Social Emotional Learning

Just as we value academics, we also place a huge emphasis on social/emotional learning. RULER (recognize, understand, label, express, regulate emotions) was developed at the Yale Institute for Emotional Intelligence. Through this program we teach all members of our school community that all feelings are valid and how we express and regulate those feelings is what has impact on ourselves and others. Each morning, teachers, students, and staff members, check in on the mood meter.  

Students and teachers start the day sharing how they are feeling (in the yellow, red, blue, or green) and create strategies to get through the day productively. Students have opportunities to move their names on the mood meter throughout the day and journal how they are feeling.  For example, a student might come to school in the "red" (angry or mad) so a teacher would know to check in with that student and understand how to approach them. Other aspects of RULER is the charter, meta-moment, and action plan.