The PBSIS Universal Team and staff aspire for a more positive atmosphere at WMS. New Jersey Positive Behavior Support in Schools (NJ PBSIS) will be introduced in the coming 2017-2018 school year.

      NJ PBSIS is a collaboration between the New Jersey Department of Education Office and The Boggs Center, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. This program has trained over eleven schools. Dr. Crowe along with seven teachers and two school counselors have been attending meetings at Rutgers University Livingston Campus and here at WMS to be trained. Training will provide the skills and motivation to fully run our own positive behavior system. This new support system will include exciting events for students and potential prizes they can win based on their positive interactions with their peers.

      “We hope to create an engaging school climate that reinforces and models positive exemplar behavior for our students,” Ms. D’Orsi said. Mr. Blasena, Universal Team chairs, hopes to see a decline in negative behavior along with less notes in the Bully Box and students in ACS. Alternatively, they want to have students and teachers develop a desire to come to school. The PBSIS belief is that school should be an enjoyable and positive place where students come to learn and experience new things.

      When a student displays a good deed, positive interactions, or go out of their way for someone they will be rewarded with a ticket that is given out by teachers and faculty, “Helping someone study,” Mr. Blasena said, “or taking initiative and doing something beyond what you are required to do” are various ways to help the school and earn tickets. There will also be days where students have the opportunity to hand out tickets to teachers. Tickets cannot be taken away because, “they were doing something good in that moment” Ms. D’Orsi said.

      Mr. Blasena described how the tickets will work in the program. A possible characteristic of the program may include Fridays where nine tickets will be blindly picked. Three students from each grade would have a chance to win. A prize wheel will be spun to determine the winners’ prize. Prizes can range from a small item to an expensive item. Ms. D’Orsi said the teacher who gave the winning student the ticket will also receive a prize. All unchosen tickets will be saved for a bigger prize at the end of the year.

      Over the past years WMS has held fundraisers in hopes to fund the prizes and supplies needed to put this program into action. Buying food for Field Day, Bake Sales, and the past Cookie Sale all contribute to this program. Donations are very appreciated.

      The important factor in fundraisers is student participation. Students help by buying the candies from candy grams, hoping to pie teachers faces, and buying raffle tickets. All of the money goes to school events so they can have an enjoyable time at WMS. The eighth graders need to realize that everything is to make their last year at WMS memorable and fun.

      “We are confident that we will be successful in the near future,” Ms. D’Orsi commented.