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Feel the Learn

WUSD Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Inclusion Newsletter

Resources — Information — Support

In this November issue:

ACTSion Items:

Calendar of community-building activities

CounSELors Corner:

Building capacity for ongoing family appreciation

In Step with Second Step:

Resources to reinforce Second Step learning

ACTStended Learning:

Resources to learn about events special to our community

SELebrations:

Spotlights on events taking place at our school sites

FAQs:

Answers to questions from our families and community

ACTSion Items

Mark your calendars for these upcoming opportunities for community building, supported by Wiseburn's Achieving a Culture of Togetherness and Support (ACTS) Committee.


  • Tuesday, 11/29: 🐶138th St. 3rd grade assemblies with the US Air Force


  • Thursday, 12/01: 🐶138th St. 4th grade assemblies with the US Air Force





  • Saturday, 12/10: 🐻Cabrillo Bear Bazaar




  • Tuesday, 12/13: 🐶138th St. Music Center Assembly





CounSELors Corner

Building Capacity for Ongoing Family Appreciation

Acts of gratitude can help build healthy family dynamics, contribute to a peaceful home environment, and help everyone return to a state of appreciation when stress levels and frustrations run high.

Why it matters: A sense of gratitude goes a long way as it has been linked to higher levels of happiness and optimism, improved sleep, less stress, less aggression, increased self-esteem, and improved resilience. Not to mention, a peaceful home environment and cheerful interactions among siblings, parents/caregivers, and family members makes life more enjoyable. A level of family gratitude or appreciation can be hard to maintain given everyday practical challenges like busy schedules, varying interests, and the stress of completing daily tasks.

3 Constructive Ways of Boosting Family Appreciation:

1️⃣ Manage your own frustrations in a way that will be productive in addressing your children.



  • Accept your child as they are
  • Allow your emotions
  • Know the 90-second rule
  • Parent from a place of gratitude
  • Apply growth mindset to your parenting
Read More

2️⃣ Be intentional about showing gratitude within your family and towards others.



  • Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return to kindness.
  • When we learn about and practice gratitude we learn to be more sensitive towards others and develop empathy.
  • The most powerful tool adults have to help instill gratitude is to model it for children.
  • Learn more about expressing gratitude from a previous CARE Team presentation (pictured).
  • Click here for a fun family gratitude activity.
Access the CARE Team's Gratitude Presentation Slides 

3️⃣ Create a system of expectations within your home of celebration, accountability, cooperation, and engagement.



  • Reinforcement of positive behaviors builds trust and improves positive interactions.
  • Positive behavior systems are used within all Wiseburn schools and a similar system can be effective at home.
  • In order to create a successful system, we must effectively teach appropriate behaviors, intervene early before unwanted behaviors escalate, and use effective interventions.
  • Learn more during the CARE Team's upcoming parent/caregiver workshop!
Register for the Virtual Positive Reinforcement & Behavior Parent/Caregiver Workshop December 8th, 6pm-7pm

In Step with Second Step

All students participate in a social-emotional learning curriculum called Second Step. Second Step helps students recognize when they are having big feelings, regulate their emotions, build self-confidence and advocacy skills, develop healthy social skills, and develop problem solving skills. These lessons also include content related to bullying.


The Second Step lesson schedule is enriched by instruction, activities, and discussion related to topics that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. Teachers are asked to follow a general schedule, which is reflected in the table below.


You can support your student in these activities! Find details using the button links below the table to plug into your student's lessons and reinforce them at home.

Week

TK-5th

6th-8th

Week of 11/14

Inclusion Lesson:

National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

No Second Step

(No Pod - Conferences)

Week of 11/21

No School

No School

Week of 11/28

Second Step

Unit 2, Lesson 6

Second Step

Unit 1, Lesson 6

Week of 12/05

Inclusion Lesson:

Traditions

PRIDE Lesson:

Integrity

Week of 12/12

Second Step

Unit 2, Lesson7

Second Step

Unit 1, Lesson 7

TK-8th Grade Second Step Lesson Details

ACTStended Learning

Additional resources and learning on diversity, equity, and inclusion, curated by the Achieving a Culture of Togetherness and Support (ACTS) Committee.

Learn more about each event
Printable 2022-23 calendar

How to talk to kids about Thanksgiving so that they really get it | CNN

While cleaning out her first grade son's backpack last week, Elyse Gilbert found something that surprised her. Mixed in with the regular detritus of the school day, the crumpled sweatshirts and food wrappers, was a blatantly inappropriate Thanksgiving-themed worksheet. On the top of the page: a smiling cartoon Native American with his arm around a giant piece of corn.

Read More

Celebrating Sikh Stories | The Sikh Coalition

Browse this resource for meaningful literature that features Sikhs, explains the Sikh faith and identity, and celebrates Sikh stories. This library toolkit is

a resource with suggestions for books, activities and events.

Read More

How Holiday Traditions Like Elf on the Shelf Fuel Child Development

The holiday season is a joyful and exciting time for parents and children, especially little ones. And while every family celebrates in a uniquely special way, building traditions beginning when your children are small can be incredibly beneficial to their mental and emotional growth and development. Take the Elf on the Shelf, for example.

