The season has turned and so do our thoughts to how much we have to be grateful for. At our end we have quite a list! At the very top are the many relationships and connections we have formed with all of you over the last dozen years or so. Not only has it been fun (lots!) but it has also been a privilege and an honor supporting your efforts to make your schools places where all feel welcomed, safe, and respected.
We are also grateful to an unexpected upside of the pandemic - the opportunity to create virtual ‘tables’ and welcoming spaces that provide the opportunity for us to share, connect, and be inspired by one another. Our School Support Network meetings and coffee chats have all adapted and thrived in this new format! We are also incredibly grateful to our wonderful team.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving - breathe deeply, laugh often, and enjoy!
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SEL4NJ and the NY Jets are excited to announce the launch of the Social-Emotional Development Integration and Learning Cohort Grant Program, provided by SEL4NJ and funded by the New York Jets.
The grant opportunity is open to any New Jersey teacher or team of teachers from the same school or district for professional study leading to the integration of social, emotional, and character development in their classroom, school, or district.
SEL4NJ will award grants up to $1,500 for professional learning opportunities related to SEL for teachers and teams of applicants are eligible for grants up to $2,500. Proposals that address how equity will be integrated and promoted will be given special consideration.
The grant application is due by December 10, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. EST. For more information and application requirements, visit the SEL4NJ website.
This is a wonderful opportunity that can be used for professional learning opportunities related to SEL include, but are not limited to, training, workshops, courses, or coaching that address at least one of the following:
- Culturally Sustaining, Strengths-Based Approaches
- Community-Focused Approaches (e.g. school, parents/caregivers, neighborhood)
- Standards-Based Approaches
- Systemic Supports
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Parents seem to agree that SEL is important but the terminology seems to be getting in the way. Below are a few resources recommended by Dr. Maurice Elias that might help in your conversations within your school and the community.
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School Support Network (SSN) meetings are free and everyone is welcome to attend. They are all held VIRTUALLY. Share with your colleagues! |
“Holiday Celebration and Goal Setting"
Title TBD
December 15 - 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
This school year has been flying by at a crazy pace so let’s take some time to slow down and play some fun virtual games that you’ll be able to take back to your school. We’ll also take some time to set goals for the new year. Find a festive Zoom background and come in your holiday attire (ugly sweater if you dare).
Presented by: School Culture and Climate Initiative Team
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Coffee chats are virtual gatherings that allow schools to connect with one another. Participants have shared successes, challenges, and ideas with their colleagues during our past coffee chats. Coffee chats are held from 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. and are open for all to attend.
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These coffee chats where we bring together educators in similar roles. While collaborating with colleagues in diverse roles has its advantages, gathering with those in the same professional role allows you to explore more in-depth job-specific concerns, issues and potential strategies.
These coffee chats are held from 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
School Counselor Network
Administrator Network
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Breaking Grades: How One School District Shook the System
Presented by: Dr. Scott Taylor, Superintendent, Township of Union Public Schools
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SCAIP Professional Learning Community |
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2021-22 School Climate Assessment and Improvement Process (SCAIP)Virtual PLCs
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These Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) are a networking opportunity designed for SCAIP schools that:
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are just beginning
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are currently in years 2, 3 or extended year 4;
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have completed the 3-year School Climate Assessment and Improvement Process.
During the SCAIP PLCs, educators have the chance to share, learn, and inspire each other.
Individual representatives or the entire Culture and Climate team are welcome to attend! Share with your colleagues!
Join us TODAY for the Fall SCAIP PLC!
November 16th from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
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SAVE THE DATES
February 8 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
May 10 from 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
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Funding for School Climate Actions |
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New Sustainable Jersey for Schools Funding Opportunity!
The New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), a Sustainable Jersey for Schools program Underwriter, is contributing $180,000 to support a Sustainable Jersey for Schools Grants Program cycle. The cycle offers ten $10,000 district and school sustainability project grants and forty $2,000 school green team grants. The funding supports efforts to implement projects that help participating schools make progress toward a sustainable future and gain points needed for Sustainable Jersey for Schools certification.
Visit the NJEA Grants Cycle page on the Sustainable Jersey for Schools website to learn more about the cycle and explore application resources.
EXTENDED Application Deadline: Friday, December 3, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET
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Join us for our Workshop Series - "Building Within: Cultivating Well-Being and Emotional Resilience in Educators"!
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Research shows that educators who cultivate their own SEL practices enjoy more positive relationships with their students and see improved academic performance in their classrooms.
