Ansonia Middle School is under new leadership this year and Principal Amy O’Brien and Assistant Principal John Coppola are leading their team of students, teachers and parents in a POSITIVE direction.
The school is beginning implementation of PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Support) and to kick off the school year all staff members showed off their new team slogan “Ansonia Middle School – Respectful, Academically Motivated Students (RAMS).”
PBIS is based upon behavioral theory: Problem behavior continues to occur because a student continues to get something positive out of a negative behavior or to escape a negative consequence as a result of that behavior.
PBIS is a practical approach to eliminate challenging behaviors and to replace them with cooperative or pro-social skills. It is a research based combination of practices that creates a positive school climate in which students can achieve behavioral and academic success. Students learn appropriate behaviors through instruction, practice, feedback and encouragement.
With the consistency in behavior expectations, students learn that there are both consequences and rewards for their choices.
Students have been introduced to school wide expectations during assemblies the first week of school and in lessons delivered by their homeroom teachers.
Lessons were developed by the AMS PBIS team (teachers and staff members Sean O’Meara, Rachel Josovitz, Denise Matusovich, David Oshana, Jordan Bshara and Mary Lynn Mott).
Students who model appropriate behaviors will be recognized throughout the year with activities on PBIS recognition days.
