Our Mission: “Educate students for lifelong learning and responsible living.”
Our Vision: “Provide a learning environment that promotes and develops academic and
social growth.”
Author of the Month: Shel Silverstein
Word of the Month: Passionate
Rise N Shine: Ms. Davis
Word of the Month: Passionate
Rise N Shine: Ms. Davis
PreK and Kindergarten Round Up.
- Monday, April 30, 2018. Lesson Plan Check. Fourth Grade Field Trip - Fishing
- Tuesday, May 1, 2018. Thunder Bus, PLC Meetings, 1 Hour Virtual Faculty Meeting.
- Wednesday, May 2, 2018.
- Thursday, May 3, 2018. Kona Ice. Progress Reports Go Home in Thursday Folders.
- Friday, May 4, 2018. Track Meet, Capitol Hill High School
Google Classroom - Faculty Meeting Professional Development. Be sure you complete prior to May 1, 4:00. You must hit submit.
Recess: Please be sure you are monitoring recess.
Recess Struggles: Students Help Teachers Maintain a Peaceful Playground
At lunchtime recess on elementary school playgrounds, ball fields, and schoolyards across the nation, the joyful sounds of children at play are often interrupted by shouts of distress: "She took my basketball!" "He cut ahead of me!" "It's my turn!" "You cheated!" "Stop pushing!"
Most of the time, these are familiar and common exclamations from children learning to deal with conflict and trying to get along with each other. Occasionally, however, pushing leads to fighting, or name-calling becomes painful harassment. At its worst, children are bruised and hurt physically and/or emotionally.
Administrators, teachers, parents, and lunch aides work tirelessly to resolve each encounter or crisis for the well-being and safety of children. Although we try to offer sound advice, we do it through grown-up eyes, always looking at the conflict or issue through the lens of the adult world. As much as we try, we cannot truly see nor feel the children's perspective. Our solutions to their daily lunchtime trials often fail to satisfy them or simply seem unfair. We mean well and apply an array of creative, well-researched, and common sense strategies. Still, we struggle each day to help children avoid and solve conflict.
Have you had a similar experience? How did you respond to the recess struggles? Before I retired recently as principal, I partnered with one my colleagues, the principal of the elementary school a block away from my middle school, on an elementary school/middle school peer-mediator project. Given the distress calls, we turned to the children to help us.
At the elementary school, teams of fourth and fifth graders (typically groups of three or four) assisted the adults in mediating lunchtime conflicts among the first, second, and third graders. The hope was that the older children, with their primary-grade experiences still relatively fresh in their minds, would be able to recognize and understand the issues facing their younger schoolmates. They observed the children at play and intervened as conflicts arose.
Based, in part, on the Open Circle training they had received in classes throughout the year, they offered advice and strategies to the primary-grade children and monitored the effectiveness of their suggestions. Open Circle, a social- and emotional-learning program developed at the Stone Center, at Massachusett's Wellesley College, gives the children an awareness of key concepts, terminology, and strategies in the area of conflict resolution.
While the fourth and fifth graders had the advantage of recent primary-grade experiences as well as Open Circle training, their knowledge of intervention strategies and their ability to mediate conflict were still relatively limited. Help came from the seventh and eighth graders at my middle school, who willingly and eagerly offered their assistance. They brought to the peer mediator/mentor model increased knowledge and broader experience.
In addition to their Open Circle experience in elementary school, they received instruction in social and emotional learning and conflict resolution. The fundamental task for the seventh and eighth graders was to observe and assess the interventions of the fourth and fifth graders, not necessarily the behavior of the primary-grade children.
They helped them to more comprehensively recognize and define manifestations of conflict on the playground and to identify and implement a range of conflict resolution strategies. Since social and emotional learning is fundamental to the cultures of both the elementary school and the middle school, the children used familiar and common concepts, terminology, and strategies as they mediated and mentored.
