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  • About SEL
    • About SEL
    • How SEL Makes a Difference
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    • School Based Programming >
      • Life Skills Education
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      • Winter 2017 Newsletter
      • Fall 2017 Newsletter
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      • 2018-2019 Impact Report
      • Winter 2019 Newsletter
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Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

1/20/2021

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“I am convinced that men hate each other because they fear each other. They fear each other because they don’t know each other, and they don’t know each other because they don’t communicate with each other, and they don’t communicate with each other because they are separated from each other.” -Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Cornell College, 1962.

Monday was Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and it’s celebrated as a day on, not a day off, for many people. It’s a day of action and service to achieve King’s dream. Below are resources to help you think about the role race plays in your life and in society, resources for how to be anti-racist, and resources to cope with racial trauma.

Questions to ask ourselves about race:
1. How many people whose race or ethnic identity is different from your own are you friends with?
2. How many people whose race or ethnic identity is different from your own live in your neighborhood?
3. Do you have conversations about race or ethnicity with your friends, family, or with people whose race or ethnic identity is different from your own?
4. What role does power play in determining our cultural spaces?
5. What commitments can you make this year to try to listen to and understand a person or people you fear or don’t know?
6. What commitments can you make this year to actively be anti-racist?

Coping Skills for Racial Trauma:
  • Taking part in activism against racial injustice
  • Finding a supportive community that understands racial trauma
  • Self-care practices (healthful nutrition, exercise, etc.)
  • Avoiding relationships, when possible, with people who dismiss the seriousness of racial trauma
  • Identifying racial trauma triggers and avoiding them during times of intense stress
  • Going on a limiting media “diet” to avoid images of racial abuse
  • Identifying racial microaggressions and roleplaying how or when to respond
Coping with Racial Trauma

Ways to Be Anti-Racist:
  • Hold your friends and family accountable. 
  • Attend workshops, events, conferences, and protests that focus on race-related issues. 
  • Diversify your knowledge and check your information bias. 
  • Engage in race and ethnicity courses through different departments. 
  • Have intentional conversations with peers, friends, co-workers, etc. with respect to each other’s boundaries. 
  • Learn with humility. 
  • Support the work, art, and businesses of people of color. 
  • Become involved in organizations that support racial justice issues. 
  • Avoid usage of stereotypical and normalized, micro-aggressive comments (10-ways to Be Anti-Racist)
10 Keys to Everyday Anti-Racism
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How to respond to Trauma and Violence

1/7/2021

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In recognition of the trauma caused by yesterday’s violence at the US Capitol and continued unrest we want to provide resources that may help you for your response. 

In Caring for Students in the Wake of a Traumatic News Event, Evie Blad writes about 4 things, we as adults and educators can do right now:
  • Identify your own feelings.
    • We have to take time to process our own feelings and understand the effects they have on students’/children's’ emotional stability. Even children who aren’t following the news or are too young to understand, absorb stress from parents and teachers. It’s okay to say “I don’t have the answers."
  • Investigate students’ emotions without assumptions. 
    • When Bad Things Happen- Help kids navigate our sometimes-violent world- Includes Psychological First Aid- simple steps to promote healing in the face of community violence
  • Provide students a space to share their responses.
    • Adapt for remote instruction
  • Seize teachable moments.
    • How to Talk to Kids About Difficult Subjects - How to’s separated by age group
    • Contentious Elections and the Peaceful Transition of Power- eLesson for students from the Bill of Rights Institute
Please know that we are here to support you in any way we can.
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Holiday Celebrations Around the World

12/30/2020

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The month of December, the last month of the year can be considered “the world of holidays.” Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, and Omisoka are holiday traditions celebrated during the month of December. Christmas is celebrated in North America, Australia, England, Iceland, and more. In North America, Christmas is a religious holiday in the Christian faith as the historical celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ; or Christmas is a cultural holiday celebrated with Christmas trees, visits from Santa Clause, and dreams of snow. In Australia, Christmas falls during the summer months, where popular traditions involve going to the beach or camping. In England, Christmas traditions are similar to those in the United States, rather they leave mince pies and brandy for Father Christmas instead of milk and cookies for Santa Clause. In Iceland, their capital city turns into a winter wonderland and Yule Lads (like thirteen Santas) leave small gifts in shoes every night for thirteen nights before Christmas.
Click here for pictures of how Christmas is celebrated around the world.
 


