The Hero behavior program that Carbon School District is using in all the schools has so far been successful. And at Bruin Point Elementary the results have been exceptional.
“The Hero system, which is a positive behavior support system, is up and running and it is getting good results,” said Connie Todachinnie, the Principal at Bruin Point. “
Under that system students are awarded points for good behavior and for doing extraordinary things when it comes to working and being around others. Those points can be traded in for premiums.
“We have opened our store so students can trade in their points and we have had so much fun with that,” she said. “We also have celebrations for the students once a month based on the system.”
The leveled reading program at the school is also going very well. Todachinnie recently made a presentation to the school board concerning the schools goals on reading and said she hoped the fact that the school is basing their accomplishment on growth rather than just on attaining grade level standards was clear to them.
“That is one of the hard things to explain, but we are expecting our kids to grow a grade level and a half in their reading skills based on their assessments last fall, by the end of the year,” she explained. “That doesn’t mean all students will attan their grade level proficiency, but their growth from where they would go up that many levels.”
The school did their spelling bee last month and the students rose to the occasion.
“The spelling bee was a great experience this year for the students who participated,” said Todachinnie. “It was not only a good experience for them here at the school, but also at the district level. No one placed there, but that kind of event helps kids to break out of their shells. It is hard to stand up in front of a lot of people and be academically minded.”
She also expressed how good she feels about the fact that Carbon School District has been able to hold school regularly this year, as compared to many other places in the state that has either held school in person intermittently or in some cases, not in person at all.
“It think we have been blessed to be able to do that this year,” she said concerning the strange circumstances that the COVID pandemic has caused in education. “I can’t imagine being the principal of a school and being over an empty building with no students in it. I mean you still are in charge of the students and you can still look out for their welfare but how do you sit down and talk to a student who is sad because they feel lost and lonely?”
She said that even being in place, and being able to see them, some are struggling with the events of the past year. They often talk to her about their concerns and fears.
“I always tell them that this is not going to last forever,” she concluded.