PBIS AFRICA Newsletter

2013

PBIS AFRICA
Newsletter

EMOTIONAL: Last day at Hig hl ands

North Boys High School @ the Class of
2013 fa rewell lunch

Transforming behaviour one school and community at a time

2013

VISION 2014 - 2017

Positive Disciplinary Solution

he year 2013 was very rewarding as

PBIS Africas Positive Behavioural
Interventions & Supports
programmes, touched and improved
lives of over 726 educators and general
school staff members, 4 374 learners and
1 282 parents. Schools such as H.A. Jack,
Highlands North Boys High School and
Vuleka schools amongst others were
beneficiaries of this research based
school management system.
With an application of school-wide
behavioural expectations using four
simple values Be Safe, Be Respectful,
Be Responsible, Be Helpful these
schools afforded learners chances for
academic and social skills success.

FAST FACT
4 374 LEARNERS
were touched by PBIS AFRICA

Where our model is successful we saw

school staff working together to
consistently teach, model, and reinforce
appropriate behaviours that learners are
expected to use in all areas of the school,
thereby better managing any potential
disciplinary challenges. With PBIS
AFRICAs approach being driven by
creating healthy communities through
school, home and community
partnerships, the behavioural
interventions programme gave
participants the basis to form positive
relationships, employ better ways to
deal with anger and frustration,
appreciating and creating bully-free
environments and much more.

Founder of PBIS Africa,

Professor Khalil Osiris' vision is
to inspire a generation of
visionary leaders committed to
improving schools and the
quality of education
throughout South Africa. In
2014 2017 we aim to recruit
and train 10 000 learners and
parents and touch 2 000 to be
PBIS Africa Ambassadors and
advocates in their schools and
communities. The aim of the
training is to teach PBIS
AFRICA Ambassadors how to
help their peers use education
to improve their daily lives and
change their communities for
the better.

PBIS AFRICA NEWSLETTER | 2013

Make a difference in
your school and
community
Applying our model of creating healthy
communities through school, home and
community partnerships, your school can
benefit too. Once a school-wide application
of four values Be Safe, Be Respectful and
Be Responsible, Be Healthy has happened,
behavioural challenges are effectively
addressed and the school, which is nexus of
the community, affords learners
opportunities for academic and behavioural
discipline success. Through our planned
workshops, seminars and professional
development sessions learners, teachers
and parents benefit.

WINNING
BEHAVIOUR:
Mpho Chweunyane is
the winner of the
Professor Osiris PBIS
AFRICA Trophy for
positive behaviour
MENTORSHIP:
Doing community
service

Benefits of introducing PBIS AFRICA in your school

Learners become trained at:
Achieving positive results in
relationships
Understanding, experiencing, and
expressing values positively
Dealing better with anger and
frustration
Accepting responsibility for ones own
behaviour
Dealing with frustration without yelling
or physical aggression
Accepting No for an answer
Following directions
Understanding the feelings of others
Cooperating with peers and adults alike
Creating a bully free environment
Seeking attention in an appropriate
manner
Following all school-wide expectations
Attending school daily and on time
Being prepared for school daily

Parents of participants are able to:

Reinforce positive behaviours at home
Monitor learner progress academically
and behaviourally
Be an active member of learners
education

School Staff is able to:

Teach school-wide expected behaviour
Increase learning through a reduction of
problem behaviour
Use words to provide positive
reinforcement
Use 3 tiered process to responding to
challenging behaviour
Use common language and clearly
defined expected behaviour for both
learners and staff
Use data-based decision making that
improves communication with learners
and parents

PBIS AFRICA NEWSLETTER | 2013

LEARNERS SAY

Educators and learners say

For the first time,
children are
stakeholders in this
(PBIS) process, they are
aware of their
responsibilities, they are
not scared although
discipline is a scary
thing. Sharon Walker,

Defining values:
To be intentional in my actions/decisions,
I now know how to define my values. Nkululeko Ngqingo, Grade 12 learner
Highlands North Boys High school

Director at Vuleka
Weltevreden campus

CARING: Principal at Vuleka Weltevreden campus, Mrs Sharon Walker talks to learner.

Apply critical thinking:

To be intentional about my decisions and

critical in my thinking. Now everyone in my
school has a dream because of the
programme. -Thapelo Moloabi, Grade 12
learner Highlands North Boys High school

It has cured the illdiscipline in class,

created positive
thinkers in the learners
and made the learning
environment more
conducive for both
teachers and learners. Lawrence Nayager, Maths
teacher at Highlands North
Boys High School

I am passionate about assisting

children and working with them
to achieve their therapeutic
goals. I am committed to
empowering, assisting and
supporting individuals to reach
their full potential.

