Franklin Middle School

Communicating right from the start

With over half of our data year under our belts, our team has learned a lot from our mistakes; however, there is one thing that we knew we must get right from the start – strong communication! We have done this through our use of a bi-weekly newsletter to all staff at Franklin. This newsletter is the key to communicating change, knowing that the word change scares everyone. It is because of this clear communication that we are already seeing amazing data results.

On November 24, 2010, all staff received this newsletter which outlined our first major school-wide reward initiative. Although we had used the newsletter numerous times before, this time we were using it to outline an entire plan to reinforce the R in ROARS (our acronym for our school expectations) – Responsibility during the month of December.

The newsletter was a communication vehicle that, when handed out in a timely format, allowed all of our staff to understand their individual role. All students at Franklin Middle School carry an agenda with them every day. Teachers can stamp student agendas for various reasons.

During StampIT! in December, the teachers stamped various hours for various reasons during the month, focusing on ID, agenda, and materials. If the student achieved a particular stamp total by the end of the month, they could attend a school-wide movie. In the end, over 50.3% of our population attended the movie and were fired up for the next big PBIS challenge.

Decreases in tardiness

In direct correlation, we pulled our numbers for tardiness from our absence system. We found a dramatic decrease in tardiness from November to December, unlike previous months. Here is the data:

•September – 1748 Tardies
•October – 1546 Tardies
•November – 1426 Tardies
•December – 1197 Tardies

Thoughtful planning makes all the difference

The communication through the newsletter was an integral part of the success of the December StampIt! initiative. In fact, 85% of the staff surveyed stated that they agreed or strongly agreed that the planning was well-prepared. This communication tool has led to much success in our building as it gives the teacher, substitute, and/or visitor a clear vision of the current PBIS activities and their role in the future of PBIS within Franklin.

https://franklin.gbaps.org/