Implementation of the peer-mediator/mentor model began with the teachers identifying the children who either volunteered or were invited to serve as mediators and mentors. Typically, forty-eight children (half from each school) participated in the project. The principals and the children gathered for a morning breakfast meeting at the middle school; that was a very special treat for the elementary school children. The agenda was an exciting and challenging one that asked the children to
- introduce themselves
- identify the purposes and goals of the project
- organize teams of fourth- and fifth-grade mediators and seventh- and eighth-grade mentors
- list potential issues and situations that might arise on the playground
- brainstorm the range of possible approaches, strategies, and solutions that might prevent or solve conflict
- create a schedule of seventh- and eighth-grader visits to the elementary school
Following the initial meeting, the student mediators and mentors began their collaboration. Each day, rotating teams of fourth and fifth graders observed the first, second, and third graders in action on the playground. They observed the children at play, looking for instances of potential disagreement and conflict. As needed, they intervened by offering a variety of conflict-resolution strategies. They applied their knowledge and skill as they spoke with the younger children in hopes of resolving the issues. Naturally, they were instructed to seek the aid of an adult in the event of a dangerous or serious incident.
The elementary school mediators were joined each day by one of the mentoring teams from the middle school. Similar to their elementary school classmates, they used a rotating cycle of team visits. As mentors (not mediators), their purpose was to offer suggestions to the fourth and fifth graders regarding alternative strategies for mediating conflict.
Their challenge was to help the elementary school mediators reflect upon the strategies they recommended and consider a variety of options. They helped them assess the effectiveness of their mediation efforts. The daily exchange of insights, perspectives, and suggestions among the fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth graders was a powerful process of peer collaboration.
The middle school mentors maintained a daily journal of their observations and suggestions. The journal became a primary source document at the monthly meetings of all of the mediators and mentors, and the entries served as the basis for reviewing and analyzing each day's activities.
The periodic meetings provided an opportunity for the children to share their experiences, assess the effectiveness of their interventions, and continue to explore meaningful conflict-resolution strategies. Similar to the conversations on the playground between mediators and mentors, the discussions at the periodic meetings enhanced and reinforced the children's ability to work cooperatively in a supportive problem-solving and learning environment.
As a result of the daily interaction, the fourth, fifth, seventh, and eighth graders built a sense of trust, respect, and common purpose. The hope was that through their joint efforts they would help the younger children learn to play together more joyfully and cooperatively. At the same time, the fourth and fifth graders would develop mediation skills and conflict-resolution strategies that helped them as they learned and grew. In turn, the seventh and eighth graders acquired and demonstrated leadership skills as well as the ability to apply conflict-resolution techniques and strategies at the middle school.
The desired outcome of the peer-mediator/mentor model was to enable elementary school and middle school children to become partners in a comprehensive effort to create a safe and supportive learning environment in which all children benefited. Although the model was intended to help address playground issues at the first, second, and third grades, it can be replicated at other grade levels for a variety of purposes.
The model reinforced many of the most essential aspects of the elementary school and middle school programs. It was a project-based and reality-based learning experience for children, it offered opportunities for authentic assessment and cooperative learning, it enhanced self-esteem and built self-confidence, and it challenged children to think critically by identifying and solving problems. Hopefully, the most meaningful, long-term benefit of the peer-mediator/mentor model was the nurturing of a caring and supportive social- and emotional-learning environment for all elementary school and middle school children.
Aiming for Discipline Instead of Punishment
Brain-aligned discipline isn’t compliance-driven or punitive—it’s about supporting students in creating sustainable changes in behavior.
There are many perspectives on the topic of discipline in our classrooms and schools, and I’d like to explore the idea of using brain-aligned discipline with students who have adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
Traditional punishment with these students only escalates power struggles and conflict cycles, breeding an increased stress response in the brain and body. Punishment is used to try to force compliance. The vast majority of school discipline procedures are forms of punishment that work best with the students who need them the least.
With our most difficult students, the current way schools try to discipline students does not change their behavior, and often it escalates the problems.
Discipline, unlike punishment, is proactive and begins before there are problems. It means seeing conflict as an opportunity to problem solve. Discipline provides guidance, focuses on prevention, enhances communication, models respect, and embraces natural consequences. It teaches fairness, responsibility, life skills, and problem solving.
There are times when students need to be removed from the classroom and school for aggressive, volatile actions, but upon re-entry we should make a plan of action that begins to address these actions in these brain-aligned ways.
