The days are getting longer and the first hints of spring are beginning to appear. It is a perfect time to take a few minutes to reflect on the past year and celebrate all you have done (which is more than you think!). We continue to be in awe of you and everything you have accomplished.
In spite of all the challenges in the world right now, there continues to be much to be grateful for and to celebrate - in many ways spring and SEL Day could not come at a better time! If you have created an artifact please be sure to tweet #SELday on Friday, March 10th. If you do not have an artifact yet, it is not too late! Simply sign-up for SEL Day, have your students each make a drawing or write a poem, and share the artifacts on Friday #SELday! See below for details on how to help spread the word and celebrate how New Jersey schools have spread love and kindness throughout their school communities.
It is also the time to start planning for next year! Please don't hesitate to reach out to us for a conversation on the various resources and supports the School Culture and Climate Initiative can offer - see below for details!
|
We have been supporting schools for 13 years! Please contact us to find out more and how we can support your efforts to create a positive school environment where all (students and staff) feel safe, respected, and connected.
School Climate Improvement
School Climate Assessment and Improvement Process
- When schools join the School Climate Assessment and Improvement Process (SCAIP), they embark on a three-year, individualized, data driven process with the guidance and support of experts in the field of school climate and social-emotional learning.
- It is a fully supported comprehensive process which includes data collection and analysis, in-depth data review, consultant support over three years, assistance in team formation, support in the development and implementation of school improvement action plans, and participation in PLC’s with other participating schools.
SEL Coaching
- We provide one-on-one or small group coaching for educators who are interested in honing their own skills in incorporating social-emotional learning and creating a positive climate in their classroom.
- Educators and our coaches form strong coaching partnerships and collaboratively identify personal development goals.
- Coaches provide modeling, observation and feedback, and spend quality time with educators, across a number of months and ideally a full academic year.
Professional Development
- All of our PD topics support our commitment to improving a school’s culture and climate and integrating social-emotional and character development in the classroom and school-wide all designed specifically for your school/district.
- Topic areas include among others SEL, school climate, trauma-informed approach, staff mental health/wellness, cultural competencies including DEI topics.
-
Staff Well-being Workshop Series “Building Within: Cultivating Well-being and Emotional Resilience in Educators”
- View our list of PD offerings.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
- Phased foundational approach to building understanding and capacity within a school and district.
- Approach includes data collection on perceptions of equity and inclusion, staff professional development, an equity audit, creating a customized plan for on-going work and personalized support throughout the process.
Data Collection and Analysis
School Climate Assessment Lab
A data-driven approach ensures that decisions are grounded in facts, that resources are used widely and that progress can be identified, measured and celebrated.
- Assessment Interpretation and Support – including post-survey support for the new NJ DoE Climate Survey
- Custom Evaluation Services
-
Specific Assessment tools available and supported by the Lab: School Culture and Climate Assessment Survey; Equity and Inclusion Survey (middle school and high school); Panorama Social-Emotional Learning Survey; Panorama Well-Being Survey; School Health Assessment Survey; Spectrum Diversity School Climate and Bullying Prevention Survey
Professional Learning Networks
- School Support Network
- Coffee Chats and Job-Alike Coffee Chats
- School Climate Professional Learning Community (SCAIP PLC)
The School Culture and Climate Initiative is here to support you! Contact us for more information on any of our services!
|
March 22 from 8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. ET
"What Does DEI in Educational Practice Truly Look Like?"
Saint Elizabeth University (Annunciation Center - Flex Rooms), 2 Convent Road, Morristown, NJ
Presented by: Patrick Fennell, Consultant, School Culture and Climate Initiative; Founder/President of Empowerment Solutions, LLC
There is an old adage that says, “If you can see it, you can achieve it”. For some, the vision of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in educational practice is unclear and confusing while for others, it feels uncomfortable and daunting. This interactive session will: create common language around what DEI truly is and why it is important for all stakeholders in the school community; identify practical and tactical challenges; and share best practices and considerations in the development of positive culture and climate, equitable discipline policy and inclusive classroom management.
|
|
School Support Network (SSN) meetings are free and everyone is welcome to attend. Share with your colleagues! |
IN-PERSON Meeting
March 22
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. ET
"What Does DEI in Educational Practice Truly Look Like?"
Saint Elizabeth University
2 Convent Rd, Morristown, NJ
Annunciation Center - Flex Rooms
Presented by: Patrick Fennell,
Consultant, School Culture and Climate Initiative; Founder/President of Empowerment Solutions, LLC
|
April 12 - 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET
"How to get the Most Out of Your Climate Data"
Presented by: Liz Warner and Patricia Heindel, Ph.D., Co-Directors, School Culture and Climate Initiative
Whether using the School Culture and Climate Initiative survey or the newly available New Jersey Department of Education's NJSCI, what is critically important is what comes after the survey. Learn about best practice for intentional data driven approaches to school climate improvement.
|
May 17 - 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET
"Maximizing Educator Well-Being: Enhancing Your Ability to Connect, Communicate, and Build Relationships"
Presented by: Tre Gammage, Social Emotional Learning Specialist and Speaker
Description will be shared in April.
|
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 - 10:30 a.m. ET and are open for all to attend.
|
These are 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 - 10:30 a.m. ET.
