Welcome to the Office of System and School Improvement Newsletter!
Social Emotional Learning
February 2021
Tammy Bolen, OSPI SEL Program Supervisor
Last December, Governor Inslee released new guidance regarding school reopening’s. With this announcement, districts across Washington have accelerated planning for youth to return to schools. There are a lot of questions educators are considering: “What will that transition look like from online learning to small group, masked, physically-distanced learning in the classrooms?” “How can we handle the impact of school closures, isolation, stress and trauma on students and staff alike?” “What supports can be put into place to ensure that students and staff feel safe, build trusting relationships and feel a sense of belonging?”
Continue reading this article....
Laurie Dills, OSPI Sexual Health Education Program Supervisor
The benefits of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) are clear, both academically and in terms of general wellness. Key outcomes include improved classroom behavior, increased ability to manage stress and depression and better attitudes about themselves, others and school. i Students in grades K-3 who are not already receiving instruction in SEL will have that opportunity starting in the 2022-23 school year through an unlikely connection to a new sexual health education requirement in Washington.
Continue reading this article.....Social-Emotional Learning and Sexual Health Education, not such strange bedfellows.docx
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The state Social Emotional Learning Data and Evaluation sub-committee is seeking feedback from both community and education stakeholders about SEL needs and SEL activities across the state. Please take a few minutes to contribute your perspective. Also, feel free to share the survey invitation broadly with your networks statewide.
Survey Link
Every February, the American School Counselor Association leads an effort to increase awareness of the critical role school counselors play in the development and success of all students. This year, as we continue to experience a public health crisis that is increasing students' needs for social-emotional and mental health supports, school counselors must work with all student support staff to provide the services our students, families, staff and communities need during these challenging times. They truly must be "All in for All Students"!
For more information, resources, ASCA's social media kit and the daily themes, go to the National School Counseling Week - American School Counselor Association (ASCA) website.
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Click here for OSPI SEL Modules
In this short video, CASEL describes 3 simple SEL practices to help create effective learning spaces for engaging adults.
Take advantage of this grant opportunity, to explore the curriculum, identify current trends in your school by looking at your Healthy Youth Survey data and other resources.
“Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans and a time for recognizing their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month.”
Learn more about the origins of Black History Month at History.com
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Apple celebrates Black History Month
National Museum of African American History & Culture resources for Educators
Why We Need Black History Month
The Danger of a Single Story
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – “Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.”
Caste; The Origins of Our Discontents; by Isabel Wilkerson
Beyond race, class, or other factors, there is a powerful caste system that influences people’s lives and behavior and the nation’s fate. Linking the caste systems of America, India, and Nazi Germany, Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day. She documents how the Nazis studied the racial systems in America to plan their out-cast of the Jews; she discusses why the cruel logic of caste requires that there be a bottom rung for those in the middle to measure themselves against; she writes about the surprising health costs of caste, in depression and life expectancy, and the effects of this hierarchy on our culture and politics. Finally, she points forward to ways America can move beyond the artificial and destructive separations of human divisions, toward hope in our common humanity.
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