GALION — Galion Primary School has received the Gold Award from the Ohio Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Network for its success in teaching standards to students.
The Ohio PBIS Network was initiated by the Ohio Department of Education Office for Exceptional Children to develop materials, resources and training to support the scaling up of PBIS in Ohio schools. The Ohio PBIS Network is primarily composed of professionals from each of the 16 Ohio State Support Teams, Educational Service Centers, and the Office of Integrated Student Supports.
PBIS involves teaching students expected behaviors in a consistent and positive way, modeling and acknowledging those behaviors, and helping all students meet expectations and be successful. PBIS has been shown to improve student achievement, student behavior, and school climate.
“This is something our staff has been working diligently to achieve since 2015,” Primary School Principal Katy Erlsten said. “Our goal now is to maintain our Gold status and continue to provide great programs for our students.”
The Ohio PBIS Network first recognized schools who were model examples of strong PBIS programs in 2015. In 2020, Galion Primary School applied for and was only one of 29 schools in Ohio to earn the Gold level.
“Being one of only 29 schools in the entire state of Ohio to receive the Gold level designation is an outstanding achievement for the Primary School staff,” Galion Superintendent Jennifer Allerding said. “This is truly something that our entire Galion community should be proud of!”
Galion Primary PBIS team members include Cindy Conner, Charlie Miller, Kerrie Zeuch, DeAnna Albert, Elizabeth Volz, Melisa Watters, Lindy Edgell, Kirstie Naumoff, and Katy Erlsten. Galion Primary School will be honored at the 2020 Ohio PBIS Showcase in conjunction with the Ohio Leadership Advisory Council (OLAC) virtual conference on Dec. 15, 2020.
For information about Ohio PBIS, go to the Ohio Department of Education website education.ohio.gov.
For information about Galion City Schools, go to its website galionschools.org.
