The Toolkit is a collaboration between Josh Sussman, school counselor, Alex Tzelnic, mindfulness director, and our consulting psychologist, Dr. Julia Martin Burch. It is a biweekly newsletter highlighting a simple exercise you can use at home or in the classroom to support our community's social-emotional learning (SEL) and mindfulness efforts.
We will share tried and true practices to expand your toolkit and develop common strategies for nurturing wellness and wisdom amongst our students. These tools will be more effective if you practice them with your child or student before they are needed so that they don't seem forced in the heat of the moment. Below are past issues of the Toolkit so that you can reference them at your leisure.
Volume 04 (2025-2026)
The Toolkit 01: One Deep Breath
Volume 03 (2024-2025)
The Toolkit 17: Expressing Appreciation
The Toolkit 16: Changing Gears
The Toolkit 15: S.C.R.E.W. (Or, How To Deal With A Challenging Situation)
The Toolkit: 14: Awareness Hacks
The Toolkit 13: The Bigger, Better Offer
The Toolkit 10: Waiting Wisely
The Toolkit 09: Positive Reframing
The Toolkit 07: Stoking Curiosity
The Toolkit 06: Skills Coaching
The Toolkit 05: F.A.C.E. Election Day
The Toolkit 04: Effectively Offering Space
The Toolkit 01: Modeling Mindfulness
Volume 02 (2023-2024)
The Toolkit 15: Mental Snapshots
The Toolkit 14: Opposite Action (Part 2)
The Toolkit 13: Opposite Action (Part 1)
The Toolkit 12: Noticing and Naming Emotions
The Toolkit 11: Cold Temperature
The Toolkit 10: Hot Chocolate Breathing and Ladder Breathing
The Toolkit 09: Building Healthy Habits
The Toolkit 07: Changing Chatter
The Toolkit 06: Acts of Kindness
The Toolkit 03: The S.T.O.P Skill
The Toolkit 02: Mindful Coloring
Volume 01 (2022-2023)
The Toolkit 16: Self-Reflection
The Toolkit 15: Plant Journaling
The Toolkit 13: Self Compassion
The Toolkit 12: Modeling Mindfulness
The Toolkit 11: Minding Your Mind
The Toolkit 10: Group Problem Solving
The Toolkit 06: Intention Setting
The Toolkit 05: Savoring the Moment