Character traits are acquired by education, deliberate acts, and persevering effort.
September: RESPECT
October: RESPONSIBILITY
November: KINDNESS
December: GRATITUDE
January: COURAGE
February: RESILIENCE
March: HONESTY
April: UPSTANDER
May: PROBLEM-SOLVING
There will be a monthly recipient of “Blazing Beacons” per homeroom class, the student selected will have been voted by peers and approved by teacher as the student that best exemplifies that trait during that month. Winners will be acknowledged in the Barnette Blast and be given a small token of appreciation.
Then staff will select one student per trait out of all classroom candidates and the trait becomes that student's superlative in the yearbook. That student receives an additional token of recognition and has his/her picture on the Blazing Beacons board.
Definition of the Trait of the Month twice weekly (Monday/Thursday) via PA announcements.
Good Morning Barnette clips, when class is offered
Schoolwide exemplars' superlatives in yearbook
WHAT
Positive Blazer bolts are paper lightning bolts with the school’s behavior motto: Blazers choose respect, responsibility, and kindness. They are symbols of positive behavior that can be earned by individuals as part of a schoolwide positive behavior intervention system (PBIS).
WHY
These bolts recognize and reinforce positive and desired behaviors, specifically respect, responsibility, and kindness.
WHO
Any staff member (or substitute teacher!) can award a positive Blazer bolt. Bolts are intended to be earned by an individual. All students are eligible to receive bolts, and staff are encouraged not to overlook quiet, timid, or consistently “well behaved” students. Homeroom teachers may award their own students with bolts, but staff are also encouraged to look outside their own classrooms and award other students and classes.
WHEN
Individuals earn these bolts when they demonstrate desired behaviors at any point during the school day: during homerooms, specials, explorations, lunch, recess, in the hallways, etc. A staff member will hand a bolt directly to the student immediately or as quickly as possible after the positive behavior occurred. Staff will sign their name and write the name of the student receiving the bolt as well as why the student is receiving the bolt and the date; this will help categorize improvements in target areas and legitimize bolts handed out. Bolts go to the student’s homeroom for safekeeping until the reward reception day (Wednesdays).
WHERE
Individuals can earn these bolts all around the school, in their homeroom or outside of it. The homeroom teacher will post their bolts on their door/window, or another highly visible location in their classroom until they may be redeemed by the individual student.
HOW
Bolts are earned by a student setting an outstanding example of Blazer qualities: respect, responsibility, and kindness. Earning a bolt requires more than meeting expectations, but rather exceeding expectations through student-initiated behaviors. Every week a recipient is able to exchange their Bolt for a small reward.