Families · Social Emotional Learning

Social Emotional Learning Resource Room

The PS 28 Thomas Emanuel Early Childhood Center will instill in our students respect for others and themselves, and appropriate social-emotional skills to become healthy, productive members of society. Teachers and parents will work together to empower students to reach their full potential through a safe and nurturing environment that encourages individuality and social responsibility.

SEL bulletin board with the Sanford Harmony character Z saying Hi I'm Z, a Power Pose poster and the P.S. 28 Harmony Goals

Shared Vision

The PS 28 Thomas Emanuel Early Childhood Center will instill in our students respect for others and themselves and appropriate social-emotional skills to become healthy, productive members of society. Teachers and parents will work together to empower students to reach their full potential through a safe and nurturing environment that encourages individuality and social responsibility.

What is SEL?

Social emotional learning (SEL) is an approach that helps students of all ages to better comprehend their thoughts and emotions, to become more self aware, and develop more empathy for others. These learned behaviors are then used to help students make positive responsible decisions, create frameworks to achieve their goals, and build positive relationships.

Social and Emotional Learning wheel: self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision-making, relationship skills and social awareness

How does SEL benefit our students?

A head outline filled with empathy, motivation, self-esteem, decision making, commitment and interpersonal awareness

Students perform better academically
Help students reduce conduct problems, emotional distress, improve attendance, and increase overall grades.
Increases graduation
Are less likely to experience mental health disorders.

Sanford Harmony- is a social emotional learning program that fosters knowledge, skills, and attitudes that our students need to develop healthy identities, create meaningful relationships, and engage productively.

SEL Activities for Home

Find activities to do at home for each unit below. These activities are aligned with what your child is learning in SEL classes.

Unit 1Diversity & Inclusion
English: Unit 1 Diversity & Inclusion activities (opens in a new tab)Spanish: Unit 1 Diversity & Inclusion activities (PDF)
Unit 2Empathy & Critical Thinking
English: Unit 2 Empathy & Critical Thinking activities (opens in a new tab)Spanish: Unit 2 Empathy & Critical Thinking activities (PDF)
Unit 3Communication
English: Unit 3 Communication activities (opens in a new tab)Spanish: Unit 3 Communication activities (PDF)
Unit 4Problem Solving
English: Unit 4 Problem Solving activities (opens in a new tab)Spanish: Unit 4 Problem Solving activities (PDF)
Unit 5Peer Relationships
English: Unit 5 Peer Relationships activities (opens in a new tab)Spanish: Unit 5 Peer Relationships activities (PDF)

Meet the SELStudent Ambassadors

P.S.28Q Social Emotional Student Ambassadors are the leaders, voice, and faces of the entire student body. The roles and responsibilities of our student ambassadors are to act as role models to their peers, collaborate with other team members to promote social emotional learning throughout P.S.28, build connections and relationships with the P.S.28 community, act as leaders and voices to represent their fellow peers, and demonstrate good character. Students were nominated and selected based on their ability to consistently demonstrate good character and citizenship. This opportunity is allowing our acting ambassadors a chance to grow their leadership and communication skills and inspire other students to take a more active role in representing the school. Our mission is that through the example and work of the ambassadors other P.S.28 students will be motivated to become active leaders, increase their confidence, and become more involved in various activities and special events throughout the school year.

Meet Our Student Ambassadors

Meet theKind Words Heroes

P.S.28 is honoring the students who use kind words to those around them. When a student is caught saying a kind word, such as "please" or "thank you" or caught saying something nice to someone else such as, "you can play with me!" or "I can help you!", they become a Kind Words Hero! These students are acknowledged over the loudspeaker, get a Kind Words Hero Badge to wear and join our Junior Police program with Agent P. Congratulations to our P.S. 28 Kind Word Heroes!

Congratulations

Kind Words Hero! Four children dressed as superheroes

Word of the Month

12 Ways to Show Kindness poster: listen to a friend, write someone a kind note, invite someone to join you, forgive someone for a mistake, let someone else go first, give someone a high-five, work with someone new, help clean up, help someone having a tough day, hold the door open for others, do an extra chore, spend time with a friend

April is for Kindness

April is world Autism month; it is the perfect moment for us to come together in honor of understanding and acceptance of people with autism. The best way to accomplish this is through Kindness, which is our character trait of the month. Kindness can mean different things to different people. The meaning is how YOU choose to show it. Our goal for this month is to teach our learners kindness through empathy, acceptance, kind gestures, and thoughtfulness. In addition, we want to engrave that Kindness is a movement, a chain reaction. If we encourage them to show kindness, we are creating a movement of change. The story we will be reading is “Be kind” by Pat Zietlow Miller.

Patience ... means waiting with a happy heart, with a drawing of three children

March is for Patience.

The character trait for the month of March is PATIENCE. The word Patience is defined as the ability to endure difficult circumstances. Patience may involve perseverance in the face of provocation, without responding in disrespect and anger, especially when confronted with long-term difficulties or being able to wait for a long amount of time without getting irritated or bored. It is challenging but necessary to teach our learners to be patient. In the short run, patience can help our students with impulsivity and acting out, it boosts their confidence and prepares them for future challenges. Furthermore, patience improves our ability to accept setbacks and enjoy life, as the quote goes “Good things come to those who wait”.

The word LOVE with heart balloons above four smiling children holding hands

February is for Love.

Our character trait for the month of February is LOVE. There are many definitions of love, for many love represents the way we think, feel, and behave towards the people with whom we have close relationships. Love is putting others before our own needs and wants. It’s going out of our way to help those in need. In addition, please take a love language quiz with your child to discover your primary love language, what it means, and how you can use to better connect with your loved one, use the link below to take it. The book we are going to be reading is “A little spot of love” by Diane Alber, please find the video below.

Take the Love Language Quiz (opens in a new tab)

Two children sharing crayons: Respect is when you treat other people like how you want them to treat you.

January is for Respect.

Our character trait for the month of January is RESPECT. During this month students will learn about the importance of being respectful to themselves and others. Respect is a fundamental virtue because it builds relationships, self-esteem, trust, safety, and wellbeing. The book that we are going to be using is “A little Respectful Spot” by Diane Albert. In addition, please have a conversation with your child, tell them your definition of respect, model respect, ask them to compliment someone, and praise respectful behaviors. THANK YOU!

Generosity: two open hands beneath floating hearts

December is for Generosity

Our character trait for the month of December is GENEROSITY. December is a month that is recognized for its holy observances (Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa). In addition, it is a perfect time for our students to learn about generosity and giving back, this could be a simple smile, helping others, listening, and showing manners.

An Attitude of Gratitude: a smiling child with arms raised wearing a Thank You shirt

November is for Gratitude

During the month of November the character trait we will be focusing on is, "Gratitude". This is a perfect month to focus on gratitude. The celebration of Thanksgiving offers many discussions about the different things we are grateful for in our lives. Teaching gratitude is one way to inspire a positive attitude and increase empathy for others.

We will be reading many books in which characters show gratitude in different ways. At home, please discuss our character trait! Talk about the people and things your children are grateful for in their lives. At the end of each day, ask your child about something that they enjoyed during their day. This is an easy way to explain that the good things in their day are something they can be grateful for.