We are excited to share our new Bus Middos Program – וְהָלַכְתָּ בִּדְרָכָיו/Mensch on the Bench!
The goal of this program is to help our students act safely and with דֶרֶךּ אֶרֶץ on the bus.
Please explain to your child(ren) how the program works, so they are familiar with it before the first day of Yeshiva. It will be logistically difficult to explain the program once the students are seated on the bus, so it would be extremely beneficial for the students to understand the system beforehand. Of course, our bus monitors will be reviewing it with the children as well.
וְהָלַכְתָּ בִּדְרָכָיו/ Mensch on the Bench takes a positive reinforcement approach to promote safe and appropriate behavior on the bus. Children will be rewarded for following the Bus Expectations.
A poster with the Bus Expectations will be put up in the front and back of each bus.
There are 5 Expectations:
1. We follow ALL instructions of the bus driver and bus monitor.
*Please note that if your child reports an issue/misunderstanding/concern he/she had with a monitor or driver, please communicate with Rabbi Zohn directly at [email protected]. If you personally have an issue/misunderstanding/concern with a monitor or driver, please communicate with Rabbi Zohn directly. We ask that you do not confront the monitor or driver directly.
2. We stay in our assigned seat at all times. (Every child will have an assigned seat, which we reserve the right to change if we deem necessary. Children may not be in the aisle or standing on the benches.)
3. We eat before boarding the bus. We drink only water on the bus. (Crumbs/sticky messes attract rodents/insects. Please ensure your child eats breakfast before boarding the bus).
4. We keep our hands and feet to ourselves.
5. We use appropriate and respectful language.
See below for the Mensch on the Bench Rewards:
A. The bus monitor will choose a few students daily to receive the Mensch on the Bench award. The students receiving the award were able to meet the 5 Bus Expectations the day before (on the ride to and from school). The winners will receive a special Mensch token from the bus monitor. This token will be given to Mrs. Riesel right after getting off the bus, to be redeemed for a small prize that will be given to the students before they go to class. We will also send out נַחַת emails to the proud parents!
B. Each week, the bus monitor will pick two students to receive the וְהָלַכְתָּ בִּדְרָכָיו – Mensch on the Bench Award for keeping the Bus Expectations that week. The winners will receive a special treat and ALSO be entered into a raffle at the end of each month for great prizes!
C. There will also be a competition for “Bus of the Month”. Every day, the bus monitors will give a “thumbs-up” to Mrs. Riesel if the overall behavior on the bus was satisfactory on the way to and from school (for a total of 2 thumbs-ups per day). The bus with the most “thumbs-up” at the end of the month will win “Bus of the Month” for that month. Their bus will display a “Bus of the Month” magnet on both sides of the vehicle. In addition, every student on that bus will receive a prize of their choosing from our Bus of the Month Prize Catalog!
Bus of the Month Catalog:
1. The catalog can be accessed in advance by clicking on Prize Catalog. The catalog is still in the process of being updated and many more prizes will be added.
2. If your child’s bus wins “Bus of the Month”, please send an email to [email protected]
Entertainment on the Bus:
We will be providing several options to help our students stay occupied and engaged on the bus. The following will be provided: Coloring sheets/activities with colored pencils; Top Trumps cards and similar travel games; Rubiks cubes and other fidget toys.
If your child would like to use electronics, please only send them with devices that do not have internet capabilities. Please contact us with any questions. We will decide if the electronic game is approved on a case-by-case basis.
We are working on creating a list of what each child enjoys doing on the bus. Please email us at [email protected]
