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POSITIVE BEHAVIOR PROGRAM
The West U Elementary School Positive Behavior Program was established at the beginning of the 2021-2022 school year by Councilor, Brian Castle. This program was designed to balance our school’s strong academics with tools to improve students' social and emotional well-being.
Last year, we introduced monthly positive behavior traits via the morning announcements and a dedicated interactive bulletin board in the cafeteria. We recruited community artists to portray their interpretation of each of the seven positive behavior traits on a canvas. Students were taught the definition of each trait and were invited to write examples of what the trait meant to them. Teachers and staff nominated students who exhibited a positive behavior trait, and nominees were issued a certificate and recognized on Friday’s morning announcements. To help incentivize positive behavior, nominees received a coupon for an ICEE from Little Matt’s and a coupon for a cookie from Milk and Cookies, generously donated by these great friends of our school.
At the end of the year, all nominated students and their families were invited to a reception where they were recognized along with our community artists and supporters. In the first year since the launch of this program, we have already seen a quantifiable impact on student behavior and success.
This year, we will continue to improve the Positive Behavior Program by expanding the core positive traits and improving the program’s visibility and reach. Our school counselor, Brian Castle, will provide our teachers with dedicated social and emotional lessons about each trait for incorporation into the classroom curriculum. We will start a new partnership with the Rice University School of Engineering and the Rice University Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK) to provide nominated students with laser-cut wood backpack charms that feature the program's positive traits. We have designed Positive Behavior-themed T-shirts for the teachers and will hold a monthly prize raffle for the student nominees.
Another exciting new feature of the Positive Behavior Program is the Student of the Month Recognition Initiative. Students can submit a form describing what the month’s positive behavior trait means to them, and winning submissions in each grade will be displayed in frames around the dedicated cafeteria bulletin board. We will end the year with a celebratory reception where each student nominated throughout the school year will be recognized.
Finally, we are thrilled to announce that Bellaire Family Counseling is partnering directly with the Positive Behavior Program to support our initiatives. We are grateful to add Bellaire Family Counseling and Rice Engineering to our valued existing partners. By working together with this impressive group of West U Elementary stakeholders, the Positive Behavior Program will continue to have a lasting impact on our school and the greater community.