Dr. Kari Franchini shares how to build a strong PBIS system, support substitutes, and manage change.
After approximately three years of utilizing LiveSchool, a noticeable discrepancy emerged regarding which behaviors the staff deemed worthy of merits and demerits. Recognizing the importance of involving the staff in decision-making, Principal Kari Franchini opted not to make these decisions unilaterally. Instead, she initiated a building survey to gather feedback from her staff. By empowering teachers to contribute their perspectives, Kari facilitated a greater sense of ownership and support for the program.
Implementing a consistent system has helped with student accountability. Students actively participate in self-monitoring, aware of the specific number of points required to attain rewards. During their onboarding process, new teachers are familiarized with LiveSchool, and even regular substitute teachers are provided with accounts, ensuring continuity in the system's usage.
Kari and her Tier 2 Leadership group are not only looking for problems that individual students are having, but they are also looking across the grade levels and across the building to see if any patterns exist.
Are there things that all students are struggling with, such as preparedness or time management? LiveSchool makes it easy to analyze the data in multiple ways and spot trends.
If a student receives demerit points, Kari and her team want to see if that student has shown signs of improvement. Perhaps they received fewer demerits this week than they have in previous weeks. The team looks for (and celebrates) progress, not perfection.
Creekside Middle tried a few different ways students could redeem their LiveSchool points before settling on the system they now have in place. While a school store works for many schools, it was not a great option for Creekside based on how their building is set up. The success of their current system can be attributed to careful consideration of various financial and systematic factors.
About once a quarter, kids can use their points to order things like candy, t-shirts, and even school supplies. Teacher teams offer different quarterly rewards, which include things like trips to the local bowling alley or a restaurant within walking distance. Twice a year, the school offers really big incentives - an obstacle course set up in the gym in January, and a food truck rally at the end of the year.
Kari Franchini, along with her staff, came up with three main goals for their building: teach, support, and inspire. According to Franchini, building culture is not a finite game. It’s not about winning, but about trying to be better than you were the day before. She wants Creekside Middle School to be a place that both kids and teachers want to come to; a place where everyone feels safe both physically and emotionally.
Using LiveSchool has given everyone from students to teachers to substitutes a sense of empowerment. The children have assumed greater responsibility for their conduct and academic performance, resulting in an overall increase in accountability. Students may not always get a point every time they do something right, but when they do get one, it makes them feel seen and heard. Kari has found that kids will rise to expectations when we put them in place.
Being a middle school principal is a lot like “wearing business on top, and clown pants on the bottom,” according to Francini. While she must often maintain a serious demeanor, she also has a playful and vivacious side that she enjoys expressing and sharing with others in her building.
Kari also says it’s easy to focus on the small percentage of students who require a lot of time and attention. However, it’s important to remember that the majority of students are doing what they should be every single day. “Don’t forget them, and don’t forget to have fun in the process!”
After approximately three years of utilizing LiveSchool, a noticeable discrepancy emerged regarding which behaviors the staff deemed worthy of merits and demerits. Recognizing the importance of involving the staff in decision-making, Principal Kari Franchini opted not to make these decisions unilaterally. Instead, she initiated a building survey to gather feedback from her staff. By empowering teachers to contribute their perspectives, Kari facilitated a greater sense of ownership and support for the program.
Implementing a consistent system has helped with student accountability. Students actively participate in self-monitoring, aware of the specific number of points required to attain rewards. During their onboarding process, new teachers are familiarized with LiveSchool, and even regular substitute teachers are provided with accounts, ensuring continuity in the system's usage.
Kari and her Tier 2 Leadership group are not only looking for problems that individual students are having, but they are also looking across the grade levels and across the building to see if any patterns exist.
Are there things that all students are struggling with, such as preparedness or time management? LiveSchool makes it easy to analyze the data in multiple ways and spot trends.
If a student receives demerit points, Kari and her team want to see if that student has shown signs of improvement. Perhaps they received fewer demerits this week than they have in previous weeks. The team looks for (and celebrates) progress, not perfection.
Creekside Middle tried a few different ways students could redeem their LiveSchool points before settling on the system they now have in place. While a school store works for many schools, it was not a great option for Creekside based on how their building is set up. The success of their current system can be attributed to careful consideration of various financial and systematic factors.
