Something to Brag About

Everyone loves praise and recognition for the hard work they do, kids included.  Best practice is to provide students with at least 5 positive comments to every one negative comment.  This 5:1 ratio helps students understand what is expected of them, builds self-esteem, and reinforces the positive behaviors students are exhibiting.

“Brag Tags” are a new way for students at Prairie View to receive this positive recognition and to show others the positives as well.  Brag Tags are necklaces that each student at Prairie View has that are filled with colored beads and plastic tags that represent positive behaviors.  The idea of Brag Tags was brought to Prairie View by Heidi Graff, a Prairie View fourth-grade teacher.  She had seen Brag Tags promoted elsewhere and thought it would be a wonderful way to acknowledge great student behaviors.  Ms. Graff commented, “Brag Tags are a fun, cool way to recognize students for all the wonderful things they do each day at school!  The kids are really excited about the tags and motivated to earn as many tags and homework beads as possible!  By the end of the year, I expect the necklaces filled with lots of tags and beads, all of which represent the many accomplishments of a successful school year!”  The Prairie View Parent Teacher Organization quickly jumped on board, supported the idea of Brag Tags, and purchased the Brag-Tag materials for the school.  Kelly Kuenzi, Prairie View PTO co-president shared, “I think Brag Tags are a great school-wide incentive that will help promote and reward positive behavior and hard work.  They will motivate students to have responsible, respectful, and safe behaviors at school.”

Each classroom at Prairie View has an area where all the Brag Tags are displayed.  On Fridays and during special occasions, such as positive behavior assemblies, students wear their Brag-Tag necklaces at school.  Right now the necklaces are rather bare, but throughout the school year, students will earn colored beads for behaviors such as turning in homework or completing reading activities.  Each month students also have the opportunity to earn a special school-wide tag for a specific behavior such as respect, responsibility, or trustworthiness.  Even within art, music, and physical education classes, students earn special tags for their behavior, performance, or effort.  So as the year progresses, students’ necklaces will become increasingly colorful and abundantly filled with acknowledgements of their successes.

Climate Change at BDMS: It's Real!

“Nothing could be as hard as middle school,” according to actress Zooey Deschanel, and depending on your own experiences, perhaps you might agree. However, if you walk into Beaver Dam Middle School today, you’ll almost instantly reconsider your point of view as you observe the interactions among the people inside. You will see students, teachers, staff, and school leaders treating each other with respect. You will see students engaged in their learning, and you will see a clean and orderly facility. This is something that Beaver Dam Middle School students, teachers, staff, and leaders work hard each day to achieve.

Creating a positive and welcoming school climate requires close attention to the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of all students. “Our students, teachers, and staff deserve school environments that are safe, inclusive, and conducive to teaching and learning,” explains Associate Principal Kerri jo Patten.  “In order for us to create and maintain this supportive school climate, we offer weekly lessons centered on school-wide behavioral expectations with positive interventions and supports; caring school-climate programs, including our Safe School Ambassadors; and violence-prevention programs such as social-skill development and conflict mediation.  We also expanded our school-counseling services to include after-school contact with students.”

Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) is a data-driven program that promotes positive behavior, improves school climate, and increases student achievement. Beaver Dam Middle School utilizes PBIS to set clear expectations and inspire new ways to recognize desired behaviors while reducing negative behaviors.  Currently, 95% of the 770 students meet or exceed school-wide behavior expectations and enjoy the satisfaction of creating a positive-learning environment.

Safe School Ambassadors is a group currently made up of 40 students from 7th and 8th grade, and will increase with 20 new 6th grade members in early winter.  The school social worker, counselors, and select teachers empower these students with five targeted skills to notice and then minimize or diffuse situations that could lead to mistreatment.  Grace Madeiros, an 8th grader, says, “I like being looked at as a leader in school.  Safe School Ambassadors taught me the skills to stand up for what’s right.”

The Beaver Dam Middle School community takes pride in knowing that their collective efforts to improve the school climate will result in today’s students looking back fondly on their middle-school years.

Coach Kotinek Honored

New signs honoring retired tennis coach, Gordie Kotinek, were recently donated for the Beaver Dam High School tennis courts.  The courts will be labeled as Kotinek 1, Kotinek 2, Kotinek 3, and Kotinek 4.  The signs were donated by Hans Berger who played with Coach Kotinek on the senior circuit.

Coach Kotinek coached tennis at Beaver Dam High School for more than 25 years, coaching numerous conference championship teams and many players who were sectional and state qualifiers.  He began the Beaver Dam City Tennis Program in 1957 and was the assistant director for the world-renowned Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy.  Coach Kotinek was inducted to the Beaver Dam High School Sports Hall-of-Fame inaugural class of 2005 and into the University of Wisconsin Tennis Coaches Hall-of-Fame class of 1983.  He also published a book Tennis: The Game, which is a resource for those playing or coaching at all levels.