3-11-07     With spring right around the corner, everyone is getting “antsy”. We all want to be outdoors enjoying our beautiful weather! This is a good time to review our STARS rules- even at home. As the parent of a kindergardener who hangs on her teacher’s every word, I can tell you that the STARS rules have “spilled over” into our homelife. My daughter is constantly either complimenting her two older siblings on their use of the STARS or she is reminding them to use the STARS rules! What a great way for our children to internalize what they are learning! Please encourage your children to talk to you about what goes on at school. Feel free to use what they tell you about to keep the consistency between home and school strong! Finally, we encourage you to visit in our school to see the STARS program in action!    – Martha Ruffin, 2^nd grade teacher

A word from our PBS Team Members…..

1-9-06       The “Star Game” as one of my children refers to it has been working well in my class this year! The children seem to understand the “stars” much better than the super skills. I love the consistency throughout the school. Everyone is using the same language which is very important…(both children and adults!) STARS helps me to stay more consistent in my own class. I will admit that I need to give out more STARS schoolwide. I tend to get caught up with my own stuff! I also like the way each grade level has their own bucket now!! More chances to be recognized! Thanks to everyone for sticking with this! It goes to show you can teach an old dog a new trick or two! (of course I’m referring to myself!) Have a good day! Keep on shining!!   Janice Clontz  

11-29-06  As the year progresses, I am pleased to see the students maturing and learning to help each other through PBS.  They give each other signals, such as the “quiet sign” and continue to encourage and praise each other for their efforts.  My children have begun getting quite a number of STAR tickets in the hallway each week, and you can just feel their excitement when they come into the room and show me that they’ve received one in the hallway…their pride just shines through!  I am so proud of each and every one of our little “shining stars” throughout the school, and I am sure that they will continue to make me proud!

–Emily Golightly, 1st GradeTeacher 

11-13-06  PBS Is going stong and making a difference at MCPS.  Is is so exciting to see the students taking pride in practicing the STARS expectations. Every student is capable of being a STAR student and the smiles that are produced because staff notices them are PRICELESS!! Cathy Williams-EC teacher

10-17-06  Dare I use the words Excitement and Positive Behavior Support in the same sentence once more? I THINK SO!!! It’s true. All you have to do is walk down any hall, into any classroom, in the gym, the music room, the media center (known by those of us that have been around a little longer as the library), the cafeteria and even the office. You are almost guaranteed to hear someone talking about the school’s PBS system and in a positive light. And why not? It has made for such a positive focus at MCPS. And, as a VERY wise lady (Dr. Becky Bailey) once said, “What you FOCUS on, you get MORE of.” We want more positive so we will gladly focus more on the positive. Think about it. Aren’t you more likely to work harder for someone you have positive thoughts and feelings for than for someone you have negative feelings for? Do we still have to correct, redirect and even sometimes remove students during class? OF COURSE! But — we are getting better. And we are determined to continue to get better. Come out and FEEL the POSITIVE difference at MCPS. 

David Dixon Counselor MCPS

10-16-06  Children all around the campus of MCPS can be found being STARS. They are familiar with the PBS expectations and are shining examples of what positive discipline can accomplish. The children in my class are working hard setting and accomplishing goals for themselves. They can be overheard using the STARS terminology. If a student is forgetting to use his/her STARS behaviors, the other children often remind him/her before I get the chance! My own kindergarten daughter is using the STARS rules and expectations at home with her older siblings and her dad! If this keeps up, our whole community will be STARS citizens! A word to the children…keep shining!   Martha Ruffin, 2nd grade teacher

10-6-06  Students at MCPS are excited about our STARS positive support system. In the hallways, lunchroom, classroom, PE etc. you can feel the excitement. Students work hard to receive a star from faculty members. In our classroom students are given stars to place in the “STAR Jar” when they are caught following the STARS expectations. On Fridays I pull five tickets from the jar. Students that are chosen receive a coupon that awards them various items. They look forward to Friday afternoons and are sooo excited when their name is drawn. The STARS program has certainly had a big impact on our classroom behavior! 

Bonnie Narron

10-3-06 I’m excited to announce that my students have earned all 183 marbles in the class “Marble Jar” already!  These marbles are earned for being Shining STARS in the classroom, as well as throughout the school.  The students voted to celebrate, by having Pajama Day and wearing their pajamas to school.  Our class was featured on the Morning News sharing in our celebration and on the television photos out front by the office in their pajamas!  What a wonderful way to focus on the class’ positive behavior!  We also earn Shining STARS in the classroom for making good choices and following the rules. These Shining STARS earn the student an immediate sticker to be displayed in the classroom, as well as a chance at a weekly drawing for a homework pass.  The Shining STARS go home each week so the student’s family can also celebrate in his/her successes!   These are just a few of the ways that I focus on the positive in my classroom and celebrate good behavior choices!  I’m thrilled that the students continue to be highly motivated to make good choices and be successful citizens!  The Positive Behavior Support strategies that I have used in the classroom this year have really made a difference so far!    

