Throughout the school year, teachers have consistently met to discuss and explore ways to enhance Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) in the classroom. These collaborative conversations have led to the integration of various SEL strategies, including:

• Morning circles, check-ins,
• lessons on empathy,
• Daily positive affirmations during circle time,
• Using the THINK acronym (True, Helpful, Inspiring, Necessary, and Kind),
• WITS acronym (Walk away, Ignore, Talk it out, Seek help),
• “What I Can Control vs. What I Cannot,”
• Mood Meter,
• Role Play to practice situations,
• RULER approach,
• social storytelling,
• student leadership,
• practicing interoception,
• using the Ninja series to teach themes that will assist kids in showing care for themselves, others and the environment

Key role in helping staff stay current and reflective in their SEL practices. In the 2024–2025 school year, there were several dedicated opportunities to support this work:

• Collaboration days where small groups of teachers met to share and develop ideas
• Staff meetings that included time for whole-staff SEL discussions
• Additional release time funded through district-supported SEL inquiry grants

These opportunities fostered meaningful dialogue and continuous growth in SEL implementation across classrooms.