Woodside School District

This year, the SEL team at WSD will be structuring our delivery of SEL using a “word of the month” system. This is not meant to replace our existing SEL curriculum, but instead, will provide school-wide themes to enhance what we are already doing to support our children's social and emotional development. See the SEL WORD OF THE MONTHs below. 

 

In order for our SEL program to be truly successful, we need the participation and involvement of our parent community. Consistency is key when it comes to building these skills, according to developmental psychologist Stephanie Jones of the EASEL Lab at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. When schools and families have shared behavioral expectations and a common language for social and emotional skills, it can be “easier for kids to transition smoothly and be successful across multiple settings with many different adults,” she says.

– Mary Tyler Moore

 

The SEL word of the month for October is courage. Almost everything we talk about regarding SEL comes down to courage. It takes courage to be inclusive. It takes courage to apologize. It takes courage to stand up to a bully. It takes courage to start a new behavior that you know makes you a better self. It takes courage to stop a gossiping conversation. All of this and more–it will take courage from us to model for our children. 

Here's some recommended children's books on the topic of courage (most of which we have here in our school library!):

To that end, we will help keep you up to speed and informed through our various electronic communications and even tie the themes into parenting as much as we can. This is a team effort! Without further adieu, in honor of the incomparable Aretha Franklin, the SEL word of the month of September is RESPECT.