The Den

Post date: Jan 31, 2018 4:32:12 PM

We would like to introduce you to a space at Coventry Village School called The Den and to our new Den Mother--Mrs. Collins. The program is a social skills support program that will help students reflect on their behavior and develop the skills needed to regulate themselves in their classrooms, increase communication, and support family involvement. As you read the description below, keep in mind that the plan is that before using The Den, most behavior situations will be handled in class via warnings, timeouts, use of a buddy room and strategies that students identify that can help them regulate their emotions--walks, breaks, drawing, exercise, etc. The Den Mother (Mrs. Collins) will call parents, and work with teachers as they help the students learn to behave in ways that supports their learning, keeps them in class, and helps them to feel good about themselves at school.

The Den

Who: Mrs. Collins

Where: Off the gymnasium

Purpose: *To develop positive relationships with students who struggle and work systematically to support positive behaviors within the school. *To reach students who may be struggling outside of school and check in with them before getting in trouble. *To communicate with families and to create logical consequences and plans for students to improve their behavior. *To train students and help them them develop strategies to self-regulate and manage their emotions. *To host lunch and recess groups with students to build social skills. *To be an active member of the PBiS team who will reach out to community partners and find ways to bring kids out and the community in to our school.

When does a student go to the "Den Mother": Only after all classroom behavior protocols have been utilized. In Elementary, students are given a warning (either verbal or non-verbal), and an opportunity to deescalate and reflect on their behavior before then going to the Den Mother (Mrs. Collins) to figure out a plan for going back to class to be successful. After which, if the student continues to misbehave, Mrs. Collins will call home to communicate with you about ways we are trying to provide support and logical consequences to your child. In the Middle School, students are given two warnings/checks, then asked to go to the Den after being given opportunities to regulate their feelings and emotions. We are still developing the range of regulation strategies (like drawing, exercise, short walks, etc) students can use, so please stay tuned as that part of our new change takes shape. When parents are called, it is not intended as a punishment, but as a way for the school and home to work cooperatively in supporting your child.

Please feel free to call or write with questions. We believe in our collective ability to support Coventry kids!

Sincerely,

Mr. Baughman, Principal