September PAWS awards given out at Glenn Duffy
GRAVETTE — PAWS award winners were honored at an assembly last week at Glenn Duffy Elementary School. PAWS Students of the Month for September are Georgia Cantrell of Sulphur Springs, Noah Everett of Bella Vista, Landon Handle of Gravette, Natalie Holland of Sulphur Springs, Blain Middleton of Sulphur Springs and Marley Rose of Bella Vista.
PAWS (“Pawsitive” and Wise Students) awards are given in the classroom, hallway and cafeteria as an incentive for students to practice the PAWS skill for the month. Students are recognized at monthly Rise and Shine assemblies. PAWS Student of the Month T-shirts are sponsored by the Glenn Duffy Elementary PTO.
The Glenn Duffy Elementary PAWS program incorporates character education and positive behavior into the school community. Each month PAWS skills are chosen and discussed in classroom guidance in relation to character education. Responsibility is the word for this month. This is defined as knowing and doing what is expected of you. A proverb from the days of the Old West says, “Broke is what happens when a cowboy lets his yearnin’s get ahead of his earnin’s.”
Gravette head coach Bill Harrelson spoke with the children about responsibility at the assembly. Football players Bret Callahan and Hunter Graham joined him. Coach said that to be a successful student, athlete or grownup, we must do our best all the time. Coach described how life is full of choices that we face every day. We must think about those choices and decide what is best, he said. Then we must be able to accept consequences, good or bad, for our decisions. Students were encouraged to be responsible for their best work at home, in class, on teams, in activities and clubs.
Second-grade teachers shared a skit about the social skill for the month, accepting consequences. Students learned that while we accept consequences we should: 1) Take a deep breath and count to five; 2) think about what is being said; 3) say, “I’m sorry I made a bad decision”; and specify what should have been done; and 4) follow the directions or the steps of the consequence. Second-grade teachers are Jennifer Davis, Angie Denver, Vicki Holloway, Jared Magness, Traci Rutledge and Amber Sisemore.
“We certainly appreciate our parents and guests at our assemblies,” said Zane Vanderpool, principal at Glenn Duffy Elementary. “This is one way we work together to help students achieve our school mission. The mission is ‘Partnering with parents and the community. Glenn Duffy Elementary offers a diverse learning environment which fosters mutual respect and encourages students to achieve their utmost potential.’”