Programs
2021-2022 Program Overview
Second Step - Grade K-8
Second Step SEL is research-based, teacher-informed, and classroom-tested to promote the social-emotional development, safety, and well-being of children from Early Learning through Grade 8. https://www.secondstep.org/
Kimochi's - Grade K-5
Allow kids and adults to rapidly and safely explore and translate emotions into root causes that can be dealt with immediately.
Kimochi's a Dream of Ending School Violence https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BIMy7q_mU8#action=share
Teachers Use Kimoch's in the Classroom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y51Rtb2LyAY&feature=youtu.be
The Fourth R - Grade 7,8 and 9
Promoting healthy youth relationships by building the capacity of schools and communities through innovative programming, research, education and consultation.
One Circle Foundation
Girls Circle - Grade 4-12
Aims to counteract social and interpersonal forces that impede girls’ growth and development by promoting an emotionally safe setting and structure within which girls can develop caring relationships and use authentic voices.
https://onecirclefoundation.org/GC.aspx
The Council for Boys and Young Men - Grade 4-12
The Council meets a core developmental need in boys for strong, positive relationships. In this structured environment, boys and young men gain the vital opportunity to address masculine definitions and behaviors and build their capacities to find their innate value and create good lives - individually and collectively!
Zones of Regulation - Grade K-4
The Zones is a systematic, cognitive behavioral approach used to teach others to self-regulate their needs as well as their emotions and impulses in order to meet the demands of the environment and be successful socially. https://www.zonesofregulation.com/index.html
Worry Woos
Go Zen
Yoga and Mindfulness - Grade K-12
Aim for Success Yoga in the School program includes classroom yoga and traditional yoga.
Movement and breathing techniques in these programs are used by school staff in classroom transitions as well as energizing or calming students during class time.
Students also benefit from this program often reporting that yoga has helped them relax both in and outside of school. They use the breathing and movement techniques to manage anger and frustration, calm anxiety before a test, focusing before a big game, and relaxing before bed.
In addition to learning yoga movements and breath control students are also guided through Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction techniques.
Mindfulness practice is ideal for developing awareness for how thoughts, feelings and behaviour affect emotional well being. It trains students to, “Pay attention” and be more deeply present in their body. Rather than dwelling on the past or the future mindfulness helps students focus on the present. Mindfulness gives students a greater sense of control and better stress coping strategies.
Combined these two programs helps students develop body awareness, self regulation as well as control over thought patterns and their resulting feelings and behaviours.
Restorative Justice and Classroom Circles - Grade K-12
Restorative Justice (judicial system use)
Restorative Justice brings persons harmed by crime and the person who harmed them, along with affected family and community members, together in dialogue that aims to build understanding, explore how the crime has impacted those involved, including the community, and develop agreements for what will be done to make things right. The result: truly meaningful justice for all involved. These dialogues take place with participants sitting in circle, so they are sometimes called circle dialogues.
Restorative Practices
Restorative thinking is a significant shift from punishment-oriented thinking. People, including students, who are invited into restorative dialogue or circles, are sometimes confused by the concept of “making things right.” Their default response to the question “What can we do to make things right?” often has to do with punishment. It is said that “children live what they learn.” When what they have learned is that troublesome behavior demands a punishment-oriented response that is how they will live. But restorative practices invite different ways of responding. These new ways must be learned through experience.
Restorative practices cultivate a culture in which everyone feels like they belong. They build a particular sense of community in which every member--students, teacher, parent volunteers, aides--feel that they are seen, heard, and respected. They are also given the unique opportunity to be involved in both sharing their feelings/impact and emotions about an issue or incident and provide direct input into the building a plan to restoring the harm that has been caused.
Classroom Circles
Aim for Success has been conducting restorative circles both in the community and in the schools of Drayton Valley for over 7 years. Classroom circles provide the opportunity to empower students to be part of the solution when issues or incidents occur that have involved the whole class. They give students, teachers and others involved the opportunity to be heard, to listen to others and to help form a plan to restore the harm that has been caused.
In a typical classroom circle a trained Aim for Success facilitator will form a supportive and trusting circle and allow opportunity for all those involved to share how the incident has affected them. Each person involved will be given the opportunity to share what they feel needs to be done to repair the damage and then an agreement is formed based on what is shared. Circles continue to be highly successful in restoring relationships, building trust, openness and empowering those involved in issues, to be part of the solution
All Aim for Success Mentors have been trained in Alberta Conflict Transformation Society’s Restorative Practices and have applied the Circle format to form the basis of multiple programs. Peace Circles are available to classes in each of our schools at the request of the teacher and focus on conflict resolution. Classroom Circles take elements of the Life Skills and Health curriculum and incorporate them into a circle format. By allowing students the opportunity to express themselves, whether about a case of bullying or about how to say “no”, they own the experience as well as the outcomes. In both cases students are made to feel as important partners in their own learning and part of their solutions.