The teachers here at Everett keep looking at each other with shock and saying, “The first quarter is over?!” It seems amazing that we have already completed the first quarter. Mr. Long was joking that he probably should take down the “Welcome Back” sign that he has up!
These last few weeks have been busy, busy, busy. Ms. Imel and I were able to attend a lengthy training about family involvement, and Mrs. Johnson, Ms. Charity, and I were all able to go to Chicago for three days to learn more about PBIS (our district’s Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports program). I also had to be gone for a couple of days for family emergencies, so I feel like I wasn’t at school near as much as I’d like to be!
The good news is, all classrooms except for one have now had the first lesson of the bullying curriculum. Look for the first Home Link to be coming home. You do not need to return the Home Link, but rather can use it as a discussion tool with your student. Also, remember all parents and guardians have access to the Second Step website. Please let me know if you need another copy of the code for access.
I’ve also been able to meet with a lot of students to problem solve. I enjoy many parts of my job, but that part is probably my favorite!
Coming up for second quarter, I will be in all classrooms teaching the remaining three bullying lessons. I will also continue to be available for individual students. In addition, I will start meeting with groups of students who are of the same age and struggling with similar issues. These will likely happen once or twice a week during their recess time.
On a final note, I LOVE data, and have collected data for my first round of lessons. Each grade level (except for kindergarten) was given a post-test about being able to differentiate bullying from a conflict or problem. First, second, and third grades were given two scenarios for which they had to either circle “Bullying” or “Not Bullying”. Fourth and fifth graders were given four scenarios with the same directions. The graphs are below.
This is the graph I’m most proud of. It shows that 83% of Everett students answered ALL the questions right in terms of identifying bullying versus a conflict or problem!
