Regulate and Return Room

Welcome to our Regulate and Return room at Santiago! Here, you will find a safe and private space for students and staff members to regulate mentally, physically, and emotionally.

As educators, we know that students cannot learn if their brains or bodies are not calm and focused. Students walk through our doors everyday having had a variety of experiences outside of school. Some of these experiences can stay with them through their emotions, energy levels, and attitudes. Additionally, classrooms are full of intense sensory input (bright lights, screens and devices, loud sounds, and different smells). All of these factors including experiences, conflict, peer interactions, health, sleep, academic stress and sensory input can lead a student to become dysregulated. When students become dysregulated, they are no longer able to process all the input our brains receive in a day. Their neurological pathways become jammed up and must be cleared before their brain can engage in learning and absorb new information. They need help to get unjammed, calm, and refocused. We noticed a need for a safe space for our students to learn how to regulate - enter the Regulate and Return room!

Students can use the R & R resources and tools, with the support of staff members, to identify dysregulation & emotions, co-regulate, and reset their brain and body so that they are in a “just right” state & their brain can use energy for learning. The room can also be used during a crisis as a safe and confidential space for student support.

Have a lot of energy? Try some jumps on our trampoline or challenge yourself on the stepping stones!

Need some space to calm down? Take a seat on a bean bag chair and use a fidget or practice some breathing exercises!

Have a lot of big emotions? Use the mood meter and a journal to get in touch with exactly how you’re feeling.

Check out some of our Regulation Rock Stars modeling the different tools in the R&R: