ROAR

Roanoke City Schools

Principal, Mrs. Tena Musick

Superintendent, Mr. Greg Foster

The ROAR program at Knight Enloe Elementary School (KES) was created using the Foundations principles taught through Safe and Civil Schools. KES used STOIC: Structure, Teach, Observe, Interact, Correct, to change adult behavior and create a more positive school climate.  Arrival, dismissal, attendance, and tardiness were targeted areas. The team used ROAR (Respect Others, Own Your Behavior, Achieve Goals, Ready to Learn) to develop consistent behavior expectations and vocabulary for the school’s common areas. They created a matrix for each area defining student and adult expectations, all geared to ROAR guidelines.  Posters with these expectations were posted throughout the school. The team developed lesson plans to specifically teach these behavior expectations to students, using a specified timeline. Positive interactions and active supervision were emphasized. To improve attendance and decrease tardiness, KES began a school-wide Morning Meeting, including a prize wheel. Two present and punctual students were drawn from each grade to spin the prize wheel. This decreased tardiness in 2020 by 61%. The Covid pandemic required changes to the school procedures, including conducting the Morning Meeting virtually, with daily themes to increase engagement, and having all meals delivered to classrooms. KES purchased the PikMyKid dismissal program which allowed students to dismiss from classrooms instead of a group common area. Students and staff embraced the ROAR program, which transformed the atmosphere of Knight Enloe to a more positive climate.