What is PBS?
Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) is an evidence-based operational framework aligned to the Department of Education’s Student Behaviour in Public Schools policy and procedures. The aim is to establish a climate in which positive behaviour is supported and embedded.
As when we teach Reading or Maths, it is important that we explicitly teach positive behaviour to our students.
What is a Positive Behaviour Matrix?
Using student, staff and community voice, we have created a Matrix to define our expected positive behaviours. These are set under our overarching values and align to the locations or times we would expect to see students display these behaviours.
PBS @ BBPS
Each fortnight on a Monday morning we meet as a whole school in Maara. We discuss the fortnightly focus of the expected behaviour from the matrix we wish to see to earn tokens for that fortnight. Students are provided examples of the expected behaviour and non-examples of the behaviours we don’t wish to see.
As tokens are earned by the students, they are placed in one of three cups to vote for a whole school reward. At the PBS assemblies, these tokens are then placed in one of the three corresponding whole school reward tubes. The first tube to be filled will be the reward enjoyed by the whole school. The first reward under this new system will be one of three, as chosen by our students: ‘Free Dress Day’, or ‘Bring a teddy or plush to school’, or ‘Movie Afternoon’.
After each assembly, teachers deliver targeted activities to their class that have been created and prescribed by the staff PBS team. They complete these throughout the fortnight to practise the skills of the expected behaviour. For example, in Weeks 5 and 6 of Term 3, our focus was; We Participate in Activities. To practise this skill, we created paper cup towers in teams with everyone needing to participate to complete the task.
Our 5C's Characters
Artist Peter Ryan has created character designs around the premise of superheroes. Each character is named after our 5C’s and encompasses the values and behaviours of that school value.
Connected
Half boy and half octopus. Connected is always branching out to stay in touch with his peers, learning and the environment.
Caring
Half girl and half cockatoo. Caring is kind to herself, peers and adults. She wears a precious stone around her neck which glows the colours of the Zones of Regulation, this helps her to show empathy towards others.
Curious
Half boy and half possum. Curious keeps a satchel of all his wonderful discoveries when he is learning and exploring.
Courageous
Transitioning to a Koala, Courageous is brave, with Hulk like qualities.
Creative
As a mermaid, Curious needs support from her shell chair when she is on the land. She communicates with the land folk through Auslan and other technology aids. In the water she is mighty and has a great strength of swimming.
