MVCSD News The Wildcat Way – Let’s Celebrate!
Be Respectful! Be Responsible! Be Safe! These 3 statements are the foundation of the Wildcat Way, our school wide behavior system for grades preschool through eighth grade. Students were introduced to the Wildcat Way behavior expectations at the beginning of the 2015-2016 school year. They learned and practiced the proper behavior for many areas of the school including the lunchroom, playground, bus, classroom, and hallways. These expectations were reviewed throughout last school year and were reintroduced at the beginning of the current school year. Now, it is time to celebrate!
It is time to celebrate how well our students are demonstrating the proper behavior throughout the school. Yeah!!! They understand what is necessary to be respectful, to be responsible, and to be safe. Way to go!!! Students understand there are certain expectations in certain areas so they can be respectful, responsible, and safe. Awesome!!! If a student makes a mistake in his/her behavior, he/she is able to identify which of the three main principals of behavior the behavior doesn’t support. Super!!!
Moving to a school wide behavior system has given all staff and students a common language to refer to when discussing behavior. The expectations are consistent from building to building and from grade level to grade level. This has been extremely beneficial as students move between teachers and some of our teachers move among the buildings. No matter which teacher they have or what building they are in, the students understand they need to be respectful, responsible, and safe and have clearly defined expectations to help them demonstrate these important character traits.
On the evening of November 2, Maquoketa Valley was a satellite location for Keystone AEA as they hosted Tricia Wells, one of the top ten experts on discipline in the country. The message Ms. Wells presented goes hand in hand with the Wildcat Way. Ms. Wells explained how important having clear expectations are for children, both at home and at school, and taking the time to teach these expectations to them. If you are interested in learning more about her suggestions for parents in raising respectful and responsible kids using instructional discipline, please contact your building principal.
