PBIS Rewards

One of our goals at Burke School is to support students in developing the strategies they will need to become positive community members. One way that we help students learn new skills is by giving them points throughout the day. All of our students are "citizens" within the school community. As citizens they are expected to achieve certain standards for community behavior. There are some standards that are constant throughout the entire school community, for example: our safety standard is that every citizen (student and staff) in the community is expected to act in a manner that promotes an emotionally and physically safe environment for all. We also have a school-wide standard for respect. Everyone in the community is expected to treat other people and their property with respect. There is also an expectation that all the members of the Burke School community are here to learn. This means that we expect all students to engage in classroom activities, asking for and accepting help when they need it.

How to Earn Points:

Students earn points each period by demonstrating they are safe, engaged, and have good citizenship. They can earn between one and three points for each area of PBIS Rewards. Nine points indicates that the student achieved the given standard independently. Students who spend part or all of the school day in an alternative instructional arrangement due to difficulties meeting the community behavior standards, can still earn points for each period by demonstrating success in that environment.

Staff members award points each period and at the end of the day students total their points. Students are can view their accumulated points on the PBIS Rewards app. Teachers are responsible for verifying the accuracy of the students' data recording. Every week students will use their accumulated points to purchase items in our school store. The points can be used to buy items from the school store or to participate in special activities.

Burke Points

Sometimes students do things that go above and beyond the behavior standards in each class period. When students show that they are setting even higher expectations for themselves, they are acting as role models for other students. Staff members can let kids know that they are making positive contributions to the community by giving them  Burke Points. Burke Points are recorded in the PBIS Rewards app and can be spent in the school store just like regular points. 

Warnings:

Sometimes students have a hard time meeting the standards  outlined in each class period. That is to be expected, if the standards were easy to achieve then then we wouldn't be focused on these behaviors.  Staff members are here to support the students as they learn new skills and strategies that will make meeting these standards easier. One way that we support students as they are learning is with verbal reminders or warnings. If a staff member sees a student doing or saying something that is not helping them achieve their behavioral standards, they may give the student a warning. Students can show that they are trying to manage their behavior independently by listening to the warning.

Breaks 

Sometimes children need to get away from the group for a few minutes to calm down or think about how they can manage their behavior better. When a student is not able to regain self-control within the classroom setting, sometimes taking a break can help. Breaks usually take place in a quiet place outside of the classroom. They generally last 5 minutes but the exact length depends on the individual student and situation. A staff member will supervise the break and decide when a student is ready to rejoin the group activity. Students are also allowed to request voluntary breaks and still earn PBIS points. As long as this privilege is not being abused, staff members encourage students to use this as an independent coping strategy. If a student is not able to use the five-minute break to regain self-control the staff member may extend the break to 10 minutes. If this happens, the staff member will usually also request a debrief conference after the reflection is completed to discuss the issue with the student.

Additional Staff Support:

When a student is not able to use a break or debrief conference to resolve his/her issue, the staff member involved may call support staff for a consult. Depending upon the student's needs, counseling or behavioral specialists may be contacted to support both the teacher and the student.