The neurobiological changes caused by chronic negative experiences and a history of adversity can trigger a fear response in the brain. As Pam Leo says, “A hurtful child is a hurt-filled child. Trying to change her behavior with punishment is like trying to pull off only the top part of the weed. If we don’t get to the root, the hurtful behavior pops up elsewhere.” In children the fear response often looks aggressive, defiant, and oppositional.
Young people with ACEs have brains that are in a constant state of alarm. In this alarm state, consequences don’t register properly. Discipline can only be done when both the educator and the student are calm and self-regulated. If they aren’t, behavioral difficulties will escalate.
In a brain-aligned model of discipline, we must teach the behaviors we want to see, laying the groundwork for prevention systems and strategies.
PREVENTIVE BRAIN-ALIGNED STRATEGIES
Preventive systems are taught as procedures and routines. They are collaborative and filled with choice. Their purpose is to create a sustainable behavioral change, not just compliance or obedience for a short period of time.
I teach students about their neuroanatomy, so they understand what happens in their brains when they become stressed, angry, or anxious. When we understand this, we feel relieved and empowered.
In morning meetings or whole class time, I discuss the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and neuroplasticity with students. We identify and make lists of our emotional triggers and coping strategies, and I teach students to use their breath and movement to calm their stress response systems.
Is there an adult in the school who connects with this student and has a space where the student can go if they need to regroup and calm their stress response systems? Are you teaching these procedures ahead of a time when a student needs to regulate away from the class?
Could your school create a area for both teachers and students to go to when they need to reset their emotional state? This area could be stocked with paper, markers, crayons, water, soft music and lighting, a jump rope, a stationary bike, lavender scented cotton balls, jars for affirmations or worries, or a rocking chair. Students will need to be taught ahead of time how to use this area, which they should need for just two to five minutes in order to feel refocused and ready to return to class.
EXAMPLES OF NATURAL, NON-PUNITIVE CONSEQUENCES
Name-calling: Have the student create a book of positive affirmations for the class, or have them create a list of “kind words” and teach them to a younger class.
Low-level physical aggression (pushing, kicking, hitting): Some consequences could include giving the student a new learning space in the room or a new spot in line, or they could be tasked with performing an act of kindness or service for the hurt person.
If this occurs at recess, the student could be tasked with assisting a teacher on recess duty in monitoring the playground, noticing everything that is going well. They can roam around the playground, still getting the exercise they need. Or again they could perform an act of kindness toward the student who they hit.
Inappropriate language: This calls for a discussion when both student and teacher are in a calm brain state. Sometimes words that are inappropriate at school are used at home, so we need to understand the cultural context and have a discussion with the student.
An older student could research the words they used and report to you on why they’re not school words; younger students could try to write out what they were trying to convey using school-friendly language or drawings.
Incomplete assignments: Have a one-on-one discussion to convey what this behavior communicates to you. Ask if something has changed at home or school, or if the student doesn’t understand what is required. Make a plan with the student and possibly a parent for making up the work that has been missed. And consider assigning a student mentor to help the student.
The research is clear. Our brains learn best in a state of relaxed alertness. Our discipline systems must begin to shift toward creating this state in all the members of our school community.
To Develop Every Child Into a Reader:
- Everyday a child reads something they choose to read.
- Every child reads accurately
- Every child reads something they understand.
- Every child writes something that is personal and meaningful daily.
- Every child talks with peers about reading and writing.
- Every child hears an adult reader read fluently.
Coolidge Elementary Academic Goals for 2017- 2018
- All Students WILL achieve academically.
- Reading: Increase reading proficiency by at least one grade level, and know their current F & P level.
- Math: Increase math achievement by 10% with 80% mastery of math facts on grade level.
- Writing: Increase writing proficiency by 15%
- Student Attendance: Increase student attendance to 98%.
- Increase Faculty Attendance to 98%
OKCPS Literacy Standards
OKCPS Math Standards
Melissa Brett | Principal
Coolidge Elementary School | Oklahoma City Public Schools
5212 S. Villa, Oklahoma City, OK 73119
(405) 587-2800
(405) 208-1581 (cell)
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