Niji Mahkwa principal Rob Riel poses with WISE Choice award winner – and his brand-new bike.
Students at Niji Mahkwa School know making a WISE Choice can earn them a new bike.
WISE Choice is a behavioural system used at the school, explains principal Rob Riel. Each time throughout the school year a student displays one of four positive behaviours they receive a WISE Choice slip.
“These are the four things we felt as a student body and a staff body that we wanted of our students,” Riel said.
The four behavioural areas are: We are proud, Inspire excellence, Show respect, and Everyone works and plays together (the first letter of each area spells WISE). The students with the most slips at the end of the year each win a new bike. One bike is available for each grade from Nursery to Grade 8, as well as for the top students in Phys-ed and in Language (Cree and Ojibway).
A student excitedly races up to the stage to receive her new bike.
The new bikes were handed out at an awards ceremony at the school on June 13.
“They feel awesome about it, they’re excited and proud,” Riel said of the bike winners. Parents and caregivers were invited to the ceremony to help make the child feel extra special.
Often it’s the children with behavioural issues that tend to receive the most attention, so it’s nice to reward students for good behaviour, he added.
“Every classroom from their Moffat money purchases a bike. The bike is a symbol of the hard work and the student behaviour work expected from all of you students,” Riel said to the students during last week’s presentation. “This is an acknowledgement of the hard work and behaviour we expect from each and every one of you.”
The funds to purchase the bikes come from the Teachers Discretionary Fund, supported by the Moffat Family Fund at The Winnipeg Foundation. This is the fourth year the Wise Choice awards have been handed out.
Students from Niji Mahkwa.
