Frelinghuysen to Visit Jefferson Township Middle School

In an effort to support positive behavior and make schools a better place to be, the Jefferson schools are participating in a program called Positive Behavior Support in Schools (PBSIS).

The middle school will host Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen on Friday, who will be speaking to the students on tolerance and more positive behavior in schools. Superintendent Joseph Kraemer will also speak to the students.

At the Ellen T. Briggs School, students are participating in a wealth of activities for the week of respect, including filling buckets to go along with the book “Have You Filled a Bucket Today: A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids.”

The award-winning book by Carol McCloud shows children how rewarding it is to help others, according to Briggs principal Randi DeBrito.

“We are starting our year-long theme of bucket-filling this week based on the book,” DeBrito said.

The PBSIS provides training for school personnel to promote the inclusion of students with disabilities and challenging behaviors in general education programs and settings, according to its web site. It works on the following principles:

• Tier 1: Universal Interventions that promote a positive school climate by teaching and reinforcing a consistent set of behavioral expectations for all students, staff, and settings school-wide;
• Tier 2: Secondary Interventions that provide function-based interventions through small group and individually tailored strategies for students with repeated behavior problems; and
• Tier 3: Tertiary Interventions that use a function-based problem solving process to conduct assessment and design individualized support plans for students with disabilities who have the most intensive needs.

“In doing this, school staff are better prepared to positively and proactively address the individualized behavior support needs of all students, including students with disabilities, engaging in repeated behavior issues,” the PBSIS web site said.