Social Emotional Learning

Every human being has social emotional needs that need to be met in order to be their best self. We are committed to implementing the anchors of social emotional learning from Yale University’s RULER methodology.  

Classroom Charter

Each classroom will establish a charter naming how students want to feel at school, the actions they will display to feel that way, and how they will respond if they aren’t feeling the way they want to feel.   Our teachers also create a charter each year to support adult social emotional needs in our building!

Mood Meter

Students use this tool to recognize their current mood and plot it on a chart to create a visual representation of how each person in the class is feeling.  The mood meter is used in community time to teach students strategies to move from quadrants of unpleasantness to high pleasantness or low energy to higher energy.  Teachers also provide a digital mood meter through an app that allows students to plot their mood, identify the feeling word associated with the mood, identify how they want to feel, and choose a strategy to begin feeling that way.   Teachers use the staff mood meter in meetings as a signal to others about how they are feeling. 

Meta Moment

Students take a meta moment when they have a feeling and want to immediately react.  In this moment, the visualize their best self in that situation and use self talk to behave in a way that reflects their best self.  Teachers practice taking meta moments throughout the day when in stressful situations, too!

We also have a strong student support team that gives students a safe place to regulate their emotions and behaviors throughout the school day, minimizing time away from the classroom and developing self-awareness and self-regulation skills.  

Our staff spends time focusing on our own social emotional needs through the practices of self-care that exist in our personal lives.  We firmly believe that our adults must be well cared for in order for our children to be well cared for.