About once a quarter, kids can use their points to order things like candy, t-shirts, and even school supplies. Teacher teams offer different quarterly rewards, which include things like trips to the local bowling alley or a restaurant within walking distance. Twice a year, the school offers really big incentives - an obstacle course set up in the gym in January, and a food truck rally at the end of the year.
Kari Franchini, along with her staff, came up with three main goals for their building: teach, support, and inspire. According to Franchini, building culture is not a finite game. It’s not about winning, but about trying to be better than you were the day before. She wants Creekside Middle School to be a place that both kids and teachers want to come to; a place where everyone feels safe both physically and emotionally.
Using LiveSchool has given everyone from students to teachers to substitutes a sense of empowerment. The children have assumed greater responsibility for their conduct and academic performance, resulting in an overall increase in accountability. Students may not always get a point every time they do something right, but when they do get one, it makes them feel seen and heard. Kari has found that kids will rise to expectations when we put them in place.
Being a middle school principal is a lot like “wearing business on top, and clown pants on the bottom,” according to Francini. While she must often maintain a serious demeanor, she also has a playful and vivacious side that she enjoys expressing and sharing with others in her building.
Kari also says it’s easy to focus on the small percentage of students who require a lot of time and attention. However, it’s important to remember that the majority of students are doing what they should be every single day. “Don’t forget them, and don’t forget to have fun in the process!”
After approximately three years of utilizing LiveSchool, a noticeable discrepancy emerged regarding which behaviors the staff deemed worthy of merits and demerits. Recognizing the importance of involving the staff in decision-making, Principal Kari Franchini opted not to make these decisions unilaterally. Instead, she initiated a building survey to gather feedback from her staff. By empowering teachers to contribute their perspectives, Kari facilitated a greater sense of ownership and support for the program.
Implementing a consistent system has helped with student accountability. Students actively participate in self-monitoring, aware of the specific number of points required to attain rewards. During their onboarding process, new teachers are familiarized with LiveSchool, and even regular substitute teachers are provided with accounts, ensuring continuity in the system's usage.
Kari and her Tier 2 Leadership group are not only looking for problems that individual students are having, but they are also looking across the grade levels and across the building to see if any patterns exist.
Are there things that all students are struggling with, such as preparedness or time management? LiveSchool makes it easy to analyze the data in multiple ways and spot trends.
If a student receives demerit points, Kari and her team want to see if that student has shown signs of improvement. Perhaps they received fewer demerits this week than they have in previous weeks. The team looks for (and celebrates) progress, not perfection.
Creekside Middle tried a few different ways students could redeem their LiveSchool points before settling on the system they now have in place. While a school store works for many schools, it was not a great option for Creekside based on how their building is set up. The success of their current system can be attributed to careful consideration of various financial and systematic factors.
About once a quarter, kids can use their points to order things like candy, t-shirts, and even school supplies. Teacher teams offer different quarterly rewards, which include things like trips to the local bowling alley or a restaurant within walking distance. Twice a year, the school offers really big incentives - an obstacle course set up in the gym in January, and a food truck rally at the end of the year.
Kari Franchini, along with her staff, came up with three main goals for their building: teach, support, and inspire. According to Franchini, building culture is not a finite game. It’s not about winning, but about trying to be better than you were the day before. She wants Creekside Middle School to be a place that both kids and teachers want to come to; a place where everyone feels safe both physically and emotionally.
Using LiveSchool has given everyone from students to teachers to substitutes a sense of empowerment. The children have assumed greater responsibility for their conduct and academic performance, resulting in an overall increase in accountability. Students may not always get a point every time they do something right, but when they do get one, it makes them feel seen and heard. Kari has found that kids will rise to expectations when we put them in place.
Being a middle school principal is a lot like “wearing business on top, and clown pants on the bottom,” according to Francini. While she must often maintain a serious demeanor, she also has a playful and vivacious side that she enjoys expressing and sharing with others in her building.
Kari also says it’s easy to focus on the small percentage of students who require a lot of time and attention. However, it’s important to remember that the majority of students are doing what they should be every single day. “Don’t forget them, and don’t forget to have fun in the process!”