Hanukkah, or Chanukah, is an eight-day Jewish celebration that commemorates the re-dedication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem following the Maccabean Revolt. Those who took part in the re-dedication witnessed that even though there was only enough untainted oil to keep the menorah’s candles burning for a single day, the flames continued to burn for eight nights. Also known as the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah celebrations revolve around lighting the menorah. On each of the holiday’s eight nights, another candle is added to the menorah after sundown. The ninth candle, called the shamash (“helper”), is used to light the others. Typically, blessings are recited and traditional Hanukkah foods such as potato pancakes (latkes) and jam-filled donuts (sufganiyot) are fried in oil. Other Hanukkah customs include playing with dreidels and exchanging gifts.
Learn more about Hanukkah by clicking here. 


The name Kwanzaa comes from the phrase “matunda ya kwanza” which means “first fruits” in Swahili. Each family celebrates Kwanzaa in its own way, but celebrations often include songs and dances, African drums, storytelling, poetry reading, and a large traditional meal. On each of the seven nights, families gather, and a child lights one of the candles on the Kinara; then one of the seven principles, values of African culture, is discussed. An African feast, called a Karamu, is held on December 31.
Click here to learn more about Kwanzaa. 


Boxing Day takes place on December 26, is a tradition that still happens in some places; it was the day when the alms box, collection boxes for the poor often kept in churches, were opened and their content distributed. It was also the day off servants were given to celebrate Christmas with their families. Boxing Day has now become a public holiday in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and other countries. In England, soccer matches and horse races often take place on Boxing Day. The Irish refer to the holiday as St. Stephen’s Day, and they have their own tradition called hunting the wren, in which boys fasten a fake wren to a pole and parade it through town. The Bahamas celebrate Boxing Day with a street parade and festival called Junkanoo.
To learn more about Boxing Day click here.


Ōmisoka, New Year’s Eve, is considered the second-most important day in Japanese culture, as it is the final day of the old year and the eve of New Year’s Day, the most important day of the year. Families gather on Ōmisoka for one last time in the old year to have a bowl of toshikoshi-soba or toshikoshi-udon, a tradition based on eating the long noodles to cross over from one year to the next. At midnight, many visit shrines or temples for Hatsumōde. Shinto shrines prepare amazake to pass out to crowds and most Buddhist temples have large cast bells that are struck once for each of the 108 earthly desires believed to cause human suffering. 
Learn more about
Ōmisoka here. ​
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Look on the Bright Side Day!

12/17/2020

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"Look on the bright side" is a phrase coined to tell people to be cheerful and optimistic despite difficulties they may be facing throughout the day. Being optimistic all the time is difficult, especially when we are coping with tragedies, yet this phrase aims to push us forward and look at positive events that have happened to us. To look on the bright side comes with time, when life is difficult, remaining optimistic is hard, but by remembering to “look on the bright side” you are reminding yourself that this isn't forever and it will pass. Making sure to maintain a positive attitude is known to benefit in the following ways - increased life span, lower rates of depression, lower levels of distress, greater resistance to the common cold, better psychological and physical well being, reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and better-coping skills during hardships and times of stress.

Below are resources for increasing your ability to think more positively:

  • 9 Positive Thinking Strategies for Kids
  • 15 Positive Thinking Exercises
  • 19 Positive Psychology Exercises to Do With Students
  • Two Simple Exercises to Help You Think More Positively
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Human Rights

12/9/2020

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In 1948, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The adoption of this document is now observed every December 10, commonly known as Human Rights Day.

Typically, those who experience discrimination belong to the targeted group of one or more of the following groups -- age, disability, sexual orientation, status as a parent, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual harassment, and race, color, and sex.

There are eight ways that a individual may use to fight and prevent discrimination.
  • Learning, recognizing, assessing, and understanding your own privilege is the first way to prevent discrimination.
  • Examining your own biases and considering where they may have originated will help you understand your own implicit bias.
  • Practice empathy through validation of experiences and feelings of all discriminated groups.
  • Challenge the “colorblind” ideology!
  • Call out discriminatory “jokes” and statements.
  • Research and uncover how your company or school accommodates and expands opportunities for these discriminated groups.
  • Be thoughtful and resourceful with your finances.
  • Lastly, adopt an intersectional approach in all aspects of your life.

