Information for District 67 families and
community members, in conjunction
with the District 67 and APT
Social Emotional Learning Committees
May 2019


Featured SEL Resource: SEL Parent Toolkit
Introduction - Understanding Social Emotional Learning
By now you have probably heard the acronym SEL popping up in conversations around education. District 67 is committed to educating the whole child by integrating SEL district-wide to support the academic, social and emotional growth and development of each student.

Social Emotional Learning is the process of integrating thinking, feeling, and behaving to become more aware of self and others, to make responsible decisions, and to effectively manage behavior and relationships. The 5 competencies of SEL are defined as:

  • Self-Awareness is knowing yourself. It’s about knowing your emotions, strengths and challenges, and how your emotions affect your behavior.
  • Self-Management is knowing how to control your behaviors and moods, and setting and working toward goals.
  • Social Awareness is the ability to understand and respect the perspectives of others, and to apply this knowledge to interactions with people from diverse backgrounds.
  • Having good Relationship Skills involves knowing how to establish and keep rewarding and positive relationships with friends, family and others from a wide range of backgrounds.
  • Responsible Decision-Making involves identifying the impact of your choices on yourself and others, and using empathy, relationship skills and self- and social awareness to make decisions.
Niksen is a stress-reducing practice from the Netherlands that literally means to do nothing, or to be idle.

We seem to be living and raising children in a culture where the constant state of being busy has become the norm. Generally speaking, our culture does not promote sitting still, and that can have wide-reaching consequences for our mental health, well-being, productivity and other areas of our lives. Technology doesn’t make it any easier: The smartphone you carry with you at all hours makes it almost impossible to truly unplug and embrace idleness. And by keeping ourselves busy at all times, we may be losing our ability to sit still because our brains are actually being rewired.
Parents and School... a Partnership
Parents' Guide to Social & Emotional Development Research has shown that those with high emotional intelligence have better attention skills and fewer learning problems, and are generally more successful in academic and workplace settings.
Empathy is the ability to identify and respect the feelings of others. Understanding where others are coming from and respecting their perspectives is one of the most essential skills that a person can have. Helping children develop empathy can contribute to their overall success.
Growing up can be tough. As young people’s bodies and brains are changing rapidly, they’re also grappling with new ideas and influences that will shape who they become. Research tells us these things are taking their toll. A 2018 Pew Research Center survey of kids aged 13 to 17 found that 7 in 10 teens think anxiety and depression are major problems for their peers. The same survey found that 6 in 10 kids feel pressure to get good grades while nearly 3 in 10 feel pressure to look good and fit in socially.
For Our Staff
Designate time to what you want.” If teachers want a stronger classroom community, they need to use instructional time to build it. If leaders want more collaboration, they must allot time in the master schedule. The same idea holds if a school wants a strong adult culture.

A new report on social-emotional learning offers hopeful next steps for the future of education. “The promotion of social, emotional, and academic learning is not a shifting educational fad; it is the substance of education itself,” the report says.

Emma Seppala, however, the author of “The Happiness Track,” and science director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education , has not lost hope. Dr. Seppala admits that yes, happiness can be a rare beast in our classrooms, but we can create and protect learning conditions in which happiness can flourish.
A Dose of Emotional Wellness for the Kids
May Stall Street Journal

16 important Social Emotional Learning games are great for the classroom or home use. These games focus on positive social interactions, encourage relationship skills, and practice effective communication
Technically Speaking
​In a world where children are "growing up digital," it's important to help them learn healthy concepts of digital use and citizenship. Parents play an important role in teaching these skills.
Upcoming Events

June 5, 2019: DPM Walk-A-Thon

June 7, 2019: Last Day of School!

HAPPY SUMMER TO ALL!
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