After approximately three years of utilizing LiveSchool, a noticeable discrepancy emerged regarding which behaviors the staff deemed worthy of merits and demerits. Recognizing the importance of involving the staff in decision-making, Principal Kari Franchini opted not to make these decisions unilaterally. Instead, she initiated a building survey to gather feedback from her staff. By empowering teachers to contribute their perspectives, Kari facilitated a greater sense of ownership and support for the program.
Implementing a consistent system has helped with student accountability. Students actively participate in self-monitoring, aware of the specific number of points required to attain rewards. During their onboarding process, new teachers are familiarized with LiveSchool, and even regular substitute teachers are provided with accounts, ensuring continuity in the system's usage.
Kari and her Tier 2 Leadership group are not only looking for problems that individual students are having, but they are also looking across the grade levels and across the building to see if any patterns exist.
Are there things that all students are struggling with, such as preparedness or time management? LiveSchool makes it easy to analyze the data in multiple ways and spot trends.
If a student receives demerit points, Kari and her team want to see if that student has shown signs of improvement. Perhaps they received fewer demerits this week than they have in previous weeks. The team looks for (and celebrates) progress, not perfection.
Creekside Middle tried a few different ways students could redeem their LiveSchool points before settling on the system they now have in place. While a school store works for many schools, it was not a great option for Creekside based on how their building is set up. The success of their current system can be attributed to careful consideration of various financial and systematic factors.
About once a quarter, kids can use their points to order things like candy, t-shirts, and even school supplies. Teacher teams offer different quarterly rewards, which include things like trips to the local bowling alley or a restaurant within walking distance. Twice a year, the school offers really big incentives - an obstacle course set up in the gym in January, and a food truck rally at the end of the year.
Kari Franchini, along with her staff, came up with three main goals for their building: teach, support, and inspire. According to Franchini, building culture is not a finite game. It’s not about winning, but about trying to be better than you were the day before. She wants Creekside Middle School to be a place that both kids and teachers want to come to; a place where everyone feels safe both physically and emotionally.
Using LiveSchool has given everyone from students to teachers to substitutes a sense of empowerment. The children have assumed greater responsibility for their conduct and academic performance, resulting in an overall increase in accountability. Students may not always get a point every time they do something right, but when they do get one, it makes them feel seen and heard. Kari has found that kids will rise to expectations when we put them in place.
Being a middle school principal is a lot like “wearing business on top, and clown pants on the bottom,” according to Francini. While she must often maintain a serious demeanor, she also has a playful and vivacious side that she enjoys expressing and sharing with others in her building.
Kari also says it’s easy to focus on the small percentage of students who require a lot of time and attention. However, it’s important to remember that the majority of students are doing what they should be every single day. “Don’t forget them, and don’t forget to have fun in the process!”
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Creekside Middle School has been using LiveSchool for about seven years now. While teachers, administrators, and even parents quickly embraced the program’s potential, the implementation process encountered its share of challenges.
After approximately three years of utilizing LiveSchool, a noticeable discrepancy emerged regarding which behaviors the staff deemed worthy of merits and demerits. Recognizing the importance of involving the staff in decision-making, Principal Kari Franchini opted not to make these decisions unilaterally. Instead, she initiated a building survey to gather feedback from her staff. By empowering teachers to contribute their perspectives, Kari facilitated a greater sense of ownership and support for the program.
Implementing a consistent system has helped with student accountability. Students actively participate in self-monitoring, aware of the specific number of points required to attain rewards. During their onboarding process, new teachers are familiarized with LiveSchool, and even regular substitute teachers are provided with accounts, ensuring continuity in the system's usage.
Kari and her Tier 2 Leadership group are not only looking for problems that individual students are having, but they are also looking across the grade levels and across the building to see if any patterns exist.
Are there things that all students are struggling with, such as preparedness or time management? LiveSchool makes it easy to analyze the data in multiple ways and spot trends.
If a student receives demerit points, Kari and her team want to see if that student has shown signs of improvement. Perhaps they received fewer demerits this week than they have in previous weeks. The team looks for (and celebrates) progress, not perfection.
Creekside Middle tried a few different ways students could redeem their LiveSchool points before settling on the system they now have in place. While a school store works for many schools, it was not a great option for Creekside based on how their building is set up. The success of their current system can be attributed to careful consideration of various financial and systematic factors.
