Intensive Social-Emotional Learning
Our students are unique people with unique experiences, talents, challenges, and social, emotional, and physical lives. By keeping the wholeness of our students in mind, meeting their needs, hearing their voices, and building partnerships with their families and communities, we can ignite their passion for learning.
Work in the area of "student wholeness" takes many forms. For example:
- Schools are supporting students' social and emotional learning, helping them develop confidence, manage stress and emotions, collaborate and negotiate conflict, and make responsible decisions. These are all important skills throughout life, and they support learning across academic areas as well.
- Restorative practices build positive communities based on the premise that open, respectful communication helps reduce conflict. When conflict does occur, restorative practices encourage students to focus not on punishment, but on the harm caused and on ways to repair relationships.
- A range of health and wellness services — from providing free meals to health services and athletics programs — support students physically and mentally so they are able and ready to learn.
- A well-rounded curriculum, with art, world language, technology, and a range of options to meet students interests, along with extracurricular clubs and teams, keeps students engaged and motivated to come to school every day.