December Post- SEL Update- Mood Meter

This week we rolled out the Mood Meter, a component of the RULER social-emotional program. The mood meter is a great resource to use within our Responsive Classroom protocol. It provides an interactive way to facilitate and guide morning meetings, post lunch check ins and end of the day closing circles.

“RULER is an evidence-based approach for integrating social and emotional learning into schools, developed at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. RULER applies “hard science” to the teaching of what have historically been called “soft skills.” RULER teaches the skills of emotional intelligence — those associated with recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating emotion.”

The Mood Meter is designed to help students to recognize emotions, in themselves and others, and to develop strategies for regulating those emotions. It provides students with a “language” to talk about our feelings.

Each of the four quadrants represent a different set of feelings. Different feelings are grouped together on the Mood Meter based on their pleasantness and energy level.

Here is a video explaining the mood meter and how it’s used in school:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj6AIczvDhg

We encourage you to create your own Mood Meter at home to facilitate conversations about feelings and regulation. Here are some prompts that we use:

1.How are you feeling?

-What word best describes your feeling?
-Where are you on the mood meter?

2.What happened to make you feel this way?

3.How are you showing your feeling?

4.How do you want to feel? What are you doing to stay or shift?

-What strategy are you using?

YELLOW WORDS OF THE WEEK:

K- excited/ 1- energetic/ 2- interested/ 3- enthusiastic/ 4- engaged/ 5- elated

November Post

This month we have selected two books that celebrate our differences and similarities. Our first book is We are Grateful by Traci Sorrell and Frane Lessac.

“The Cherokee community is grateful for blessings and challenges that each season brings. This is modern Native American life as told by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation.

The word otsaliheliga (oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) is used by members of the Cherokee Nation to express gratitude. Beginning in the fall with the new year and ending in summer, follow a full Cherokee year of celebrations and experiences. Written by a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, this look at one group of Native Americans is appended with a glossary and the complete Cherokee syllabary, originally created by Sequoyah.” https://www.communitybookstore.net/book/9781580897723

We also selected Julian is a Mermaid by Jessica Love to celebrate Trans awareness.

“In an exuberant picture book, a glimpse of costumed mermaids leaves one boy flooded with wonder and ready to dazzle the world.

While riding the subway home from the pool with his abuela one day, Julián notices three women spectacularly dressed up. Their hair billows in brilliant hues, their dresses end in fishtails, and their joy fills the train car. When Julián gets home, daydreaming of the magic he’s seen, all he can think about is dressing up just like the ladies in his own fabulous mermaid costume: a butter-yellow curtain for his tail, the fronds of a potted fern for his headdress. But what will Abuela think about the mess he makes — and even more importantly, what will she think about how Julián sees himself?” https://www.communitybookstore.net/book/9780763690458

October Update

Thank you to all of the families that came to our first Family Friday on 10/11/19. During the event our Kindergarten classes read the book Only One You by Linda Kranz and then painted rocks to reflect their unique strengths. These rocks will be added to our existing rock garden on Sherman Street.

Families in grades 1-5 were introduced to our school’s 3Cs (Being Caring, Curious and Courageous). Students completed a 3Cs promise sheet that identified areas that they would like to work on this year. And then they worked on a family promise that will work to build a 3Cs bridge between school and home.

Social Emotional update

October is Bullying Prevention month. Our students have been discussing ways to identify bullying, get help and be an upstander. Through stories and videos, students have been engaging in activities that will help them to better understand how they can be both caring and courageous if they witness or experience bullying.

Our K classes are reading the book, One by Kathryn Otoshi. https://www.communitybookstore.net/book/9780972394642

Grades 1- 5 are reading I am Enough by Grace Byers. https://www.communitybookstore.net/book/9780062667120