Here are some resources to help fight for human rights and against discrimination!
8 Everyday Ways to Fight Racism

Anti-Racism Resources
Recognizing Discrimination Lesson for Grades 3-8
​6 Ways to Stand Behind Your LGBT Students
Fighting Prejudice and Discrimination of Differently Abled People Lesson for Grades 6-12
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Write a Letter!

12/2/2020

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National Letter Writing Day, recognized December 7, is a great opportunity to reconnect with significant people in our lives. Writing provides us with an opportunity to reflect on what we want to say to another before we communicate. Expression through writing is a way to commit thoughts to paper, making the thought process visible, while the writer is your own audience. Expressive writing is known to have professional and social benefits -- an obvious reason for integrating writing in Social-Emotional Learning is the fact that writing is the foundation of academic communication and professionalism. 
Writing letters promotes mindfulness by requiring thought which encourages you to slow down and focus on what you are trying to communicate. Writing generates self-reflection which allows your mind to focus on the content of the letter-- provides time to think about your job, relationships, hobbies, or whatever the topic is of your writing. Some experience writing to be cathartic; expressive writing is considered therapeutic because the core of writing is self-expression. Reasons to practice expressive writing may be clarity of feelings towards a situation, release of negative feelings and thoughts, to share gratitude and positive feelings towards a person or situation, opportunity to say exactly what you need to say, and letting someone know how much they mean to you. The best part about expressive writing is that you decide if you want to share your writing with others, these letters are only for you unless decided otherwise.
 

Writing in the Classroom
Social emotional writing is impactful, freeing, and creates opportunities for defining moments in a student's life. There are multiple tips that should be considered when creating a lesson plan or curriculum that practices social emotional writing. First, a great way to set a foundation for social emotional writing is asking students to analyze and write about the emotions of characters rather than their own emotions. Second, build positive relationships with the students to create a safe space that encourages students to express emotions with those they trust. Use prompts that allow you to focus on skills and behaviors that are specific to the needs of the students allowing students to guide the social emotional writing prompts and topics. It is highly recommended to use expressive writing as a warm-up, rather than graded assignment which allows students to practice low-stakes writing. Always respect student privacy. Cultivate a culture of respect by establishing a zero tolerance for bullying and disrespect; school should be a place where every student feels valued and heard. 

Below are some resources for using SEL in writing:
  • Writing a Letter to Future Self Writing Prompts
  • Building Relationships with K-12 Students Through Letter Writing
  • Writing Prompts that Reinforce SEL


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Repairing Harm: A Better Alternative for Punishment

11/19/2020

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Positive reinforcement is one of the most effective behavior modification techniques. It is important to reward the behavior you want to see more often, rather than focusing on negative actions. Examples of free or low-cost rewards that encourage positive behavior include: clapping and cheering, giving a high five, giving a hug, giving a thumbs-up, and offering a special activity. You may also reward positive behaviors by giving a child extra privileges or tangible rewards. Remember to focus on your child’s efforts and improvement, rather than focusing only on perfect results; if you see them try or if they did better than last time, let them know you notice. The more often praise is offered, the more motivated your child will be to repeat the behavior. The connection between the reinforcement and the behavior will make the positive consequence more memorable and effective. 

Eight alternatives for punishment:

  1. Take a time-out with your child.
  2. Actively show your child that they are heard.
  3. Ask mundane questions.
  4. Connect with your child. 
  5. Provide your child with choices.
  6. Give yourself a time-out before responding.
  7. Teach kids to show – not just say – that they are sorry.
  8. Give your child time along with an expectation. 

In the classroom, reward coupons could be a great way to practice positive reinforcement. Students will be able to earn the opportunity to listen to music on their headphones, be the teacher’s helper for the day, draw on the board for 15 minutes, extra recess, etc.

Here are links to additional resources for alternative punishment:
8 Positive Alternatives to Punishment
Using Positive Reinforcement to Improve Behavior

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Social and Emotional Benefits of Art

11/11/2020

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Literature, visual arts, graphic arts, plastic arts, decorative arts, performing arts, music and architecture are all great examples of different types of art. Each mode of expression uses skill or imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others.

