Recess Program

Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports Glasgow Elementary Recess Program

Philosophy:
Glasgow Elementary’s recess plan was developed to address ongoing concerns that the majority of office referrals came from recess. The program was developed to be proactive and to have a clear and consistent way for everyone to address recess behavior.

Proactive Strategy:
Each student receives direct teaching time to go over the expectations for playground behavior. The various pieces of equipment as well as the field and process for lining up are all specifically taught. The children then have an opportunity to practice “playing” while adults supervise and reinforce positive interactions in the playground.

New to the 2011 – 2012 school year will be the implementation of Recess before Lunch. Research has shown that Recess before Lunch allows students to spend more time eating their lunch, promoting healthy eating habits and decreasing food waste while promoting student time on task in the afternoon school session. We are excited to pilot the Recess Before Lunch program at Glasgow Elementary this school year. We anticipate a few glitches, but realize that when we all work together, we follow the path to success! We are excited about Recess Before Lunch and know that our children will benefit from this change.

Incentives/Rewards for Appropriate Behavior:
As per the PBIS principles, at Glasgow Elementary, we seek ways to consistently and continuously reward students for following the rules and “doing the right thing.” We praise students often when we ‘catch them being good’ and simply following the rules! We also implement a variety of reinforcements throughout the school year to reward students who make great choices during recess. Our monitors work hard to seek out the students who day after day are always make the right choices on the playground!

Consequences:
There are times when children do not follow the 4-bees and may need a consequence for a behavior choice. First and foremost, children are consistently reminded and redirected when they are seen having a difficult time following the 4-Bees at recess. If children do not immediately correct their behavior, they are asked to sit at the picnic table. The monitor then problem solves with the child. Very often, this quick conversation settles the issue, and the child returns to play. At times, however, the child is unable to settle down, or make a good choice at that time, and the monitor will then bring the child to the office. At that time, a referral will follow, and a consequence will be administered by the building administrator. At this point, a parent is informed. Parent support from home in helping their child make good choices is key in assisting the child to understand the consequence and to return to the playground.

The children are always re-taught the correct behavior they should be striving for. We realize that they are learning about expected behaviors and it is up to the adults to teach and re-teach the appropriate and expected behaviors.