Administrator Coffee Chat
School Counselor Coffee Chat
Administrator Coffee Chat
|
"The Extraordinary School: Insights into What Fuels Connection and Belonging in the Workplace"
Presenter: Amy Moritz, Learning and Development Strategist, Moritz Consulting
|
|
Join Us in Celebrating SEL Day 2023! |
|
Uplifting Hearts, Connecting Minds
March 10, 2023
It is a wonderful, fun way to celebrate all the great work happening in NJ schools! Sign up today to showcase, promote, advocate for, and support SEL (broadly defined) in your school and community. All you need to do is create an artifact and send it out on social media with the hashtag #SELday on March 10th. The goal is to have #SELday trending worldwide!
If you create an artifact (which many NJ schools did last year for SEL Day!), it would be wonderful if you could send a copy of your artifact (video, photos, blogs, podcasts, etc.) with the theme of your artifact included in the subject line to SEL4NJ (i deally one or two words...for example kindness, connection, staff morale, student voice, respect). We of course will be sure to tweet and share the artifact on SEL Day.
We are so excited to showcase and highlight the amazing SEL work taking place in schools throughout New Jersey!
|
|
|
|
Join SEL4NJ for NJ's Own SEL Day Summit
Friday, March 10th from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
SEL4NJ and partners are excited to bring five fabulous workshops as well as the opportunity to hear from the recipients of the 2022 NY Jets~SEL4NJ SEL scholarship award winners.
|
|
|
Let's celebrate and honor #SELDay by tackling a tough topic. There has been misinformation and push back about SEL being something new, and something that shouldn't be taught in schools. Michelle Trujillo directly addresses this topic with evidence that the skills taught through SEL have been emphasized in education for over a century, and are vital to the social, emotional, and academic growth of our students! Please share this video out to set the record straight, and honor #SEL.
|
|
|
|
|
Professional Development, Webinars, and Resources |
|
CASEL Webinar: "Leaders as Learners: Cultivating the Community" (Four-Part Series)
March 15, 2023 from 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ET
Every adult in a young person’s life — family members, educators, coaches, mentors — influences their social, emotional, and academic development. When adults also have meaningful and inclusive opportunities to practice social and emotional learning, and systems that support them, our communities thrive.
CASEL’s new four-part series will unpack the topic of “adult SEL” by exploring the research, practices, and policy conditions that build supportive systems and adult capacity. Through 60-minute thought leadership conversations, we aim to share expertise that can strengthen your work, encourage new approaches, and leave you curious to learn more.
Join us and collaborators once a month as we build a shared understanding of adult SEL (part I), explore what we know from the research (part II), identify promising practices (part III), and spotlight supportive policies (part IV). This is not an educator “workshop,” but we hope you’ll leave inspired to deepen adult SEL in your communities.
We believe that all adults in young people’s lives are leaders, and when we approach our work as learners, we can strengthen social and emotional learning for both adults and students.
Recommended for: Education and research/policy leaders at the state, district, and school levels.
March 15: What is adult SEL and why does it matter? (Part 1 of 4)
April 12: What do we know, and don’t know, from research on adult SEL? (Part 2 of 4)
May 10: What promising practices are emerging on adult SEL? (Part 3 of 4)
June 14: What policy conditions are necessary for adult SEL? (Part 4 of 4)
|
|
|
Webinar: "Engaging Students and Improving Outcomes Through Implementation and Supports for Social-Emotional Learning"
Tuesday, March 21 from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. ET
This webinar provides an overview of social-emotional learning (SEL) as a comprehensive and systemic approach to engaging learners and improving outcomes for all students and the school systems that serve them. The presenter, Donna Black, is an educator of 30 years who is not only a school practitioner and nationally recognized expert on SEL but is also someone who has ‘walked the talk.’ Register now
|
|
|
|
Teenage girls experiencing record high levels of sadness, violence and trauma, CDC says
In 2021, the CDC saw an increase in mental health challenges across the board, but it’s girls in the U.S. that are engulfed in a wave of sadness, violence, and trauma. Nearly three in five reported feeling persistent sadness and hopelessness, 25% of girls reported having made a suicide plan and 14% reported having been forced to have sex. Stephanie Sy spoke with Sharon Hoover about the survey. Read the full transcript
|
|
|
 |
Support Emotional Literacy With the Healing Hand Activity
Not all challenges can be solved, but an activity that helps students identify their support systems and coping strategies can boost their well-being. Read more
The Art (and Science) of Using Praise for Improvement
In addition to improving relationships, praise from teachers can boost students’ confidence and self-esteem. Read more
8 Ways to Support Students Who Experience Trauma
Children, adolescents and teens in your classroom have experienced or are experiencing ongoing trauma. The impacts of trauma can be far-reaching, long-lasting, and impact students' ability to access their education. There are small ways, however, that we can make our classrooms more friendly and supportive to students managing the impacts of trauma. Read more
|
|
|
|
Are Relationships the Key to Solving America’s School Absenteeism Crisis?
“A key in all of this is going to be relationship-building. Kids are more likely to come to school when they feel connected to an adult who cares." Read more
|
|
|
Rutgers University Upcoming SEL Webinars
Click here to access Rutgers webinar page.
- SEL and Equity 101: A Practical Approach
- Academy Overview: How and Why to Obtain a Certificate in SEL Instruction and/or SEL School Leadership
- How to Integrate SEL into Social Studies/Civics/History and other Academic Areas via Students Taking Action Together (STAT), and into Tier 2 Interventions via the Social-Emotional Learning Lab (SEL Lab)
- How to Instruct Students in ANY SEL/Character Program Effectively
- Leading SEL Implementation in Schools
- Principles of Staff Development for Expertise in SEL/Character Instruction
|
|
|
School Culture and Climate Initiative
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
