I am asking for volunteer assistance with yard duty.  We need a few parents for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  The benefits include working outside, seeing endless smiles, and ensuring that our students are supervised and safe.  When I am on campus and not required to attend a District Office meeting, I am out on yard duty.  It is well-organized, and students understand behavior expectations.  Should there be an issue (not too often), I am there to support and assist our yard duty supervisors.  Please call the school office at 253-3761 if you have 45 minutes to help our students at lunch.  I am able to supervise intramural sport teams at lunch if we have enough yard duty supervision.  Again, thank you if you can help us out.

Our school staff has been implementing a new student behavior management system called BEST, which is used or being introduced at every school in the District.  It basically helps a school systematically use behavior management strategies school-wide.  BEST focuses on rewarding desired behaviors, supervising students, and collecting data.  The data is used to identify locations, times, and behaviors a school needs to target to ensure a safe, effective learning environment.  As a staff, we have targeted two behaviors: walking in line and active listening.  We have seen a significant improvement--even though our students are very well-behaved already.  The target behavior is discussed at the Bear Hug Assembly with a small lesson led by students and/or teachers.  Teachers then reinforce the skill in the classroom with mini-lessons, practice, Bear Hug rewards, and praise.    

If you walk into your child's classroom, you may hear a staff member say, "SHOW, ME."  This is our school-wide prompt for active listening.  S= Sit UP; H= Hands Still; O= Open Eyes and Ears; W= Wait and Listen.  Ask your child if he or she knows what the letters mean.  Every student should know this prompt well.

I will be sending home a letter outlining behavior expectations on one page.  We will focus on being safe, respectful, and responsible.  Browns Valley students are NOT out of control!  Our students are well-behaved and respectful, but helping students become better learners will increase academic success for all.  If you have any questions after receiving this letter, please do not hesitate to call me. 

On Wednesday, February 17th at 6:30 p.m. we will have an Open House for new parents interested in having their children attend Browns Valley Elementary School.  The Open House will consist of teachers presenting curriculum and instructional programs, along with information about our school culture and community.   

Respectfully, Frank Silva