Funded May 10, 2019It is with immense gratitude that we write this letter thanking you for your gracious donation towards our Donors Choose project. The money that you donated went provided the students at Wilson Focus School with engaging and fun prizes used for positive reinforcement. Research shows that behavior changes when students are provided with positive reinforcement for demonstrating desired behaviors. At Wilson Focus School, we explicitly teach and model the prosocial behaviors that are expected from them at school (be respectful, be responsible, and be safe).
Students receive contingent reinforcement when they demonstrate the expected behaviors such as praise and tangible rewards like mechanical pencils, stickers, keychains, etc. Prior to creating our Donors Choose project, we surveyed the students at Wilson Focus School and asked for feedback on the type of reinforcers they prefer. The prizes that we handed out in the past were often not age appropriate or motivating for some of our older students. Using the feedback from the survey, I was able to shop for prizes that are motivating and age appropriate for all students at Wilson Focus School.
Although students do not receive a tangible prize every time they follow the school expectations, these prizes allow us to reward them for going above and beyond at school. Students love the variety of prizes that we have to offer and are motivated to demonstrate positive behaviors. The prizes that we purchased through your thoughtful donations are helping reinforce the positive behaviors that we want all children and staff to exhibit at Wilson Focus School. Having a positive school culture is an important factor in whether or not students and staff feel safe and valued at school. Thanks to your thoughtfulness, we are able to provide students with a safe and positive school culture that places an emphasis on providing positive consequences for good behavior.”
With gratitude,
Mrs. F.