Dear Parents of Dragons,
I have the honor of working with your kindergarten, 2nd grade, and 4th grade students this year. I’ll see your students twice a month for 40 minutes to lay the foundation for the Social Emotional Learning skills they’ll be building on throughout their lives. I use research-based, evidence-based classroom and small group curricula that are aligned with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Mindsets and Behaviors for Student Success and also with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) framework.
My favorite lessons have been designed by The Responsive Counselor and Counselor Keri, but I also use other district approved resources such as Zones of Regulation. Per CASEL, SEL instruction is most effective when it follows the SAFE framework, which is:
Sequenced: Activities should be coordinated and connected to build on each other.
Active: Learning should be active, allowing participants to practice and master new skills.
Focused: Instruction should intentionally focus on developing specific SEL competencies.
Explicit: The specific skills being taught and targeted should be clearly defined.
Do you have any questions about the skills your students are building? Please contact me at thalia.papadakis@rrps.net.
Sincerely,
Thalia Papadakis, MEd, NCC, NCSC
Counselor of Dragons