About once a quarter, kids can use their points to order things like candy, t-shirts, and even school supplies. Teacher teams offer different quarterly rewards, which include things like trips to the local bowling alley or a restaurant within walking distance. Twice a year, the school offers really big incentives - an obstacle course set up in the gym in January, and a food truck rally at the end of the year.
Kari Franchini, along with her staff, came up with three main goals for their building: teach, support, and inspire. According to Franchini, building culture is not a finite game. It’s not about winning, but about trying to be better than you were the day before. She wants Creekside Middle School to be a place that both kids and teachers want to come to; a place where everyone feels safe both physically and emotionally.
Using LiveSchool has given everyone from students to teachers to substitutes a sense of empowerment. The children have assumed greater responsibility for their conduct and academic performance, resulting in an overall increase in accountability. Students may not always get a point every time they do something right, but when they do get one, it makes them feel seen and heard. Kari has found that kids will rise to expectations when we put them in place.
Being a middle school principal is a lot like “wearing business on top, and clown pants on the bottom,” according to Francini. While she must often maintain a serious demeanor, she also has a playful and vivacious side that she enjoys expressing and sharing with others in her building.
Kari also says it’s easy to focus on the small percentage of students who require a lot of time and attention. However, it’s important to remember that the majority of students are doing what they should be every single day. “Don’t forget them, and don’t forget to have fun in the process!”
Creekside Middle School has been using LiveSchool for about seven years now. While teachers, administrators, and even parents quickly embraced the program’s potential, the implementation process encountered its share of challenges.
After approximately three years of utilizing LiveSchool, a noticeable discrepancy emerged regarding which behaviors the staff deemed worthy of merits and demerits. Recognizing the importance of involving the staff in decision-making, Principal Kari Franchini opted not to make these decisions unilaterally. Instead, she initiated a building survey to gather feedback from her staff. By empowering teachers to contribute their perspectives, Kari facilitated a greater sense of ownership and support for the program.
Implementing a consistent system has helped with student accountability. Students actively participate in self-monitoring, aware of the specific number of points required to attain rewards. During their onboarding process, new teachers are familiarized with LiveSchool, and even regular substitute teachers are provided with accounts, ensuring continuity in the system's usage.
Kari and her Tier 2 Leadership group are not only looking for problems that individual students are having, but they are also looking across the grade levels and across the building to see if any patterns exist.
Are there things that all students are struggling with, such as preparedness or time management? LiveSchool makes it easy to analyze the data in multiple ways and spot trends.
If a student receives demerit points, Kari and her team want to see if that student has shown signs of improvement. Perhaps they received fewer demerits this week than they have in previous weeks. The team looks for (and celebrates) progress, not perfection.
Creekside Middle tried a few different ways students could redeem their LiveSchool points before settling on the system they now have in place. While a school store works for many schools, it was not a great option for Creekside based on how their building is set up. The success of their current system can be attributed to careful consideration of various financial and systematic factors.
About once a quarter, kids can use their points to order things like candy, t-shirts, and even school supplies. Teacher teams offer different quarterly rewards, which include things like trips to the local bowling alley or a restaurant within walking distance. Twice a year, the school offers really big incentives - an obstacle course set up in the gym in January, and a food truck rally at the end of the year.
Kari Franchini, along with her staff, came up with three main goals for their building: teach, support, and inspire. According to Franchini, building culture is not a finite game. It’s not about winning, but about trying to be better than you were the day before. She wants Creekside Middle School to be a place that both kids and teachers want to come to; a place where everyone feels safe both physically and emotionally.
Using LiveSchool has given everyone from students to teachers to substitutes a sense of empowerment. The children have assumed greater responsibility for their conduct and academic performance, resulting in an overall increase in accountability. Students may not always get a point every time they do something right, but when they do get one, it makes them feel seen and heard. Kari has found that kids will rise to expectations when we put them in place.
Being a middle school principal is a lot like “wearing business on top, and clown pants on the bottom,” according to Francini. While she must often maintain a serious demeanor, she also has a playful and vivacious side that she enjoys expressing and sharing with others in her building.
Kari also says it’s easy to focus on the small percentage of students who require a lot of time and attention. However, it’s important to remember that the majority of students are doing what they should be every single day. “Don’t forget them, and don’t forget to have fun in the process!”
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