We believe children who are exposed to creative and artistic outlets and have the ability to explore and participate with such activities, perform better at reading, writing, and math; develop self-confidence and self-esteem; boost self-reliance; and increase empathy and compassion. Art is believed to help children and young adults build confidence, encourages empathy and acceptance of differences, allows opportunity for free expression, encourages creativity, and builds problem-solving skills.

Art allows children and young adults to explore emotions using different colors; using colors to explore emotions creates the opportunity to discuss and identify feelings and use shades and tones to express the intensity of those feelings.

Just the act of working on crafts allows for the chance of multiple skill development such as -- planning, patience, following directions, fine motor skills, problem-solving, focus, and perseverance.

​Art can be used as a tool to help students and adults calm themselves whenever they are stressed; mindful coloring is simple and creates a positive outlet to manage emotions.

Click this link to find some great art activities for Social and Emotional Learning.
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International Stress Awareness Day

11/4/2020

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Everyone experiences stress – stress is a normal part of being a person – but learning healthy ways to cope can help reduce stressful feelings and symptoms.

Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress
  • Take care of yourself. – eat healthy, exercise on a regular basis, get plenty of sleep, give yourself a break
  • Talk to others. – share your feelings and challenges with a parent, friend, counselor, doctor,
  • Take a break. - take a break from social media, take a walk around the block.

Tips for Parents
  •  Just by maintaining the time children wake up and go to bed at regular times may create a sense of stability. Being involved in after-school activities may provide children with stability and extra support.
  •  Listen to your child’s thoughts and feelings and share some of yours; create opportunities for your children to talk and encourage expression, but do not force them.
  • Watch and listen to your child and be alert for any change in behavior.
  • Reassure your child about his or her safety, security, and well-being.
  • Talk to other parents and your child’s teacher about ways to help your child cope with stress.

Tips for Kids and Teens
  • Talk to and stay connected to others. – parents or other relatives, friends, teachers, coach, family doctor, call a crisis intervention or national hotline
  • Get active. – go for a walk, play sports, play a musical instrument, join an after-school program, volunteer with a community group of common interest
  • Take care of yourself. – try to get plenty of sleep, eat healthy, exercise, and keep a routine.
  • Take breaks.

Tips for School Personnel
  • Create opportunities for children to talk and try asking them questions.
  • Watch and listen; be alert for any change in behavior.
  • Maintain normal routines in the classroom, this will create stability for students experiencing stress.
  • Take care of yourself. – eat healthy, exercise on a regular basis, get plenty of sleep, give yourself a break
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More Halloween-Themed SEL Resources

10/28/2020

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Halloween is just around the corner, this Saturday! If applicable, please use the following activities and
resources to integrate Social and Emotional Learning within the classroom. Each of these activities are directed towards Halloween, and offer activities to lead discussions towards problem solving, mindfulness, recognizing emotions, decision making, and discerning the difference between appropriate and inappropriate behaviors.

For elementary school students:

Trick or Treat Behavior Sort Activity: Decision-Making & Self-Management
  • Have students group behaviors under “trick” or “treat.” “Trick” behaviors are inappropriate; “treat” behaviors are appropriate.
  • Examples of behaviors include: stealing, saying “please”, yelling, holding the door for someone, running in the hall, saying “thank you”, sharing, hitting, working quietly, teasing, following directing, interrupting, raising your hand, taking turns, name calling, giving a compliment, listening, etc.
  • Print a list of behaviors and cut them into strips of paper. Students will then be able to take turns placing behaviors under the correct column.

Spider Emotions Matching Game: Identifying Emotions
  • This game requires kids to predict what a certain circumstance or action would cause a spider to feel, so it is best to use it to reinforce the concepts with children who already have an emotional vocabulary.
  • You can download the template for the Spider Emotions matching game cards, but it requires a free subscription to the weekly newsletter.
Spider Emotions Matching Game

Halloween Trick or Treat Safety Coloring Book: Mindfulness
  • The link below will allow you to download some Halloween Safety coloring pages. Print them off and let your child be mindful when coloring in the picture. These coloring pages are not COVID-friendly, so please be mindful when using them.
Halloween Safety Book

​
For Middle-High School Students:
​

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