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Social Emotional Learning

Social emotional learning (SEL) at Devinny helps students apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to handle daily challenges.

Schoolwide SEL Supports

Leader in Me

Leader in Me is our primary tool for SEL instruction at Devinny and is taught daily in every classroom. It is also the foundation for our PBIS system. Leader in Me is an evidence-based comprehensive school-improvement model that empowers students with the leadership and life skills they need to thrive in a global community. 

Leader in Me is about empowering your child to reach their full potential while ultimately finding their voice. Schoolwide, staff has made five core commitments to your child. We call these our Core Paradigms. In these paradigms, you will find the belief and way we view all students. At Devinny: 

  • Everyone is a leader
  • Everyone has genius
  • Change starts with me
  • We empower students to lead their own learning
  • Educators and families partner to develop the whole person
Leader in Me’s Seven Habits
  1. Be proactive: I’m in charge of me
  2. Begin with the end in mind: Have a plan
  3. Put first things first: Work first, then play
  4. Think win-win: Everyone can win
  5. Seek first to understand, then to be understood: Listen before you talk
  6. Synergize: Together is better  
  7. Sharpen the saw: Balance feels best

Kids Teach the 7 Habits

How deeply do students understand leadership principles? Listen in as elementary students teach the 7 Habits in this Leader in Me classic.

Second Step

Second Step is utilized for supplemental SEL lessons in classrooms. The lessons provide instruction in social and emotional learning with units on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management, friendship skills and problem-solving. Second Step uses four key strategies to reinforce skill development: brain builder games, weekly theme activities, reinforcing activities and home links. 

The four units covered by Second Step include:

  • Growth Mindset and Goal-Setting: children learn how to pay attention and manage distractions, develop a growth mindset, and apply goal-setting strategies to their social and academic lives.
  • Emotion Management: children learn how to identify and label emotions and use emotion management strategies (including stress management for older students) to calm strong feelings. 
  • Empathy and Kindness: children learn how to recognize kindness and act kindly, have empathy for others’ perspectives and recognize kind acts and empathy as important elements of building and maintaining relationships. 
  • Problem Solving: children learn how to identify and state a problem, recognize if the problem is an accident and use the STEP problem-solving process. 
    • S - Say the problem
    • T - Think of solutions
    • E - Explore the outcomes
    • P - Pick a solution

Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports  (PBIS)

Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports (PBIS) is a process to create a safe, positive and productive learning environment for all children. 

At Devinny,  we use the first three habits from our Leader in Me curriculum as the foundation of our behavioral expectations.  

When students have mastered the first three habits, it is said that they have won the "Private Victory," meaning that they have mastery over themselves and can go on to be effective in working with teams and in social situations. 

The first three habits and associated behaviors are:

  1. Be proactive: "I am responsible for myself."
    • I am trying my best.
    • I am following directions even when no one is looking.
    • I am in charge of my thoughts, actions and words.
    • I am keeping myself and others safe.
       
  2. Begin with the end in mind: "I have a plan."
    • I am thinking about what matters most.
    • I am staying focused.
    • I have a goal and I am working towards it.
    • I have the materials I need.
    • I look for ways to be a good citizen.
       
  3. Put First Things First: "I work first, then play.”
    • I am working first and playing later.
    • I am doing my work and participating.
    • I am using my time effectively.
    • I am staying focused on what I need to do.

Rewards and celebrations occur in classrooms and throughout the building to let students know that we see how amazing they are and how hard they are working every day to model these behavior expectations! Your student may bring home Leadership Slips to show you when they have been recognized for demonstrating the habits at school.

How can you support your student at home?

  • A core principle of PBIS that you can use at home is the 5:1 rule: For every corrective statement made, provide five positive statements or praises of your child's behavior.
  • Become familiar with the 7 Habits your student is learning in school and use the same language at home. (See the Leader in Me section for more information).
  • Talk to your student about what these habits look like at home and in the community.

Restorative Practices

Devinny Elementary will be using restorative practices and proactive circles throughout the school year. 

Overview of Restorative Practice

Restorative practices is a term used to describe a relationship-oriented approach (rather than a punishment-oriented one) to resolving issues that arise in school. The five Rs of restorative practice are relationship, respect, responsibility, repair and reintegration. 

  • Proactive Circles: occur weekly in the classroom for the purpose of connection and belonging (usually a question with a brief answer where everyone participates).
  • Responsive Circles: occur as needed in classrooms to address incidents that may cause harm (bullying, playground conflict or unsafe behavior) or denote a change in the community (new student or a student’s last day.
  • Informal Conferences: used to talk to an individual or small group about an issue  (student/teacher conflict, habitual tardiness, etc.) using 4 questions:
    • What happened? 
    • Who did it affect? 
    • What might you have done differently? 
    • What is a solution so it doesn’t happen again? (to reflect on effects of the behavior).
  • Pre-conferences: fact-finding review of the 4 questions with each individual in prior conflict to determine whether to put them together in a formal RP Conference.
  • Restorative Practice Conferences: conference with two people in conflict or a reintegration of a student who has been suspended that results in a signed, mutually agreeable and student-generated solution.

How can you support your student at home?

  • Use the 4 questions when helping your student to problem solve through a conflict they have at home.
  • Take turns answering relationship-building questions around the dinner table. 
Restorative Practice Questions
  • What happened?
  • What are the effects?
  • What responsibility can you take?
  • What are the solutions?

Check In/Check Out (CICO)

What is Check In/Check Out (CICO)?

Check In/Check Out (CICO) is an evidence based intervention for students who are at risk for unfavorable educational outcomes. The program includes clear expectations, high-frequency progress monitoring, daily specific feedback and a home-school connection to provide support to these students.

How are students identified for CICO?

Students can be nominated by their teacher, parent, principal or any adult in the building who is noticing behaviors that might impact a student's potential for poor educational outcomes. 

Our Social Emotional Behavioral (SEB) team will look at the data collected on the student including office referrals, crisis, nurse visits, attendance, universal screening data and academic progress.

What is involved in CICO?

As part of CICO, your student will check in with an adult (facilitator) at school each day. They will be provided a daily point sheet that is based on our behavior matrix. The teacher completes the point sheet and provides specific positive feedback throughout the day. At the end of the day, your student will check out with their facilitator to review their point sheet and celebrate any accomplishments each day. 

Your child will bring home their point sheet to you each day. They are working to meet a goal of achieving 80% of their daily points. The SEB team reviews CICO data regularly to determine if CICO meets the student's need for support and to determine whether the support should fade or if the student needs additional support to be successful.

How can I support my child in CICO?

Family support is critical to a child's success in Check In/Check Out. Here are some ways you can help your child do their best in CICO:

  • Ask to see their point sheet each day.
  • As you review the point sheet, focus on the positives that you see. For example:
    • "I see you got a 3 during writing, how did you do that?" 
    • " How does it feel to be doing so well?" 
    • "What did you do to show your teacher you were being proactive during math?" 
    •  "I'm so proud of you!"
  • Feel free to tie the point sheet to extra rewards at home. To best support your child, do not attach consequences to the point sheet. An example might be that if they meet their goal, they can have extra screen time at home, special time with you or pick a favorite meal to have for dinner.
  • Set realistic expectations. Part of the success of the program is helping students turn things around when they have had a tough moment. Almost none of us are on task 100% of the time. We may get the mid-afternoon energy lull, and our children do as well. We believe that if children are performing at 80% they are being successful.

Resources

Family Resources

Links to resources and information:

Green Mountain Articulation Area Resources

Videos