Staff SEL Newsletter

September 18, 2024

The First Six Weeks of School

Week 3:

Promoting student independence and reinforcing student expectations

Relationship building focus continues

Logical Consequences

Three Types of Logical Consequences

“You break it, you fix it”

Used in situations when something has been broken or a mess has been made—whether accidentally or intentionally. The consequence is that those responsible for the problem take responsibility for fixing it.

Loss of Privilege

Used when children’s behavior does not meet pre-established expectations. The consequence is that the child loses the privilege of participating in an activity or using materials for a brief time, usually a class period or a day. What’s taken away must be directly related to the unwanted behavior, and the teacher must make sure that the child truly understands and can live up to expectations.

Positive Time-Out

Used when a teacher believes that a child needs a way to calm down and recover self-control. The consequence is that the child moves to a pre-established place in the classroom, takes time to regroup, and then rejoins the class once they have calmed down.

Goals of Logical Consequences

Stop the unwanted behavior
Keep everyone safe
Preserve the child’s dignity
Get the child back to productive learning as soon as possible
Help children see how their behavior affects their own and their classmates’ learning

When to Use a Logical Consequence

When the teacher and the student are calm
When students break the rules
When simple cues and language are not effective

Closing Circle

At the end of the day, it's tempting to get through dismissal quickly. Rather than omitting Closing Circle, try keeping it brief. Even something simple can make a difference in helping to end the day peacefully and with a sense of community.

Sing a song
Do a chant
Share one thing you did today
Revisit a Morning Meeting group activity

Morning Meeting: Sharings

Keep Morning Meeting fresh and fun with some new ideas for Sharings.

Click pics to enlarge.

My Favorite Season... and Here's Why!

Challenges students to articulate a reason for liking something

Who Remembers?

An engaging recall game to stretch children's listening skills and memory

My Family

Sharing about a familiar topic helps children practice one-on-one conversation skills

My Partner's Pride

A good way to reinforce the often-challenging skills of encouragement and empathy

Ongoing SEL Links/Info:

Assemblies Staff Talent Sign-Up
Angier Buddies If your grade level has made any changes, please update the doc.
Room 205 Snack & Coffee Fund (optional)--Venmo $20 to @Michelle-Ellis-145
Take a Break Spaces--Last week I delivered visual timers and noise canceling headphones (from the SEL Department) to all classroom/specials teachers for your Take a Break Spaces. If there is anyone else who has a break space set up for students in their workspace and would like these materials too, please let me know.