Destiny in your hands:

Every breath you take is step into your
future. PBIS AFRICA has anchored the class
of 2013 taught us that our destiny is in our
hands. Vuyo Yawa Grade 12 Class of 2013
Highlands North Boys High School

To me the most important value

for the child is to believe in
themselves, to have insights into
their strengths so that they can
develop and work to their
strengths.

FAST FACT

726 Educators
were touched by PBIS AFRICA
WORKING: Managing Director of Vuleka
Schools, Mrs Melanie Sharland believes this
system is working

Focusing on enhancing childrens

strengths increase the chances
that they will successfully
manage their difficulties. What I
found is that PBIS instils
confidence and self-belief in
children by giving them greater
trust in themselves. - Kerri Lee,
Vuleka psychologist

PBIS AFRICA NEWSLETTER | 2013

PBIS AFRICA PARTNERSHIPS

Vuleka Schools - The national demonstration sites

GROOMING LEADERS: Above during a ballet lesson at Vuleka. To the left: Grade
1s at H.A. Jack Schools concert perform at the year-end concert.

Vuleka Schools have become our national

demonstration sites. These were our
launching schools in 2011, which saw PBIS
AFRICAs positive behavioural interventions
and supports programme being rolled out on
a school-wide basis at all seven
venues/campuses. These schools are open to
the public, per arranged visit, to observe
what can be achieved when good behaviour
and good teaching come together. Through
this intervention learners and teachers
understand what they need to know and do

in so far as behavioural
expectations are schools
are open to the public,
only per arranged visit, to
observe what can be
achieved when good behaviour and good
teaching come together. Through this
intervention learners and teachers
understand what they need to know and do
in so far as behavioural expectations are
concerned, and parents have come to the
party to give their children a positive learning
experience in a shared environment.

Our community partner

FAST FACT

1282 Parents
were touched by PBIS AFRICA

ADAPT is a section 21 nonprofit organisation operating in Alex

township since 1994. It is a community-based restorative justice
project that employs a holistic public health approach to enhance
moral regeneration and community leadership. ADAPTs aim is to
achieve behavioural transformation, to break the cycle of genderbased violence and to create a healthy functioning community.
It has become a national demonstration site as its staff work in
schools, in the community, on social entrepreneurial projects and in
the justice institutions. With the PBIS AFRICA and ADAPT partnership
the aim is continued growth in implementing community driven
projects as the model has been tried and tested not only in Alex, but
also in the Eastern Horn and SADC regions.

PBIS AFRICA NEWSLETTER | 2013

@ HIGHLANDS NORTH
BOYS We launched the Rise
Above Rape campaign,
rapped, recited poetry, and
learnt from offenders @
Zonderwater - Oh! What a
year

@ VULEKA We swam, learnt,

made music, and prayed

@ H.A.JACK we
danced, sang and
performed at our
year-end concert
liberating

PBIS AFRICA NEWSLETTER | 2013

FAST FACT
A good number of the matriculants at
Highlands North Boys High School
gained confidence to start their own
enterprises, while others began to
artistically express themselves, a vibrant
studying culture emerged, and scores of
others have found potential professional
opportunities.
At H.A. Jack Primary school learners
initiated their own Afrikaans study
groups, while parents at the school
began to take active interest in the
school activities.

Our Partners: Our work at H.A. Jack

Primary and Highlands North Boys High
School was supported by Community Assisting
Schools (CAS) and Charities Unlimited.

What we offer
Talks/Workshops for parents/guardians
Parents/Guardians are given opportunities through workshops
to help gain understanding and skills to help support child's
learning academically, socially and emotionally

School-wide Support for learners

Learners are taught how to take responsibility for their own
behaviour through various value-based skills and social tools

Professional Teacher Development

Teachers learn specific classroom management strategies
that prevent both discipline and instruction problems

Behavioural Support Youth Camps

Learners participate in small group sessions designed to
deepen their understand of how to define and develop prosocial values, become more intentional about their education
and future

ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Professor Khalil Osiris is an internationally recognized expert
on restorative justice practices and cognitive behavioral
personal change. An American author and educator who spent
20 years of his life in prison, Professor Osiris earned his
bachelors and masters degrees from Boston University while
there. He transformed his life and emerged from prison with a
deep understanding of how to use personal crisis and
challenges as opportunities for self-improvement. In 2011
Professor Osiris launched PBIS AFRICA in South Africa and in
2013 established Vuleka School in Johannesburg as its
National Demonstration School Site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: TEL: 082 669 4064 FAX: 086 619 3386 EMAIL: contact@pbisafrica.org WEBSITE: www.pbisafrica.org