Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) is utilized to teach and affirm positive adult and student behavior as part of the larger Wish School culture and climate. Wish Students accumulate PAWS as a reward and affirmation for their positive behaviors.
PAWS
P - Practice Kindness
A - Always Be Respectful
W - Work Hard
S - Stay Safe
UConn HNS, as an aligned and contributing partner @ Wish School, integrates PBIS and PAWS within all educational programs and school-wide collaborations. UConn HNS staff also serve as the lead facilitators for “Thriving Thursdays” which operates as a rotation of school-wide initiatives that occurs every Thursday to celebrate different Wish School stakeholders through investments such as Staff Appreciation, PBIS School Store, Classroom Recesses, Classroom Snacks, and more.
"Lunch Bunch - Focus Groups" is offered once per month during “Thriving Thursday” with a sample size (10-15) of Wish School Students that spend 15 minutes during their lunch time with UConn HNS Staff to hangout, have fun, share food, and engage in a focus group conversation.
Students
On this UConn HNS “Thriving Thursday” @ Wish School, we were able to engage with students during “Lunch Bunch – Focus Groups” to hear students’ feedback on their learning and experiences regarding: Cycle Three of UConn HNS Programs
Cycle Three Overview
| HNS Pillars | Cycle Theme | Teaching Emphasis – “Memorable Motto” |
| Nutrition Education | Vegetables | “Vary Your Veggies" |
| Physical Activity | Golf | “Follow Through” |
| Transferable Life Skill | Wish Core Values | “Always Be Respectful” |
Student Engagement
On 12/11, Wish School Students in grades 3rd, 4th, 5th joined with UConn HNS staff to share in fun, eating, and conversation.
10 Wish School Students
2 Focus Groups - 5 students per group
3 UConn HNS Staff - 2 conversational facilitators; 1 note-taker
Nutrition Education
Rate the Snack: Strawberry S’mores
- Mixed Reviews on the Crunch Veggie Wrap!
- Only four 10/10 ratings versus four students shared that they did not like it at all, with specific feedback stating that they “don’t like tomatoes so didn’t want to eat it”, “Please take out the tomatoes and carrots”, and “Didn’t like it because I don’t like veggies”
- Two students were not present at school during the day of the snack
- One Major Change was suggested for the recipe, with 5 students asking to take out the tomatoes!
One Important Thing You Learned: Dairy Section of the MyPlate
- 9/10 students mentioned Vegetables as part of a healthy MyPlate
- One student shared that they are new to the school so not yet aware
- Generally, veggies were mentioned as “healthy”, “good for you”, and “a good food to eat”
- One student shared: "Any color veggie is good – like try the rainbow of colors”
Physical Activity
Rate the Activities: Golf Madness, Tic-Tac-Toe, Cow Pool
- Mixed Reviews!
- Students expressed such a wide range of ratings for the same games and different games; which games were their most and least favorite, and reasons why they did or did not like a game.
- Students’ reasons for liking the different golf games included when they were “good at the golf game”, “got a good score”,“liked when my team kept winning”, and “it was good to get energy out by exercising while playing”
- Multiple students shared that “it was hard to hit the ball sometimes” as a reason they didn’t highly rate some of the golf games
One Important Thing You Learned
- Three students mentioned that “this was my first time learning about how to hit a golf ball”
- “You have to hit the ball, but don’t make it go in the air”
- "Can be fun even when you miss the ball”
- “Worked on our posture and form”
- “Learned some of the rules of golf”
School to Family Transfer?
UConn HNS works as part of Wish School. In doing so we also work alongside students and their families. We most certainly hope that student learning and behaviors connected with Nutrition Education and Physical Activity are transferring from school to family life. When students were asked about these transfers during this "Lunch Bunch - Focus Group", some examples of transfers were shared. The work continues...
- 4 students said that they did not share anything with their family, however;
- One student shared that they were going to “tell them about it all, today!”
- One student shared that “not this cycle, but I usually tell them about the games and the food”
- 3 students shared specific examples about talking with their family members
- One student talked with their mom and another student talked with their dad about “trying golf at school”
- One student shared that they “talked to their grandfather about golf because he used to play. He was happy to hear that I was learning about golf at school”