Designed specifically to help educators develop their SEL skills, the Building Within workshop series will feature guided personal reflections and offer tools for implementing SEL practices on a daily basis. Led by social emotional learning coaches Erica Brentan and Kathleen McClay, educators will come away with a set of activities they can take back to their schools and easily share with colleagues in their school communities.
Workshop topics include:
- Understanding, accepting, and positively responding to emotions
- Cultivating the perseverance, patience and courage needed to manage change
- Strengthening compassion and gratitude for the self and others
- Building strong, healthy classroom communities
The registration fee is $149 per person.
Each interactive Zoom session will be held monthly from 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. ET from January through May 2022.
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CASEL Building Connections Webinar: "Social and Emotional Learning and Sustainability"
November 19 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ET
What makes SEL implementation last long-term, especially as people and contexts change? Ten years ago, CASEL launched the Collaborating Districts Initiative (CDI) to study whether it was possible to implement SEL systemically in large, urban school districts. The goal was to create a shift in how entire districts approach education. Not only did the CDI demonstrate that it was possible to implement SEL even in the most complex systems, but every district partner has continued to deepen and expand SEL since joining. Join us as we reflect on lessons learned over the past decade and share six elements for sustaining SEL implementation across a district.
Recommended for district and state leaders on their own SEL journeys. Participants will learn from CASEL’s district consultants, who’ve worked closely with school system leaders nationwide. They’ll discuss each element and share promising strategies from partner districts. Register here
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"Community Resiliency Model Online Workshop"
December 7 from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. ET
Facilitated by: Christa Tinari and Lindy Settevendemie
This interactive workshop will present several trauma and resiliency-informed exercises that can help educators and students connect with a sense of well-being and physical and emotional safety during challenging times. Participants will learn simple exercises that can be used anytime throughout the day to balance the body's response to stress. These strategies are based on the Community Resiliency Model which integrates an understanding of the nervous system. They can be used for quick and effective self-care by students who have experienced trauma as well as those who have not. When students and educators collectively practice these simple strategies, they can establish a deeper sense of trust, caring and safety within the classroom. Free resources will be provided that can help educators implement these new strategies right away.
Recommended for educators, counselors and school support staff, K-12. Register here
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Blog/Podcast: "Teachers Are Barely Hanging On. Here’s What They Need"
By Cult of Pedagogy
The 2021-22 school year is off and running, and what I’ve been hearing from teachers over and over, from every corner, is that this is the worst school year ever. So much worse than 2020, which should have easily held the title for “worst year ever” in every category, for a long, long time. But for so many teachers the worst year is turning out to be this year. Read more
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Article: "Building a Faculty's Skills in Culturally Relevant Teaching"
Learn how a teacher-created PLC spurred collective efficacy around working with diverse students. Read more
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New Jersey Education Association (NJEA) Review "Bringing SEL Into Your Schools"
by Maurice Elias and Jennifer Ly, Rutgers University SECD Lab and SEL4NJ
Hundreds of schools in New Jersey joined in the celebration of the second International Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Day in March 2021. They shared the SEL, character, school culture and climate, and student voice activities they did on that day, during the preceding week or two, and during the whole academic year.
Learn what several schools did and how you can incorporate their SEL activities and lesson plans in your school. Read more
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2021 Children’s Mental Health Report
"The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Children’s Mental Health: What We Know So Far"
Even before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, mental health professionals were struggling to meet the needs of the 1 in 5 children and adolescents with a mental health or learning disorder. Then the pandemic hit, bringing an upsurge in youth reporting mental health challenges. In this report, we examine the growing body of research on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s mental health, including the results of a survey of thousands of parents conducted by the Child Mind Institute. Read more
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"3 SEL Practices Teachers Can Use Every Day"
These social and emotional learning strategies won’t take a lot of time, but they can have a big impact on middle and high school students. Read more
"Helping Students Reacclimate to Being With Others All Day"
Many students are still a little overwhelmed at being around their peers, though they’re also excited. Some simple strategies can help them adjust to being back in school. Read more
"3 Steps School Leaders Can Take to Support Teachers Right Now"
Educators’ well-being impacts students’ well-being and learning, so it’s imperative that school leaders find ways to make teachers’ workload more manageable. Read more
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"Youth Mental Health First Aid"
The Northeast and Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) can provide Youth Mental Health First Aid to your school or organization at no cost. "Youth Mental Health First Aid" is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders."
If you are interested in receiving training, please email us.
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