Charlotte Sun Newspaper Article - East Elementary School participation in PBIS
The students and staff at East Elementary School are participating in PBIS, a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports system that addresses the needs of students and staff to make schools more effective places to learn. PBIS addresses behavior through a prevention-oriented structure designed to improve school culture and student behavior. It promotes a safe environment for learning and creates a positive school climate.
East Elementary’s PBIS committee is composed of teachers from each grade level, the Assistant Principal, the School Guidance Counselor, and other key school staff. This committee meets monthly to discuss discipline data and the current needs of the staff and students. From this information, the committee determines the focus for the following month. Everyone participates in improving our school environment by addressing the monthly focus.
Over the last 6 weeks before Christmas, Mrs. Beauchamp, the art teacher at East Elementary, worked with students to help them understand and accept the cultural diversity among the school staff and students. The students learned about the differences of appearance, language, types of food, and cultural differences, etc. As a culmination of this, the students made cardboard representations of themselves that highlighted their differences. Under a phrase, “We Embrace Our Differences” the artwork was displayed in a main hallway of the school, where all students could enjoy the product of this art experience. The students spend a lot of time viewing and enjoying each other’s creations.