Social-Emotional Learning

What is Social-Emotional Learning?

Social-Emotional Learning or SEL for short, is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. 

Who teaches SEL?

Social-Emotional Learning can happen all throughout the day. Our school staff tries to integrate SEL throughout the day and within those teachable moments, but the classroom teachers and school counselors teach the district-wide curriculum. 

Tiered Levels of Support

Social-emotional learning is provided in three levels of support by the school counselors. 

Tier 1 (Core Instruction): All of the students in our schools receive school-wide SEL lessons in the classroom setting from the school counselors. Topics may include:

Tier 2 (Targeted Small Group Instruction): If students show they need additional support for behavior or emotional regulation, our school counselors can offer small group counseling to help them learn the skills they may need to achieve educational success. 

Tier 3 (Intensive Individual Intervention): Sometimes, students may need individualized interventions beyond the instructional opportunities in Tier 1 or Tier 2. In these instances, school counselors can provide short-term individual counseling services or help families find community resources for long-term or more intensive counseling services.  

Mrs. Luna hosting Kindness Week at Miller
Joshua Elementary students made a kindness chain to remind others to be kind
Sunnydale Counselors and students spread kindness to the community
Mrs. Leroy at Monte Vista shared about kindness in the classroom

What SEL Curriculum is used in Lancaster School District?

Kelso's Choice is a conflict resolution curriculum taught by the school counselors in our elementary schools. Kelso helps our students determine if they have a small problem that they can handle using one of Kelso's nine choices or if it is a big problem that requires an adult's help.

Examples of Small Problems: 

Second Step is an SEL program that strengthens students' social-emotional skills and helps create a supportive school climate. Second Step is taught by the classroom teachers on a weekly basis throughout all of our Elementary and Middle Schools.

Elementary Program Units:                             Middle School Program Units:

WonderGrove provides animated videos that helps prepare children for the daily challenges of life both inside and outside of the school. These videos are used in our TK-2nd Grade Classroom to reinforce the previously taught SEL lessons or to introduce additional topics.