Onekama School Extends
MiBLSi ProgramTeaching children to make safe, responsible choices and to
demonstrate appropriate and respectful behaviors is a task that must be
reinforced daily by parents and school systems. Last year, Onekama
Consolidated Schools adopted the MiBLSi program as a strategy to address
this essential objective.
On Tuesday,
September 13, Onekama students participated in a special assembly to extend
their understanding and practice of “MiBLSi” -- Michigan’s Integrated
Behavior and Learning Support Initiative.
Established by the
Michigan Department of Education, MiBLSi is designed to help schools develop
school-wide support systems in reading and behavior. The initiative takes
approximately three years to complete. MiBLSi schools participate in a
series of trainings to help them implement reading and behavior systems.
MiBLSi is unique in that
it focuses simultaneously on both student reading and behavior. According to
research http://miblsi.cenmi.org
, schools that have been using the MiBLSi process are finding that as
disruptive behavior decreases, reading scores increase, as schools are free
to address instructional needs. MiBLSi also helps schools use student data
to intervene early with students who are struggling in reading and/or with
behavior issues.
Tuesday’s assembly
reminded students of Onekama School’s official behavior expectations: Be
Safe, Be Respectful and Be Responsible. And, it provided students with
strategies and examples of these virtues in action.
Through discussion and
exercises, Onekama students practiced appropriate behavior expectations on
the playground, in the bathroom, and in the cafeteria. More lessons
addressed other school locations, such as arrival and dismissal in the bus
loading zone, in hallways, in classrooms and other instructional areas, as
well as at special events such as assemblies and field trips.
“It was exciting to see the enthusiasm the kids had during the kick-off
lessons,” commented Onekama teacher Jennifer Bromley. “They were actively
engaged in the lessons through sharing stories, asking important questions,
and role playing what good behavior should look like.”
Students who do not
follow the behavior expectations (Be Safe, Be Respectful or Be Responsible)
are asked to visit Onekama’s Responsible Thinking Center (RTC). The
Responsible Thinking Center and the Responsible Thinking Process have been
cornerstones of Onekama School’s discipline procedures for several years.
MiBLSi complements this discipline strategy.
RTP is a school discipline process with the goal of teaching students to
take responsibility for themselves by learning to think on their own, to
respect the rights of others, to make effective plans, and to build
self-confidence.
“The goal of MiBLSi is
to help our school develop a comprehensive and effective system for guiding
student behavior,” said Onekama Elementary teacher Bonnie Brown. “The
students especially had fun watching the teachers and paraprofessionals
modeling good and bad behaviors. We want our students to be safe,
responsible, and respectful in the classroom and throughout the school
environment. MiBLSi is a tool to help make this a reality.”
