Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
What is social-emotional learning?
Social-emotional learning (SEL) helps children understand and manage their emotions, build positive relationships, and make good decisions. For elementary school students, SEL teaches skills like empathy, self-control, and teamwork, which are important for getting along with others and handling challenges. In the classroom, kids might work on activities that help them recognize their feelings, practice problem-solving, and set goals. By learning these skills, children can improve their behavior, build better friendships, and feel more confident both in and out of school. SEL supports their overall well-being and helps them become more successful both academically and socially.
How do Westlawn staff members teach SEL to students?
Grade-level classroom teachers will be using a program called Second Step to deliver developmentally-appropriate, comprehensive lessons about SEL topics during Morning Meeting. Families are encouraged to support students' learning outside of school by talking with their children about the weekly SEL topic. Informational handouts in various languages will be sent home in Thursday folders to support families in exploring social-emotional learning together at home.
Introduction Letter for Families to Second Step Elementary (Grades 1-5)
We want your child to be successful in school and that means supporting and encouraging their whole development. While excelling in academic classes is important, children also need skills to take on learning challenges, make good decisions, manage strong emotions, and get along with others.
This week, we’ll begin Second Step® Elementary, a research-based social-emotional learning program designed to improve children’s social-emotional skills. Second Step skills and concepts are designed to help children both in and out of school. Four units will cover the following:
Growth Mindset & Goal-Setting: Children learn how to pay attention and manage distractions, develop a growth mindset, and apply goal-setting strategies to their social and academic lives.
Emotion Management: Children learn how to identify and label emotions and use emotion management strategies—including stress management for older students—to calm strong feelings.
Empathy & Kindness: Children learn how to recognize kindness and act kindly, have empathy for others and take others’ perspectives, and recognize kind acts and empathy as important elements of building and maintaining relationships.
Problem-Solving: Children learn how to identify and state a problem, recognize if a problem is an accident, and use the STEP problem-solving process:
- S: Say the problem
- T: Think of solutions
- E: Explore the outcomes
- P: Pick a solution
You’ll receive weekly communications from your child’s teacher to help you reinforce Second Step language, skills, and goals at home. If you have any questions about Second Step Elementary, please don’t hesitate to contact me or your child’s teacher for more information. Thank you for your support as we work to build a safe and supportive school community.
Introduction Letter for Families to Second Step Elementary (Grades 6-8)
We want your child to be successful in school, and that means supporting and encouraging their whole development. While excelling in academic classes is important, students also need skills for learning challenges, making good decisions, handling strong emotions, and getting along with others.
This week, we'll begin Second Step® Middle School, a research-based social-emotional learning program designed to improve students' social-emotional skills, such as emotion management, impulse control, problem solving, and empathy. Second Step skills and concepts are designed to help students both in and out of school. These include:
Mindsets and Goals: Students learn how to develop a growth mindset and apply research-based goal-setting strategies to their social and academic lives.
Developing a Positive Sense of Self: Students learn to identify their guiding principles, work toward becoming the person they want to be, and learn strategies for building confidence.
Thoughts, Emotions, and Decisions: Students learn how to recognize strong emotions and unhelpful thoughts, and apply strategies to manage their emotions and reduce stress.
Managing Relationships and Social Conflict: Students learn strategies for developing and maintaining healthy relationships, perspective-taking, and dealing with conflict.
If you have any questions about Second Step® Middle School, please don't hesitate to contact me for more information. Thank you for your support as we work to build a safe and supportive school community.