Choice

When considering different school options, you can ask yourself the following questions about your child or collectively about your children:

What is my child’s personality type?
Does she prefer playing or socializing in small groups, large groups, or by herself?
Does she like to lead a group in various activities?
Would she prefer to watch others and then follow in small group play and socialization activities?
Is she easily frustrated when playing and socializing with others?
Does she get angry when things do not go her way?
What are her favorite activities?
Does she prefer outside or thinking types of activities?
Does she prefer paper and pencil activities or large muscle and interactive activities?
Would she learn best by reading with you, listening, or watching others?
What are her academic experiences?
Does she recognize letters and letter combination sounds?
Has she exhibited other pre-reading or reading skills?
How does she apply number sense in everyday activities?
What has the teacher said about her social, emotional, and learning skill development?
What concerns do you have about her academic success and learning challenges?

Middle and High School Considerations

Added considerations for middle and high school students may include:

Is there a specific college and career path that your child is interested in exploring?
What types of classes, experiences, or internships do prospective schools offer to support your child’s learning interests?
Does the preferred school provide sufficient extra-curricular activities, sports teams, and academic support programs to accommodate your child’s interests and preparation for college?
Does the preferred school’s course sequence include options for your child to attend competitive colleges in her area of interest?
What else do you need to discuss with the prospective school to ensure that it will provide adequate counseling and support services to ensure your child’s success?

Conducting School Site Visits

Once you answer these questions and have completed a conference for added information from your child’s teacher, you may choose to visit schools in your school district, charter schools, private schools, and parent participation schools to learn more about various learning philosophies. You can review appropriate teaching strategies by visiting your state’s department of education website and by researching different teaching philosophies.

It is important to select a school for your child that reinforces your family’s values and how you plan to support your child’s learning. If you have more than one child starting the school, you should consider the overall school climate that best aligns with your parenting style and your children’s diverse needs. This ensures an effective transition into an elementary school or transfer into a middle or high school. After visiting several different schools in your community, consider the following when selecting an appropriate school for your family:

The various school options and choices for learning in your neighborhood
How your child will travel to school each day
The locations of various schools in proximity to your home, office, or access to afterschool childcare
The school’s expectations for parent participation, homework philosophies, and expectations for parents’ support
How you and your family can mange each day in regards to parent participation and homework support
How much stress your family can manage when considering a selected school’s location, teaching philosophy, and homework expectations

A Sample Case Study

The following case study illustrates how parents must align their preference and values when considering a school’s expectations.

Case Study of a High Achieving Elementary School and a Family’s Demanding Schedule

Tracey and Mark were excited when they visited a high achieving parent participation public elementary school in their neighborhood. They wanted the best for their four children and valued the extensive parent participation components offered at the school. They also loved the focus on service learning and community-based project homework that required hours of support from parents and the entire family beyond the school day. Within the first few weeks of school, Lily, their oldest child, was over-whelmed and feeling like a failure because she could not keep up with her classmates. Her parents were overscheduled with demanding jobs, younger sibling care, and little time to reinforce her learning needs when assigned community-based homework projects. Although her parents valued education, the school’s high academic success, and the parent participation components, the values of the school did not align to their ability to fully participate in the school. After meeting with their daughter’s teacher, Tracey and Mark were able to adjust their schedules to meet their daughter’s learning needs. Scheduling sufficient time for parent participation at the school will continue to be a challenge as their other children start the school.

When considering this case study, it is important that parents work in partnership with the school to successfully complete the registration process that may include:

Reviewing various school options relevant to the family’s values and learning needs
Registering for a selected school with backup options
Following-up with the selected school’s confirmation and document completion process
Compiling all mandatory vacinations and medical check-up documentation

Sometimes, parents are not offered any of the schools they selected for their children through a lottery system or when selected schools are over-enrolled. Many parents will then appeal to the school district’s student placement office to have their child transferred to another school. Options can include a school that is closer to a student’s home or that has a higher student performance ranking in the district. The anxiety of registering for schools can be frustrating, confusing, and challenging. For example, urban parents may feel desperate in their attempts to challenge a school assignment. They may feel forced to wait another year for reassignment while their child attends an alternative program. It is important to reassure your children that they will have a successful school year and that you will be there to support them in this process.

Sample School Selection Worksheet

The sample worksheet below was completed by Tracey and Mark when they decided to send their child to a high performing parent participation elementary school in the neighborhood.

Tracey and Mark’s School Selection Worksheet

List 5 primary values for our family:

1. Our family values being active together at home and at school.

2. We value a well-balanced education for our children.

3. We want our children to give more than they receive in their community.

4. We value the individual contributions of each family member.

5. We respect the diversity of our community and giving back to all.

List three characteristics you are looking for in your children’s schools:

1. The school is near my home.

2. It is high performing and has a rigorous curriculum.

3. Parents are encouraged to become partners in their children’s learning.

List the types of learning that your child/ren prefer or respond to effectively:

1. My children prefer to engage in interactive socialization when learning.

2. They are self-motivated and like to work in small groups.

3. The children are self-starters, creative, and love to socialize as they work in groups.

4. They love to do art projects and use art in their academic learning.

After visiting various schools in the area, identify three schools that will serve your family best. List the reasons to justify your preference:

1. Marian Wright Elementary School is the neighborhood school near our home. This school is our first choice for our children because it is near our home. The school is a high performing school with extensive project-based learning with participating parents.

2. Star Charter School is a rigorous academic K-8 public charter school within 10 miles from our home. The school specializes in science and math technology with lots of parents participating in small group activities with their children.

3. Las Palmas Cooperative School is a private school within 5 miles from our home. It focuses on children exploring careers throughout their K-8 education with a focus on service learning and community development with rigorous academic standards.

Selected school with registration completion requirements includes:

We have decided to have our eldest child attend the local elementary school and must complete the following for school registration:

1. Submit documentation to the district office that confirms that we reside in the neighborhood for this school.

2. Finish the school’s application and mail to the district office.

3. Complete the student medical examination documentation with updated immunization records and submit to the school nurse.

Much success identifying your family’s learning preferences at specific schools.

How Students Support Success at School

My first days back at school were incredible as I watched students help each other overcome their daily challenges. Although students have had limited time to be with others this past year, the kindness and compassion I witnessed with the students each day was overwhelming. When a student was sad or frustrated, many students expressed concern and tried to talk with the frustrated student to help her calm down. Other students will take the time to be a mini tutor and help their classmates when they were having trouble completing an assignment. And many students love to help me as the substitute teacher by providing me guidance on what I should be doing at a given time or where I can find a specific supply for teaching. I have learned more from students on how to use a piece of technological equipment even after I passed a competency exam on various software computer applications. And finally, the gratitude the students have expressed for my teaching efforts has been overwhelming. I have received many thank you notes and handmade gifts as expressions of love and support.

How Teachers Help Students Succeed

When I consider what makes my substitute teaching experiences so successful, I find that an effective temporary teacher must:

Be prepared with an engaging lesson plan that has been coordinated with the full-time teacher and complement the teacher’s overall lesson plans.
Be compassionate and patient with the students and view them as the experts as to how their classroom is managed and how they can best learn.
Engage the students in relevant project-based learning activities that ensure that they have gained new skills during this short duration.
Encourage students to reflect daily on what they have learned and how they will apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills to their daily lives and other lessons.
Meet and debrief with the regular classroom teacher to ensure increased continuity and learning successes.

May your children benefit from a variety of talented educational leaders this school year!

Mary Ann