Social-Emotional Learning

Lowrie’s social-emotional learning (SEL) program is fully aligned with our district mission and vision statements, and our focus this year is ensuring every family has a deep sense of belonging in our school by understanding each family’s unique strengths and utilizing these diverse assets in our community to ensure every student has what they need to unleash their genius.  We are committed to serving the whole child – body, mind and spirit – with the understanding that optimal learning occurs when all are in balance.  Our social-emotional model is to build the capacity within every learning environment by training our staff.  We also address specific needs through small group and individual work. We encourage you to contact us if you have any questions, concerns or requests, as we understand partnering with families is essential to student academic success and social-emotional well being.

Our SEL program is designed around fifteen evidence-based components, as follows:

• Deep and active listening:  The goal of deep listening is to gather information and understand a person or situation.  The goal of active listening is to hear what people are saying by focusing on the speaker without distractions.  Together, these two types of listening are the foundation of our community built upon empathy and compassion.
• Second Step curriculum:  Lessons taught in every classroom divided into three sections:  social emotional, bully prevention and child protection.  Research shows this program improves peer relations, emotion management, executive function skills (focusing, listening and paying attention), resulting in fewer disciplinary issues while increasing instructional time in the classroom.
• Character traits of the month: Valued aspects of a student’s behavior aligned with our Second Step curriculum, including kindness, empathy, perseverance, collaboration, assertiveness, courage and advocacy.
• Yoga Calm:  Designed for schools to strengthen bodies, calm and focus minds, improve self regulation and build community.
• Zones of Regulation:  Teaches emotion regulation using a color scheme.
• Restorative practices:  Builds a healthy community by increasing social capital, decreasing maladaptive behavior and restoring relationships when there is a disruption.
• Collaborative Problem Solving:  Reduces challenging behavior through student-led problem solving, teaching the skills needed to resolve conflict while building relationships with adults and peers.
• Bibliotherapy:  Using specific books to heal or teach targeted skills or concepts to students.
• Anti-racism curriculum:  Curriculum helping students to explore their identity and celebrate our differences, building empathy and understanding in order to end racism. 

• Healthy eating program:  Monthly school-wide tasting of fresh, locally sourced fruit or vegetable to encourage trying new healthy foods grown in our community coordinated with CREST.

• Calming spaces:  Dedicated classroom space where students can go to calm the senses using specific tools.
• Movement spaces:  Spaces on each porch where students can go to regulate their body through specific movements.
• Diversification:  Auditing our many libraries to ensure the book selection reflects our diverse family demographics.
• Data driven:  Utilizing data to allocate our resources in the most effective manner to support our families, especially Panorama that measures the social-emotional well-being of our 3-5 graders.
• Executive function:  Classroom curriculum to help students plan, organize and complete tasks.