Click on the 2/3 Parent Letter link to take a peek at some of the social emotional topics that your child will be learning this year! This is only a partial listing because there are more offerings from ELL team members, the Counseling Department, Special Education staff, and classroom teachers.
Looking for books to read with your child at home to support our social emotional learning? Click the Book List link for suggestions!
These lessons will help students learn classroom and school-wide routines. They'll also teach students about the Hastings community, and the important role they play in their classroom and the school. There will be many opportunities to get to know their classmates and teachers through games and activities. These lessons will occur mostly at the beginning of the year, but will be revisited throughout the school year as needed.
The Zones of Regulation is a systematic, cognitive approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and the states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones (green, yellow, red, and blue). The Zones framework provides strategies and tools to teach students to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, manage their sensory needs, and improve their ability to problem solve conflicts.
A growth mindset is the belief that we can learn anything with support, hard work, and thoughtful strategic instruction. In other words, you are in control of your own ability, and can learn and improve. Growth mindset teaches about optimism, resilience, persistence, flexibility, and empathy.
Executive Functioning skills refer to the skills needed to plan, set goals, and accomplish tasks. Other areas affected by executive functioning skills are paying attention, thinking flexibly, perspective taking, and regulating emotions. Teachers will teach strategies to help students develop these skills both in academic and social settings.
While these lessons may be focused around Martin Luther King, and his holiday in January, many of the activities and lessons employed, can be used at any point to reinforce to students the importance of the lessons that MLK teaches us.
Students can benefit from explicit instruction in how to manage issues and problems when working with their peers in groups during the school day. Working on projects, assignments, or even playing at recess can be topics covered during these lessons. Friendship issues can also arise throughout the school year. Direct instruction in how to solve problems, include others, and manage relationships can help students be more independent during these times.
Perspective taking refers to the ability to see others' point of view or understand others' thoughts and feelings. These skills are very important for students' functioning both in the classroom and in working and playing with others.
Teaching problem solving skills help students become more independent when problems and issues arise in the classroom or at recess. These skills include apologizing, taking responsibility for their actions, and listening to others. Having these skills will promote self composure and self esteem in our students and allow them to overcome obstacles.
Including others is a priority and expectation at Hastings. Our school motto is "Everyone Learns, Everyone Belongs." These skills will help children to both join groups and will teach kids how to accept their peers into groups in class and on the playground.
Everyone is different and unique! We want to promote the idea that everyone has differences that make them special and that should be shared and celebrated. This is reflected in our community and our classroom curriculum. Children are encouraged to share their own experiences and recognize their peers' distinct qualities.