Friday, August 26, 2016

Off to a Good Beginning

     After lots of summer fun, everyone seems so happy to be back at Horace Mann.  We love time off, but we love to learn, too!

     In our first week, teachers and students got back in the swing of things by reviewing our school rules and expectations.  Our framework involves Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS), and we sometimes call it the Star Program for short.

     As part of the review students created many great artifacts to show what they learned.  Here are photos from Mrs. Harkness' 1st grade class, showing our three school rules and one very important way we treat one another.  It is awesome to see our clean hallways decorated with student work once again :-)




     There is information about the Star Program in a parent brochure and the Family Handbook, and I encourage everyone to watch for celebration events throughout the year.

     Additionally, we will expand our character education program to move beyond the rules and behavior expectations (be safe, be respectful, be responsible), to the "why and how" of the way we treat ourselves and others by introducing The 7 Habits of Happy Kids.  Again, keep an eye on home-to-school communication to find out more as we dive into the 2016-17 school year. Welcome back!