Any time you and your students are away from school routines for any length of time, getting back into the swing of things can be challenging. This can be especially true after winter break, with the excitement of the holidays standing in stark relief against the very real work of teaching and learning.
Renewing your commitment to PBIS after a break might feel unnecessary. After all, you were doing great before the holidays started, right? Your students were exhibiting positive behaviors and you were awarding points and everything was moving along smoothly. New year, new you! No need to get bogged down in PBIS anymore!
Renewing PBIS After a Break
Now that you’ve wiped the tears of laughter from your eyes, let’s get real. Students of every age (and teachers, too!) can be distracted by the anticipation of a long break from school. Chances are the days and weeks leading up to break were filled with challenging behaviors, stumbles, and high energy. While PBIS can help to smooth out the rough patches beforehand, it can be especially helpful when you return from a break.
There are three distinct groups that need to reinvest in PBIS after a long break: your PBIS team, your staff, and your students. Let’s take a look at returning them to a PBIS mindset.
Re-energize Your PBIS Team
The members of your PBIS team are your school’s PBIS cheerleaders. They are the ones who help determine your school’s matrix, plan training, and review the data. After they’ve invested so much of themselves in PBIS, they may feel a little worn down. Rebuild their enthusiasm by showing them how PBIS has changed your school for the better. Look at the data. If your school is using PBIS Rewards, there are tons of customizable reports available that you can use to illustrate the improvements in your school climate. Review the action plan from the beginning of the year and identify areas where your initiative may need some adjustment.
Re-engage Your Staff
After a long break from school routines, your staff might be tempted to relax on PBIS. Getting back into the swing of things after a break can feel like an uphill climb. The same data and reports you shared with your PBIS team can be useful here, too. Review the schoolwide matrix and make any necessary adjustments to your initiative so that it can continue to change your school culture. Reevaluate points goals for your staff to encourage continued buy-in. And if your school isn’t already doing so, consider a rewards program for teachers. Stock your staff store with lots of great incentives (or add new ones to what you already offer) and help renew their enthusiasm for PBIS.
Remind Your Students
Settling back into a school routine can be hard for students at every level. The first few days back can be a bit bumpy as they readjust to the expectations and routines of the classroom. Most teachers understand that students need a few light and fun activities to get back in a learning mindset. Whether it’s a few minutes at the beginning of class to draw or share stories from break or even fun reviews of academic concepts, students benefit from a relaxed reentry to learning. Encourage your staff to reteach behavior expectations as needed, using modeling and roleplay where appropriate. Reminding your students of your expectations helps them to exhibit positive behaviors where they might have otherwise fallen back into old habits. Adding some new incentives in the school store can also generate some excitement among your students and help to refocus them on positive behaviors.
Post-Break With PBIS Rewards
A PBIS initiative can help to make it easier for students and staff alike to return to the normal routine of school, particularly after a long break. The continued focus on positive behaviors schoolwide will improve academic outcomes, reduce referrals, and change your school’s climate for the better.
PBIS Rewards can make it easier to resume your PBIS initiative after a long break. Your staff can jump right back into recognizing positive behaviors and awarding points without missing a beat. The points your students earned before the break will be waiting for them in their student accounts, so no need to manually update and track balances. Did your students go on a shopping spree right before break? PBIS Rewards can help you track your school store’s inventory so you can restock. The data generated by your initiative is automatically recorded by the software, enabling you to generate dozens of reports so you can fine-tune wherever needed.
After a long break, it can be tempting to let your PBIS initiative slide. PBIS Rewards can help prevent that slide from happening. We’d love to show you how… contact us for more information!
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