Killington
posted
Jan 24, 2013
SUPERSTAR PROGRAM
"Be respectful! Be responsible! And be safe!" This is the mantra at
Killington Elementary School (KES) as we begin our third year of
participation in Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
(PBIS). At KES we call this program our "Superstar" program, named
after one of our students' favorite trails on Killington Mountain.
Children receive stars and praise to reinforce expected respectful,
responsible, and safe behaviors.
School-wide, we set goals for ourselves and hold all-school
celebrations when we reach each goal. However, the over-arching
goal is for the faculty and staff to maintain a school environment
that is most effective for achieving academic, emotional, and
social goals. Talk to your child about this to gather more
information and ask about our most recent snow-sculpture
celebration after students earned a collective 12,000 stars!
Once again this year, our Superstar Program includes an
opportunity to offer greater support to students in need, upon
teacher and/or parent referral. If your child is selected to
participate in this, you will receive a letter from us with a
request to act as a partner in helping your child achieve her
goals. If you would like to select your child for this type of
program, please discuss this with your child's teacher.
PBIS is a research-based program that focuses upon sound
educational practices grounded in psychological and sociological
theory.
GEO BEE COMPETITION
• "To visit the old quarter in the city of Fez
and to go hiking in the Atlas Mountains, you would travel to what
country?"
• "The Edwards Plateau, where many tributaries of
the Rio Grande rise, is located in what state?"
• "The Kutznetsk Basin, a region of heavy
manufacturing, lies approximately 1,000 miles east of which major
mountain range?"
Members of Mrs. Garland's and Mrs. Simonds' Geography Team answered
these questions and more as they competed to win
the school-wide Geography Bee on Friday, Jan. 11.
Congratulations to sixth grader, T.J. Borzekowski, for winning the
competition and congratulations to his fellow teammates and
competitors for their quest to gain geographical knowledge. T.J.'s
next step is to move on to the regional competition in Middlebury.
Good luck, T.J.!
SAFE SCHOOL UPDATE
This past week KES had a visit from Vermont State Police Lieutenant
Chuck Cacciatore, along with Killington Town Constable Whit
Montgomery, to review crisis procedures in the school. Overall, KES
has solid plans and procedures in place to guide us in the event of
a crisis.
In the upcoming months, children and staff will continue to
practice drills, and law enforcement officers plan to join staff
and children during these exercises to determine if there are any
new considerations to be made by the KES Crisis Team and the KES
School Board. In addition to this, Tim Vincent, from the Vermont
School Boards Insurance Trust, visited KES to discuss ideal plans
for safe schools and to offer new resources, such as a "Threat
Assessment Toolkit" to schools throughout the state. It was noted
that programs for school climate, such as Positive Behavior
Interventions and Supports and Crisis Prevention Intervention, are
designed to help schools create a positive and supportive
environment and act as an important initial step to becoming a safe
school.
HEALTH ROOM NEWS
By Jamie Sudol, R.N., School Nurse at KES
As a community, it is important for us to recognize if and when a
child is in harm's way. Child abuse and child sexual abuse are more
prevalent than most people realize. If we are educated about the
"warning signs", we can help prevent unthinkable outcomes. As many
of you remember from last year,Vermont now has a mandate called
"ACT I" that requires schools to educate the staff, students, and
community about child sexual abuse. Please be on the lookout for a
booklet that will be sent home for all parents to read, entitled
"STEP UP: Protect children from sexual abuse." This book contains
valuable information for everyone. I understand that this is an
uncomfortable subject, but together we can do something to help
keep our children safe.
In health classes, ACT I will be covered by using materials and
curriculum that have been carefully researched and are approved by
a multitude of child advocacy groups including the Vermont
Department for Children & Families. Lessons will be age
appropriate, always using anatomically correct terminology for body
parts. If you have any questions regarding these lessons, please
contact me at 422-3366 ext 212. I would be happy to share with
anyone what the children are learning in the classroom. Once again,
be on the lookout for the booklet that will be sent home in the
near future. As a caring community, we can be a "safety net" for
our children.
Tagged:
News Briefs, Killington Elementary School
