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Supporting, Connecting, and Empowering Schools
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Hello friends!
The sun is shining and spring is beginning to blossom around us as we start this new month in an environment we simply could not have imagined only a short while ago. What hasn’t changed is how dauntless and committed you all are – we continue to be so inspired by all of you! With that in mind, this spring we will be sending out more frequent newsletters highlighting the great work being done in this challenging environment by educators around the state.
Social-emotional skills and a positive climate have never been more important than now, for both staff, students and parents.
The School Culture and Climate Initiative is available to support you and your school – whether through virtual PD, continued intentional climate improvement work or simply providing an opportunity for connection and providing a friendly welcoming (virtual for now) space. With that in mind the School Support Network meetings are going virtual – the first meeting is planned for April 8th. See below for registration details.
Take care and thank you!
Liz and Trish and the Team
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We are excited to announce the launch of our new website,
SchoolCultureandClimate.org
. Get to know our team and learn about all of our services and supports.
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Check us out on Facebook and Twitter @CultureClimate for announcements, highlights/pictures from events, and fun and creative ideas for improving your school climate and enhancing SEL skills.
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SEL4NJ is a volunteer-driven organization with FREE membership that promotes high-quality SEL throughout the state. Sign up now to join this effort and to stay informed about national and state SEL news!
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What Schools are Doing to Stay Connected
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Please take a moment to complete this short form to let us know what you have been doing to stay connected to staff, students, families and the community. We’d love to hear your story and to share it with others. If possible, please upload a photo or a video that can accompany your story. We will feature a few submissions in each of our upcoming newsletters.
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Unity Charter School’s Virtual Compliment Booth
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It began several years ago as a fun project for a group of middle school students. They created a compliment booth located in the main hallway of the school where staff, students, families and community members could enter and record a compliment on the tablet located inside the booth. After screening the compliments, the technology education teacher would stream the compliments on the TVs in the two main hallways at various times throughout the day.
These days, those hallways are empty and quiet – but the compliments keep flowing at Unity Charter School because the compliment booth has gone virtual! Staff, students, families and community members can still record acknowledgments and compliments through a free resource called
Flipgrid
. The “commUNITY” is able to access the password-protected Flipgrid to view these moments of gratefulness. This creative strategy has helped keep the school community connected and focused on the positive. And, after all, who doesn’t love a compliment?
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Our friend and fellow educator, Mario Rodas, Principal at Center Grove Elementary School, made this video to inject a little humor into your day. Enjoy!
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Inspiration from Out of State
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Check out what these teachers in Pennsylvania did to stay connected to their students
–
what a fun way to bring the community together and to brighten up the day!
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SEL Day Recap - Congratulations New Jersey!
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The inaugural International SEL Day which was held on Friday, March 27, 2020 was a huge success with almost 2 million (!!) views for #SELday with 49 out of 50 states participating!
New Jersey led the way
and had more schools and organizations signing up and participating than any other state in the country!
If you followed #SELDay, you saw that it was a day where the SEL community came together to celebrate and recognize the significance and value of SEL in our schools, homes and communities. People posted photos, podcasts, videos and fun SEL activities – many that can be used remotely while students are learning at home.
Our friend and colleague,
Deb (Warner) Minieri fr
om Denville School District, graciously shared their SEL Day
video
. Thank you, Deb, for sharing this with us – we had as much fun watching it as you did making it.
We encourage all of you to make every day SEL Day!
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Upcoming Webinars & Virtual Meetings
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So Now What? Supporting SEL at Home
April 3, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. ET
CASEL CARES INITIATIVE has invited Jennifer Miller from
Confident Kids, Confident Parents
to share SEL strategies and ways to support learning during this unique time at home.
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SEL and Arts Education: Navigating Uncertain Times, Preparing for the Future
April 6, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. ET
Explore how arts educators can incorporate social-emotional learning (SEL) into their artistic practices with intention, learn strategies for supporting students' emotional needs, and how these strategies will create a foundation for student learning in our post-COVID-19 world.
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Virtual SSN Meeting
April 8, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. ET
We look forward to connecting and hearing from you! Share what's happening in your district and hear what others are doing to stay connected and to support staff, families and students.
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The School Culture and Climate Initiative is based at the Center for Human and Social Development at the College of Saint Elizabeth
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For questions about SSN meetings, contact Liz Warner
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For questions about or difficulty with registration, contact Leighann Garland
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SchoolCultureandClimate.org
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