Read More

17 Holidays Around the World | Little Passports

Discovering new holidays around the world can bring extra joy to any season. Whether it's winter holidays like New Year's Eve and Chinese New Year, holidays for kids like Hina Matsuri and St. Lucia's Day, or seasonal holidays like Holi and Día de los Muertos, these celebrations open a window to the many cultures of the big, bright world.

Read More

SELebrations

Social-emotional Learning (SEL) takes many forms. Wiseburn school site teams create opportunities for students to develop skills through the exploration of emotions, development of relationships, and navigation through growth opportunities.

Anza Eagles Carry on Over 30-Year Tradition Learning about Japanese History & Symbolism

Anza teachers Ms. Glafira Carr and Ms. Chiyo Miyahara continued a tradition of over 30 years by teaching students about important aspects of Japanese history and culture.


Ms. Carr and Ms. Chiyo taught students about Sadako Sasaki, a young victim of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the United States. Students learned that within Japanese culture, paper cranes symbolize honor, good fortune, loyalty, and longevity. The class discussed the symbolism of the cranes as well as the damages and consequences of the war.


Additionally, the students wrote Haikus, which was a very nice way for the class to express their emotions about the story and about some of their personal losses. 

Firefighters Visit the Success Learning Center (SLC)

The Success Learning Center (SLC) celebrated National First Responders Day (10/28) by learning all about fire safety from Captain Patton and his team (Station 160).


Practicing safety drills, meeting first responders, and gaining an understanding of emergency procedures can help students feel more prepared regarding emergencies. SLC students learned that firefighters are friendly even though their uniform might make them look scary. They were also able to explore the wonderful aspects of the career.

Dana "Own It" Family Workshops

The Dana team revamped parent/caregiver-teacher conferences to include student and parent/caregiver workshops.


The intended outcomes of the new workshops are:

  • Positive changes in academic behaviors
  • Increased parent/caregiver support and utilization of tools
  • To build school connectedness for families and students.


Some of the student workshops and parent/caregiver workshops mirror one another, so that families have insight on what was reviewed with the student and have tools to support at home.


Topics include Navigating Canvas to Support Your Child, Helping Students Transition to Middle School, and Middle School: You’re Not Alone. While some workshops are more geared towards academic achievement (i.e tools for academic practice, ways to ask for help, time management) there are also opportunities for families to connect with one another and the teachers.


Past parent/caregiver surveys expressed a desire to connect with other families and not feel so alone in middle school, which we are hoping to address in these workshops.

Cabrillo Creates a Bear Mural through STEAM Lab

Making the Bear Mural took the whole Cabrillo community. The students of every grade, with the help of parent/caregiver volunteers, teachers, and aids, came into the STEAM Lab and made a special masterpiece.

138th St. School's Student Council

138th St. Student Council members are well on their way as student leaders.The elected members will represent the student population by engaging in activities like the facilitation of weekly school assemblies and promoting school spirit.

FAQs

From You

You've asked, we've answered: find FAQs below, and send in questions of your own using the button below!

Share your ideas, questions, and comments

What is a practical tip that will help my student think more positively about themselves?


Ms. Anaiss Gutierrez, Cabrillo Cousenlor uses the Self-affirmation Mirror with students. It is a reminder to adults and a tool for students.


When you look at yourself, look with positive regard. Students can practice saying positive affirmations to themselves. Ms. Gutierrez has a variety of statements so that students can find at least one they can say confidently, and as they grow their self-kindness muscle, you can see how they believe in more.


"When we are able to deal with negative messages and replace them with positive statements, we can construct more adaptive, hopeful narratives about who we are and what we can accomplish." - Catherine Moore

Read more
Would you like a copy of affirmations for your student?
Yes
No
Interested in learning how school can help with behavior, academic & social-emotional concerns?
Yes
No

What is the role of a school counselor and who are Wiseburn's school counselors?


School counselors work to maximize student success, promoting access and equity for all students. As vital members of the school leadership team, school counselors create a school culture of success for all.


School counselors help all students:

  • Apply academic achievement strategies
  • Manage emotions and apply interpersonal skills
  • Plan for postsecondary options (higher education, military, work force)


Appropriate duties include providing:

  • Individual student academic planning and goal setting
  • School counseling classroom lessons based on student success standards
  • Short-term counseling to students
  • Referrals for long-term support
  • Collaboration with families/teachers/ administrators/ community for student success
  • Advocacy for students at individual education plan meetings and other student-focused meetings
  • Data analysis to identify student issues
  • Needs and challenges
  • Acting as a systems change agent to improve equity and access, achievement and opportunities for all students

Meet the Counselors! Click on the name of each counselor to learn more information about them.


138th St. Counselor:

Ms. Julie Walker (jwalker@wiseburn.org)


Anza Counselor:

Ms. Elysia Hines (ehines@wiseburn.org)


Cabrillo Counselor:

Ms. Anaiss Gutierrez (agutierrez@wiseburn.org)


Dana Counselors:

What team members would you like to meet next?
Principals and Assistant Principals
Behavior Specialists
School Psychologists
Speech Pathologists

See you next month!