W.E.B.
Where Everybody Belongs (W.E.B.) is a national program utilized by our school and is designed to orient incoming sixth graders to the OIS community. It provides an awesome beginning to a new school and a new year.
WEB day is facilitated by staff members and a group of appointed eighth-grade leaders. These leaders provide leadership and guidance through a variety of meaningful activities. These activities are designed to build friendships, identify procedures and dispel myths. A guided tour and a variety of interactive experiences allow the incoming sixth graders to walk away from this day with a greater comfort and readiness for their first days at OIS.
Beyond the first days of school, WEB provides additional networking support, opportunities for social interaction and classroom activities related to social issues. The goal of the program is to create a positive community where EveryBody feels Welcome!
What is a WEB Leader?
WEB Leaders are incoming eighth graders who will be mentors and role models for our incoming sixth graders. WEB Leader's communication skills, leadership potential, responsibility, and personality have helped them succeed in the middle school environment, and the lessons they have learned should be shared to help others succeed. If this is you, we would like for you to be involved in our program. You will have a tremendous influence on the students you work with and will learn many valuable leadership skills in the process. Plus, it will be fun!What does a WEB Leader do?
WEB Leaders are trained to work with the incoming sixth-grade class and other new students who enter OIS in fall. The WEB Leaders help facilitate activities at the sixth-grade orientation. At the orientation, each WEB Leader works with a small group of sixth-graders and will be asked to help that group during the first week of school with any challenges they may face. Periodically during the school year, WEB Leaders meet again with their student groups to touch base, offer guidance, and plan social activities. We know that the more contact a sixth-grader has with his/her WEB Leader the more successful the sixth-grader will be.How are WEB Leaders selected?
Initially, applications are screened based upon quality and content of essays. Recommending teachers will then assist in assembling the best applicants to be our WEB Leaders.Check with the office regarding application due dates, generally scheduled sometime in May.
What's required to be a WEB leader?
Attending meetings is mandatory for all selected leaders. Others First hours are applied to all WEB activities. Is there more content to WEB than the orientation?
WEB arranges for several follow-up lessons throughout the year. Two or three of the following lessons are taught by trained WEB leaders based on need (to be determined by the sixth-grade core teachers).- Cooperation: To help students understand the importance of cooperation and understand that working with others can be challenging, yet rewarding.
- Creativity: To help students see the possibility of having fun and being creative without relying on others to entertain them.
- Sportsmanship & Positive Attitude: To help students understand the importance of being a good sport and maintaining a positive attitude.
- Stress and Anger Management: To provide students with some awareness of where stress and anger come from, as well as some methods of dealing with it effectively.
- Study Skills: To give students insight about studying well and give them some tools to help them study more effectively.
- Rumors: To teach students that talking about someone or saying things that you might know are untrue is not good for anyone.
- Lift Ups: To understand that words can hurt and once said, they cannot be taken back. Hurtful words can build up and pull us down.
- The Power of Questions: To encourage students to feel comfortable asking questions and to help them gain the skill to ask the question which will provide the best information.