WESTFIELD- This year a new initiative is being implemented in Westfield’s elementary schools called the School-Wide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (SW-PBIS).
The SW-PBIS provides elementary schools with a consistent, yet flexible three-tier social emotional framework to educate students on positive expected school behavior. Each school is given the opportunity to customize the initiative to their own individual needs while maintaining consistent expectation standards throughout all of Westfield’s seven elementary schools.
“There’s the assumption that every kid knows how to act in school,” said Betsy Philpott, supervisor on special assignment for the Westfield Public Schools. “Kids have different backgrounds and may act out the same behaviors at home that aren’t appropriate for school.”
The schools are beginning the initiative by creating a team that decides what their main expectations are going to be and creates an acronym to fit these expectations. Each school tailors their expectations to the needs of the building.
“The schools get to tweak it so that it works for them,” Philpott said. “The staff has the flexibility to deem what issues are the most important.”
On Monday, Highland Elementary School held their kickoff event for SW-PBIS. Highland chose the acronym PAWS for their expectations, standing for practice responsibility, always be safe, willing to learn and showing respect. The event started off with each grade level representing the different expected behaviors. They were assigned different roles and celebrated the event with things like a cheer from the kindergarteners and a PAW promise from the third-graders. The event closed with a staff skit illustrating the difference between behaviors that are expected and the ones that aren’t.
Highland took small steps prior to yesterday’s kick-off of the new SW-PBIS’s initiative, such as hanging acronyms up in the hallways.
This is the first time Westfield has implemented a school-wide behavior program, but teachers and students are excited and looking forward to the new changes.
“It’s tailored to the staff and students and it’s free to join and give input,” Philpott said. “This will help define specifically what good behavior is in the building and help develop a lot of social skills.”
