NEST cards reward kids’ good behavior

Hobe Sound Elementary Eagles (students) are soaring into a new program called PBS, Positive Behavior System. The program started at the beginning of the 2010 school year, and promotes N – Need for respect, E – for Excellence and personal best, S – for Safe at all times, and T- for Take responsibility for actions.

Teachers and staff all around school and in the Extended Day Program carry N.E.S.T cards to give to students who are displaying good behavior, like being respectful to other students, teachers, and staff; being your best all the time, being safe on the playground, at P.E, in the stairwell, etc.;and taking responsibility for your actions.

N.E.S.T cards that students have earned can be turned in for various rewards, including extra recess, ice pops on some days, and/or a special movie and treat behind the stage.

The reason this program was started is because, “Schools are always looking for ways to motivate kids to make the right choices,” says Mr. Todd Russo, a fifth-grade teacher.

To know if this program is working or not, teachers enter information into a program called SWIS, School Wide Information System.

Every time a student receives a referral for poor behavior, Assistant Principal Willie Gore enters the following information into the program: the name of the student, the teacher, what the student did, and the consequence.

At the end of the year, school administrators can use this information to see if the numbers of bad choices made by the students went up or down.

School officials say they hope this program will work to help motivate kids to make the right choices!