5th Grade Students Show their BEST with 1st Graders

Posted by Cecilia Cooper, School Psychologist

When selected as last week’s Bulldog Buck classroom winners, Dalkiry and Vanessa did not hesitate for one second to select “Help out Mrs. Doyle’s 1^st grade class” from their classroom menu of prizes. Dalkiry and Vanessa are 5^th grade students in Mrs. Mezquita’s 5/6 Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) classroom. A SEI classroom provides instruction in all content areas to students learning English as a second language. Dalkiry and Vanessa were born in Dominican Republic, their first language is Spanish, and they have only been in the United States for 1-2 years.  

During an interview, the girls were asked for examples of why they were given Bulldog Bucks last week. Dalkiry stated, “I was Safe. Walking in the hall. No running.”  Vanessa stated, “I was respectful. Doing what they tell me to do in computers”. When asked why they picked to help in a classroom over other items on the menu such as ‘no homework pass’, ‘listening to music’, and ‘pencil with special eraser’, the girls stated, “Because we can help the little kids”. Upon entering the 1^st grade classroom, Dalkiry and Vanessa were greeted with smiles by Mrs. Doyle (1^st Grade SEI teacher) and the students. The children were seated at their desks editing their non-fiction writing pieces. Dalkiry and Vanessa walked around the room and offered their assistance, which every student asked for. Dalkiry reminded a student to put a period at the end of his sentence. Vanessa used an alphabet line to show a student how the letter “k” looks like. Both girls helped the students edit their writing pieces by checking their spelling and punctuation. There were also instances of direct translation happening, given that many of the 1^st grade students’ first language is Spanish as well.

Thanks to the new school-wide PBIS program at the CGS, our upper school students and lower school students are connecting more and working together to demonstrate their BEST!

“ Lending a helping hand in 4th Grade”

Posted by Jillian Perrault, Guidance Counselor

At the end of each week the Bulldog Buck total is added up to determine “Homeroom of the Week” in each of the grade levels. In addition to having a "Homeroom of the Week", each classroom has 2 individual Bulldog Buck drawing winners. When a student is chosen at the end of the week they are able to pick what they would like as their reward off a specific reward menu that all of the classrooms have. I interviewed 2 fourth grade students in Miss Liccardi’s 4th grade class to find out what they chose for their individual rewards. Both students I interviewed chose to help our custodians here at the CGS. When I asked why they chose this as their reward, both girls said they knew how much work the custodians do around the entire school and they wanted to be able to help them out. Morgan and Edelim were able to help the custodians clean up after the fourth graders ate lunch in the cafeteria. 

Here are some pictures of Morgan & Edelim helping our custodians clean the cafeteria:

New Anti- Bullying Curriculum for CGS 5th Graders

Posted by Jillian Perrault, Guidance Counselor

The 5^th graders are learning how to make our school safer through our new anti-bullying curriculum.  Boston vs. Bullies is an anti- bullying initiative brought to us by the The Sports Museum and the Boston sports community. Students are really enjoying these lessons because the program features current athletes from our Boston Professional sports Teams who are able to share their own stories from the past. Students are learning about the 3 Characteristics that define a situation as bullying. They are also learning what steps to take if they are being bullied or see bullying happening around the school. Effective bullying prevention requires preparation and teamwork so by preparing our students to stand strong against bullying they are helping create a safe environment for our students to thrive in. 

3rd Grade Students Express Respect during Recess

Posted by Cecilia Cooper, School Psychologist

The "E" in BEST stands for "Express Respect". Many students have been observed expressing respect during their recess time. Particularly, this has been noted while the 3^rd grade goes outside to the playground for recess. Many students have taken it upon themselves to pick up various pieces of litter and trash (e.g., papers, coffee cups, wrappers, plastic bags, juice boxes) and throwing them away in the outdoor waste bin, without being asked. These students are taking time away from their own recess to demonstrate respect for their environment and school property.  

Here are a few examples of CGS 3^rd grade students cleaning up our playground. Thank you Tyler, Welfry, and Nicholas for making CGS the BEST!

 

Why Are Bulldog Bucks A Big Deal?