Janet Fulcher, Third Grade Teacher

9-25-06  Our school-wide PBS plan continues to be exciting and fun for the kids as well as the adults!  The weekly drawings bring lots of excitement, and LOTS of children have been “caught being good” in the hallways in the past couple of weeks.  With the staff making a conscious effort to praise the good in our children, the children are exhibiting even more good behavior!  I only hope that this cycle continues as the school year wears on!  In our classroom, the children are rewarded for “showing their STAR behavior” by getting star stickers on charts.  When they get up to 30 stars, they receive a prize from the Treasure Chest, and I write a note home on the back of their sticker chart telling parents how proud I am of their child’s efforts.  The children absolutely beam with pride when they get to take these happy notes home and tell their parents what great things they’re doing.  We also have a class “Star Gazer” whose class job is to look for students within our classroom making good choices.  The Star Gazer can tell me or Ms. Angel who’s doing a good job, and we give those children stars for their charts as well.  The children take the responsibility of being the Star Gazer very seriously, and they’re always excited to share the names of children who are doing a great job.  This praise from their peers has been a GREAT way to boost the morale in our classroom.  Overall, I am very excited about our STARS behavior plan this year, and I look forward to seeing how it will help shape our children into good citizens!       

—Emily Golightly, 1^st Grade Teacher 

9/18/06 Energy and excitement also fill my classroom!  The school year is off to a great start!  The students are thrilled to be Stars of the Sea.  Focusing on the positive is really going well, the students are experiencing a high level of success in all areas! We are truly STARS. Several parents have shared positive comments about the consistent rules and expectations throughout our school and on the buses.  I am looking forward to a wonderful school year! Come and watch us shine!  Janet Fulcher, 3rd grade teacher

September 12, 2006 The PBS STARS team had a wonderful experience this summer!  We are all so excited about the positive impact it is already showing in the halls of our school.  We give “STARS “to children, classes and adults that are showing their STAR qualities while going to and from different places in the school.
The students are helping each other with encouragement and reminders.  I believe the school wide show of cooperation is a very positive face for PBS to grow and thrive at our school!                Beverly Smith, PBS Team member  

September 11, 2006  I am really excited that MCPS is using the Positive Behavior Support (PBS) plan.  The matrix of expectations makes it easy for everyone in the school to use the same language with our students.  This has helped create consistency in our school (something everyone has been asking for).  It has also served as a reminder to me to focus on the “good” in children instead of the “bad”.  By focusing on positive behavior, my students have self-corrected some of their negative behaviors because they want to be rewarded.  A technique that has helped me learn and remember the language of the matrix is to laminate a copy and tape it to the top of my safety folder that goes with the class.  Whether we are walking down the hall, on the playground, or heading to an assembly, I can refer to it to make sure I am using the correct wording to remind students of their behavior.  -Shannon Graham, 3rd Grade Teacher

 September 8, 2006  Positive Behavior Support is in full-swing in first grade!  Children are rewarded for making good choices in a variety of ways throughout the week, but Friday is a “special day”—the day we spend our “Piggy Bank Cash”.  When we “catch” the children making good STARS choices we call them up to get a coin.  This coin is placed in their piggy bank with other change they have earned that week.  All this money is spent on Friday. Children count out the “money” they earn throughout the week (we practice exchanging pennies for nickels, nickels for dimes, etc.) and “buy” items from the Student Store.  While some children have opted to save their “cash” to buy more expensive items, others have “cashed in” their money and purchased some wonderful things.  Positive Behavior Support rules since the children are motivated to make good choices so that they can earn money to spend in the store.  ”Piggy Bank Cash Friday” is a sight to see!
Miss Allison Smith/1st Grade

August 30, 2006  Energy and excitement fill the halls at MCPS as we open for the 2006-2007 school year.  Over the summer we sent a team of teachers for training in positive behavior support.  After the training, our team met and created a school-wide implementation plan.  Our theme at MCPS, is Stars of the Sea, so our team centered the positive behavior program around STARS.  During our staff development days, the team provided positive behavior support training for the entire faculty.  Not only did we all learn, but most importantly we had fun while doing it!  Our staff members each received a STARS t-shirt and will wear them on our STARS days throughout the year. Many parents have commented on the smiles and enthusiasm throughout the school…it’s catchy!  Our STARS team will continue to meet throughout the year to generate ideas to keep the energy and excitement all year long.  Rene Martinez, Assistant Principal