Author: Dale Willerson

PBIS District Newsletter
Rome City Schools-Rome, Georgia
Dr. Dale Willerson: PBIS District Coordinator
Vol. 3 Number 6 January 2020
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PBIS: It’s A Game Changer!
PBIS districts who do exceptionally well and are sustained over time, understand the PBIS framework, have a commitment to PBIS and dedicate the time and effort needed for success! The
vision and mission of PBIS must be woven into the every day life of the district, schools and the community as they focus on and
embrace improving school climate! Schools face difficult challenges including students arriving with very different understandings of what is socially acceptable as well as a distrust brought about by traditional “get tough” and “zero tolerance” approaches. Student success is directly linked to predictable learning and teaching environments that are safe, respectful, constructive and predictable. PBIS provides this framework!
PBIS Film Festival
The 11th Annual Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Film Festival will be held at the Association for Positive Behavior Supports Conference March 11-14, 2020 in Miami Florida. The goal of the PBIS Film Festival is to collect and share videos from a wide range of schools, districts, and countries recognizing films that (a) demonstrate the core PBIS principles and (b) meet technical video production standards. Film categories focus on PBIS Instruction and PBIS School Engagement. Two Rome City Schools, AKD and Main will have entries!!
AKD: Positive Actions Create Kindness can be heard throughout the building every time the PACK Pep Team sings the AKD PBIS song! The video represents the AKD student population with the PBIS Leadership team demonstrating PACK expectations. Ms. Baker and the sixth-grade students did an excellent job planning and participating in the AKD PBIS video. The students worked hard interviewing staff and asking other students to participate! We are very proud or our AKD students and their Positive Actions!
Main: Main's PBIS expectations are PAWS: Prompt, Accept Responsibility, Work Hard, Show Respect. Assistant principal, Stephanie Dean, wrote a song for the students, and the students brought the song and video to life! The PAWS music video serves as an effective way for the students of Main Elementary to learn the PBIS expectations, keeping them in the forefront of the students' minds. Teachers play the song in their classrooms, and it is played at assemblies. The following students starred in the video: Jevin Sheppard, Sanai Jackson, Destinee Dennis, Jamyia Leath, Taylan Peek, Nazlee Glanton, Madison Templeton, Corri Jett, Taliah Baltimore, Thandi Birch, Thalia Birch, Alyssa Sparks, Taylin Johnson, Timothy Barton, and De'Sean Johnson.
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“Treat everyone with politeness and kindness, not because they are nice, but because you are. ”
Roy T. Bennett

PBIS Coaches Meeting!
January 22, 2020 Rome City Schools PBIS coaches met at Anna K. Davie Elementary School. Discussion
included:
PBIS Celebrations and the need for
celebrations to be acknowledgements
for students meeting specific behavioral expectations.
Effective PBIS management systems.
School Climate Star Ratings and the
impact of PBIS.
GaDOE Advanced Level of
Recognition Presentation
SWIS Data
PBIS Tier 2 Training
Coaches shared many PBIS positives!
“We are focusing on the positive things our students are doing, and we are getting positive results!”
“Behavior issues have decreased.”
“Students earn points for good behavior and are rewarded when normally they would not be recognized.”
“PBIS is how we recognize students for positive
behavior.”
“Students are recognized for good behavior, especially those that are not typically recognized.”
“Teachers more focused on recognizing
positive behavior in the classroom. Students are more responsive to it.”
“Let's get Tier II rolling!”
What Can Cause PBIS Setbacks?

Myths About Interventions!
Interventions are a Silver Bullet!
One Size Fits All
Interventions are ineffective because we have too little time and not enough staff!
Interventions are equally liked by all staff!
Upcoming PBIS Events!
February 11: GaDOE Advanced Level of
Recognition Presentation
February 14: PBIS Tier 2 Training
February 19: District Leadership Team Meeting
February 20: East Central PBIS Walkthrough
March: TIF Window
March 3: Rome Middle PBIS Walkthrough
West End PBIS Walkthrough
March 5: Elm Street PBIS Walkthrough
March 10: West Central PBIS Walkthrough
March 17: Main PBIS Walkthrough
RTA PBIS Walkthrough
March 19: RHS PBIS Walkthrough
East Central PBIS Walkthrough

PBIS Spotlight
West Central Elementary
West Central Elementary PBIS Goals
Maintain a positive school climate as evidenced
on school climate surveys
Reduce school-wide suspension rates by 10%
Provide CONSISTENT, positive behavior supports in every area of the school Implement a PBIS Tier 2 team to provide additional support for students and teachers
PBIS Tier 1 Team Members
2019 - 2020
Hannah Woodrow, PreK Teacher
Kristin Myers, Kindergarten Teacher
Brandy Riddle, First Grade Teacher
Benito Aviles, Second Grade Teacher
Brooke Crawford, Third Grade Teacher
Erin Rhinehart, Fourth Grade Teacher
Maranda Harper, Fifth Grade Teacher
Lori Rader, Sixth Grade Teacher
Stephanie Meadows, Math Coach
Erin Hall, Literacy Coach
Jennifer Uldrick, Assistant Principal & PBIS Coach
Upcoming Events:
March 26- Third Nine Weeks PBIS Celebration
May 20 - PBIS Water Day Celebration
Words of PBIS Wisdom from
West Central Elementary:
Daphne Johnson, Principal
Our students have increased motivation for positive behavior and a firm understanding of our school-wide behavior expectations through PBIS. Our staff is committed to providing the most positive learning environment so that each child has the opportunity to succeed.
Jennifer Uldrick, Assistant Principal and PBIS Coach
PBIS is one of the things I love most about my job! I firmly believe that when you focus on the positive, you get more of the positive from students, teachers, staff members, and parents, too!
Kristin Myers, Kindergarten Teacher and PBIS Team Member
“Keep your behavior positive because your behavior becomes your habit.” - Ghandi
Through the implementation of PBIS, our students have learned to focus on positive behaviors and expectations. This approach has allowed our students to form habits of positive behavior and create a school-wide environment of consistency and safety. In turn, our students perceptions of their school environment and themselves has changed.
Ava Hall, Third Grade Student-PBIS Student Expert
I love that my teachers focus on my good behavior and give me Dojo points for it. I get to use those Dojo points for PBIS celebrations, and my favorites are the field trips!

PBIS Tier 2 Team Members
2019 - 2020
Erin Hall, Literacy Coach and Lower Grades Representative
McKensey Wheeler, 5th Grade Teacher and Upper Grades Representative
Rebekah Geier, Special Education Teacher
Eileen Galang, Counselor