Posted by Erin Walker, School Psychologist

Many of you have probably heard you children talking about earning Bulldog Bucks at school. Students can earn Bulldog Bucks from any staff member for demonstrating any of the B.E.S.T. expectations. Although students can use these Bulldog Bucks to be entered in a weekly reward raffle in their class as well as trying to becoming "Homeroom of the Week", what Bulldog Bucks truly represent are the tangible recognition of expected behavior in school. CGS staff are encouraged to not only circle which of the B.E.S.T. expectations the student demonstrated on the Bulldog Buck, but to verbally tell the student specifically why they earned that Bulldog Buck. For example, if a student is walking down the hallway during dismissal, a teacher could circle "Safety First" on the Bulldog Buck and say, "I like the way you are walking down the hallway and putting safety first!". If your children come home and they say they earned a Bulldog Buck today, be sure to ask them what they did to earn it as it will help emphasize the importance of the B.E.S.T. expectations here at the CGS!

CGS Kindergartners are the BEST

The B in CGS is the BEST stands for Be Responsible.  CGS students are learning and practicing daily what it means to Be Responsible in all areas of the CGS building and community.  For example, students practice being responsible in the classroom by following classroom rules, practicing active listening and participation, beginning and completing assignments, and completing their nightly homework.  Our kindergarten students are doing a great job practicing Being Responsible in their classroom.

Here are some answers children in Ms. Molloy’s kindergarten class gave me when I asked them how they can Be Responsible in their classroom:

“By Listening to my teacher and doing what I’m suppose to be doing on my page”.  (Paul)

“By cleaning up the classroom”. (Ethan)

“By listening to what my teacher says.” (Lexie)

“By listening to your teacher and raising your hand”. (Amaya)

“Doing your work and listening to your teacher”. ( Matthew)

 posted by Elaine Light

CGS school psychologist

Practicing "Safety First" by Keeping Good Personal Space

posted by Kristen Perrotti

The "S" in BEST stands for "Safety First". One way CGS students are learning to be safe in school is by understanding and practicing keeping good personal space. Personal space is the amount of space one needs to feel comfortable with others. Students are learning that everyone has a comfort bubble. School counselors are teaching students that comfort bubbles are usually about the size of a hula hoop. Getting too close to others invades their personal space, pops their comfort bubble, and makes them feel uncomfortable. Students are also learning that comfort bubbles may be different sizes, depending on who they are with (big around strangers or in new situations, small around family and close friends.)

Another way to remind students about personal space is the "One Arm Rule" concept (if we stick our arm straight out in front of us, our fingertips should barely touch the person we are talking to or playing with.) Teaching students to "think with their eyes" and look at others' faces and bodies for clues they are feeling uncomfortable, also helps students recognize they are invading others' personal space.

                               6^TH GRADE--- SAFETY FIRST              By:  Mark Houle

          I happily attend and monitor the 6^th Graders during their lunch and recess.  With PBIS, we are always looking for Safety First. The 6^th Graders practice this going outside each day to recess across the bridge and then back over into the CGS. Many students will ask to hold the doors open for the students to come back into the building. This reduces the risk of a crowd coming in one door. With 4 doors open, the line can easily enter the CGS. In the beginning, only a few students asked to hold the doors. Now many different students are asking to help. Safety First is the name of the game.

     And on a good note regarding Bull Dog Bucks, I witnessed a 6^th Grader giving one of their Bull Dog Bucks to an 8^th Grader who had been angry and upset. When the 8^th grader was calm and feeling better, the 6^th Grader handed him a Bull Dog Buck he had gotten and said, “Here, this is for you.” Responsible and Respectful, YEA!

Meet the CGS PBIS Leadership Team!

Posted by Erin Walker, School Psychologist

“CGS is the BEST” is a school-wide initiative being implemented by all staff including administration, teachers, related service providers, guidance staff, program assistants, and cafeteria and custodial staff. Within this program is a PBIS Leadership Team that meets regularly to help develop and plan PBIS programming with input gained from the CGS community including teachers, students, and parents.

Your CGS PBIS Leadership Team is…

Chris Reeve- Supervising Principal

Katie Proietti- Lower School Associate Principal

Dave Lacroix- Dean of Students

Michelle Farnkoff- 3rd Grade Teacher

Kelley Kasila- Speech Language Pathologist

Kelly Melia- 3rd Grade Special Education Teacher

Robin Murphy- 7th Grade Teacher

Jayson Ramalho- Lower School Physical Education Teacher

Michelle Sterner- ELA Coach

Erin Walker- School Psychologist