Katy Weller

At Monte Vista TK-8 School, creating a welcoming environment where students feel supported, respected and ready to learn is part of the everyday experience. For fourth-grade teacher Katy Weller, that means building classroom community, celebrating positive choices and helping students develop the skills they need to succeed.

Weller has been part of the Monte Vista community for 10 school years. She earned her bachelor's degree, teaching credential and master's degree at California State University, Monterey Bay, where she completed her student teaching at Monte Vista. After returning to the school following her first year of student teaching, she taught second and fifth grades before finding her current home in fourth grade.

“I think we've really created a sense of community here at Monte Vista,” Weller said.

As the school's Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) lead for the past six school years, Weller helps coordinate efforts to create a positive school climate and ensure students receive the support they need to thrive academically, socially and emotionally.

In Weller's classroom, the day begins with community circles, where students share stories from their weekends, interesting facts or other things happening in their lives. The conversations help students get to know one another and build relationships.

The class also establishes shared respect agreements and uses small incentives to recognize positive behavior and participation.

Monte Vista's schoolwide PBIS approach includes a variety of ways to celebrate students' efforts. Students can earn Blue Jay Bucks, participate in weekly drawings and receive positive office referrals that qualify them for special celebrations. Students can also save their Blue Jay Bucks to participate in activities such as field games and movie events.

In Weller's classroom, students earn blue tickets that are entered into daily drawings for erasable ink pens. Friday drawings offer additional prizes, while one student earns the opportunity to sit in the classroom's special Blue Jay chair the following week.

While the rewards are fun, Weller said their impact goes beyond the prizes.

“They really create the kids' accountability and wanting to learn and participate,” she said. “It's fun how something so little can mean so much to them.”

Monte Vista's approach reinforces the school's three Rs: Respectful, Responsible and Ready to Learn. By consistently teaching students what those expectations look and sound like, educators help make positive behavior part of the school's culture.

PBIS is about more than recognizing positive choices. It also provides a framework for identifying students who may need additional support and connecting them with appropriate interventions.

For students who need help meeting behavioral or social-emotional goals, Monte Vista may use a check-in/check-out system. Students connect with a trusted adult, establish goals for the day and receive regular feedback and opportunities to reset.

Students who need more intensive support may receive additional services, including help from the school psychologist, individualized behavior plans or lessons focused on specific skills.

Weller said staff members use data to monitor progress and determine whether interventions should be adjusted, increased or gradually reduced as students become more successful.

The school's PBIS and MPUSD’s Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) handbook also helps teachers and families better understand the support available to students.

The goal is to create an environment where students feel connected to caring adults, have opportunities to develop new skills and can get the help they need to succeed.

Creating a safe and welcoming campus also means helping students build positive relationships and learn how to navigate conflicts.

Weller said bullying prevention is an important part of Monte Vista's PBIS efforts. Students participate in anti-bullying lessons through Second Step, while schoolwide activities and discussions reinforce the importance of treating others with respect.

When conflicts arise, staff members may use restorative conferences to help students understand what happened, work through problems and learn to advocate for themselves.

These conversations help students recognize their own feelings, consider the perspectives of others and develop problem-solving skills they can carry beyond the classroom.

“Having the kids realize that they're not alone in their feelings is, I think, another big thing about PBIS too,” Weller said.

Weller's commitment to supporting students began long before she became a teacher. She started helping care for children when she was 12 and eventually realized that teaching was the right career for her.

Today, one of her favorite parts of the job is watching students become excited about what they are learning. Through classroom inquiry, students ask questions and help shape their learning experiences.

For Weller, the most rewarding moments happen when students make connections and suddenly understand a new concept.

“You see the light bulb go off and they're like, ‘Oh, I get it,’” she said. “You can see the sense of accomplishment and just understanding. And that's, I think, my favorite part.”

As PBIS continues to shape Monte Vista's classrooms, playgrounds, clubs and school events, Weller sees it as more than a program. It is part of how the school community works together to help every student feel a sense of belonging and build the skills to learn and grow.

“It's something that's just part of the culture here at our school,” she said.