Second step
Second Step is taught weekly in every classroom. The lessons provide instruction in social and emotional learning with units on skills for learning, empathy, emotion management, friendship skills, and problem-solving.
Second Step uses four key strategies to reinforce skill development: brain-builder games, weekly theme activities, reinforcing activities, and home links. These links offer you an overview of the lessons being covered in your child's class as well as tips and practice opportunities for you to use at home.
Zones of regulation
The Zones of Regulation creates a systematic approach to teach regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones. The framework is designed to help move students toward more independent regulation while also honoring and respecting each student and their unique self.
Restorative Practices
Fairmount will be using Restorative Practices and Proactive Circles throughout the school year.
Overview
- What is Restorative Practice?
- Restorative Practice is a term used to describe a relationship-oriented approach (rather than a punishment-oriented one) to resolving issues that arise in school. The five Rs of Restorative Practice are relationship, respect, responsibility, repair, and reintegration.
- Proactive Circles
- Happen weekly in the classroom for connection and belonging (usually a question with a brief answer where everyone participates)
- Responsive Circles
- Happen as needed in classrooms to address incidents that may cause harm (bullying, playground conflict, or unsafe behavior) or denote a change in the community (new student or a student’s last day)
- Informal Conferences
- Used to talk to an individual or small group about an issue (student/teacher conflict, habitual tardies, etc.) using 4 questions (What happened? Who did it affect? What might you have done differently? What is a solution so it doesn’t happen again?) to reflect on effects of the behavior
- Preconferences
- Fact-finding review of the 4 questions with each individual in conflict before determining whether to put them together in a formal RP Conference
- RP Conferences
- Conference with two people in conflict or reintegration of a student who has been suspended that results in a signed, mutually agreeable and student-generated solution
Support at home
- Use the four questions when helping your students to problem solve through a conflict they have at home:
- What happened?
- What are the effects?
- What responsibility can you take?
- What are the solutions?
- Take turns answering relationship-building questions around the dinner table.
More SEL resources
Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (PBIS)
PBIS is a process to create a safe, positive, and productive learning environment for all children. Fairmount SOARs, which stands for Safety, Ownership, Acceptance and Respect.
Rewards and celebrations occur in classrooms and throughout the building to let students know how amazing they are and how hard they are working every day to model these expectations!
How can you support your student at home?
- A core principle of PBIS that you can use at home is the 5:1 rule. For every corrective statement made, provide five positive statements or praises of your child's behavior.
- Use your school's acronym and expectations to reinforce student behavior at home
- Talk to your student about what these behavior expectations look like at home and in the community
Focus, Attention, and Executive Functioning
- We provide tools and strategies to help students focus, attend, stay organized, and stay comfortable.
- Frequent movement and brain breaks are built into all parts of the school day.
- Noise-canceling headphones and a quiet "Peace Place" in the classroom support learners who need calm.
- Visual Schedules, timers, checklists, and organizers help students stay on track.
Support at home
- Make tasks more VISUAL by using photographs, checklists, and step-lists
- Keep materials needed for each task together and easily accessible
- Use a color-coded clock or timers for time management
- Break down tasks into smaller parts, and build in brain and body breaks along the way
Research materials, strategies, and training on Executive Functioning by Sarah Ward. Also, check out Bloomtogether.org for local professional support.
