Doing Something Special With The Specialists (D.S.S.S)

How does D.S.S.S work?

Individual Incentive

Students will be rewarded individually in all specials. Students will come in to each special starting as a 3 STAR student each day. The students have to meet the criteria to stay as a 3 STAR student, move up to a 4 STAR student, or if they are having some behavioral issues they will be moved to a 2 or 1 STAR student (See below for the expectations for each STAR rating). Students that have received mostly 3 and 4 stars, from all specials each month, will be invited to a special celebration event that the specialists will run.

These celebrations will be split across 2 days; Monday mornings- 4th, 3rd, and 2nd grade and Tuesday mornings- 1st, Kinder, and 5th grade. These days were chosen because we want to try and help the attendance rates increase for the school. The celebrations will be held during the grades normal specials period, which will be about 50 minutes for each grade level. (see attached schedule for dates and events)

If a student does not meet the 3 and 4 star requirements they will spend time, during the celebration, reflecting and discussing their choices and behaviors with the school counselor.

Kindergarten will come to all celebrations for the entire year, as they are just learning how to behave in school. First Graders will all be invited to the first 2 celebrations, after that they must follow the 3 and 4 star expectation.

Exception: If any student is placed into “In House Suspension” on the day of the celebration, they will not be able to attend the celebration, even if they were invited.

STAR Expectations

4 STAR: 100% effort, used good citizenship/sportsmanship, followed all of the rules and expectations of the classroom and helped others learn

3 STAR: 100% effort, used good citizenship/sportsmanship, followed all the rules and expectations of the classroom

2 STAR: was given a warning from the teacher, did not give 100% effort, did not follow all rules and expectations, or did not use good citizenship/sportsmanship

1 STAR: did not participate, had to be removed from the activity or class, and showed poor citizenship/sportsmanship

Behavioral Concerns/Consequences

Students that do not earn the 3 and 4 star status for the month and who have had consistent problems within 3 or more specials will spend the day of the celebration with the school counselor. Students will complete a reflection sheet and discuss with the counselor. Specialists will send home a report to the parents explaining the behaviors that the child has been showing in each specific special, this report will need to be signed by the parents and returned the next day to one of the specialists or the counselor. Sometime within the day of the celebration or the following day the specialists will meet with the child to review their reflection sheet. This should only take a few minutes and can be done on the specialists prep, during breakfast, during duty, at the end of the day, or any time that they have a few minutes to pull a child from class. (see attachments for the reflection sheets and the parent report)

If a student is removed from the celebration 2 times, within a reasonable amount of time, then a parent conference will be scheduled. All specialists and the counselor will meet with the parent and discuss concerns and create an action plan.

Tracking

Specialists will complete a spreadsheet each month with the students that have not met the expectations. This spreadsheet will also include the behaviors and what special they are exhibiting the behaviors in. Specialists will use a 3 tier system to decide when to drop a student to a lower star and/or add them to this list.

Tier 1: Verbal discussion about behaviors with the child and a lowering of their STAR level for the class period

Tier 2: Specialist will call home and students will be sent to have a discussion with the school counselor. This will happen if the child has had 2 consecutive low STAR days in a special.

Tier 3: Student will lose the monthly celebration and will spend that time with the school counselor and complete the attached reflection sheet. This will happen if the child has had 3 or more low STAR days within a special.

Whole Class Incentives

Each month, each specialist will pick one class per grade level that portrayed positive behaviors, attitudes, and expectations for that month. Specialist will give the classroom teachers the certificate so that they have them to share on the last Friday of the month at the Achieving Excellence Award Days. Once a class has received 10 certificates they will receive a popcorn party for the class.

Each month, the specialists will discuss the best 2 classes within specified grade levels that portrayed positive behaviors, attitudes, and expectations for that month. These 2 classes will be invited to a “Karaoke Battle.” The battle will be held around 2:45-3:15pm on Wednesdays, by the school counselor. (see attached schedule for dates and grade levels)

Specialists will send a “Positive Behavior Report” slip with classes, each day, to let the teacher know how they did as a whole class and any areas of concern.