social and emotional learning Archives

A Real-Life Fairy Tale: Princess Diana

Published August 10, 2022

Presented by SSA Public Relations

A Real-Life Fairy Tale: Princess Diana Is the first book in an illustrated biography series chronicling the lives of globally renowned women whose dedication to improving lives impacted the world. It’s the second appearance on LAParent.com for children’s author Emberli Pridham, whose first book series – If Not You, Then Who? – was profiled earlier in the year. Now a nationwide best-selling series, Pridham’s If Not You, Then Who? books introduce children to the world of inventors and invention, and spark their creativity and imagination along the way. This time, we spotlight her newest book series, Real-Life Fairy Tales and the series’ first release, A Real-Life Fairy Tale: Princess Diana.

With A Real-Life Fairy Tale: Princess Diana, Pridham takes children through the growing years of the beloved Princess of Wales, from her youth as a spunky girl in Norfolk, England, to her courtship by Queen Elizabeth’s son, Prince Charles, and her emergence as one of contemporary history’s most accomplished fighters for social change.

A mother of three, Pridham developed the idea for the book series during a book reading session with daughter Brooke. The result is an inspiring and thought-provoking beautifully illustrated picture book chronicling the life and global impact of the woman many referred to as the People’s Princess. “I want to introduce this extraordinary woman to today’s generation of kids as an individual who exemplified grace and caring. Princess Diana demonstrated how one person can make a difference,” said the author.

Pridham is currently writing the next books about inspiring and influential people for her Real-Life Fairy Tale series, including Princess Grace and Jackie Kennedy.

Originally from Dallas, Texas, Pridham was first inspired to write by her author grandmother. Along with her husband David, Emberli co-authors the Amazon best-selling STEM book series, ‘If Not You, Then Who?’, which teaches children about the inventions and patents in everyday life, inspiring and empowering them to imagine and create their own. She also spends her time taking care of her family and is extensively involved in philanthropic work on behalf of the Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Elton John AIDS Foundation and American Cancer Society, among other charities.

A Real-Life Fairy Tale: Princess Diana will be available on Barnes&Noble.com, Amazon.com and through other online booksellers, as well as at select booksellers and retailers nationwide. The book can also be purchased from its dedicated website, www.Areallifefairytale.com. 10% of the proceeds from the sale of this book will benefit Centrepoint, a UK organization that was important to the late-Princess of Wales.

Meeting the Moment: How charter public schools are helping kids cope and heal

Published August 1, 2022

As children have returned to classrooms, we are seeing the effects the pandemic had on them — and it’s alarming. Psychological and social wellbeing is crucial in a student’s ability to successfully grow academically, yet schools are contending with kids who are less engaged and more distracted than before the pandemic.

Data from the CDC shows there has been a nationwide spike in mental health-related hospital visits for 5- to 17-year-olds. In California, suicide rates for 10- to 18-year-old kids increased by 20% between 2019 and 2020, according to an article in the Sacramento Bee. The uncertainty and trauma that students face is a challenge across the board, but especially among those in underserved communities.

In the California Charter Schools Association’s new report, Are the Kids OK? How Charter Public Schools Support Social-Emotional Wellbeing Schoolwide, we take a sobering look into the issue and explore what charter public schools are doing to address the needs of students, families and the local communities they serve. California’s charter schools are public schools, they are free and open to all students, regardless of zip code. Independently operated, they use their flexibility and adaptability to find new ways to address the challenges that have arisen during the pandemic.

Key challenges affecting students identified in the report include mental and physical health problems, inequitable impacts across age groups and behavioral impacts, such as greater instances of anxiety and depression.

Schools across the nation are exploring possible solutions, but many are bogged down by bureaucracy and politics. A data analysis by the California Department of Public Health found that 93% of charter public schools in the state used their COVID relief funds to make “significant new investments” in their social-emotional and mental health supports that go beyond hiring additional social workers and social-emotional counselors. Nearly three-quarters of those schools have “completely transformed” their mental health supports or undergone a “major” or “substantial” expansion of their services.

Common best practices of the schools identified in the report include building trusting relationships with students, providing students tailored supports instead of a “one-size-fits-all” approach, building family and community partnerships, and promoting growth and celebrating progress.

The report highlights the strategies and programs at charter public schools such as Libertas College Prep Academy in South Los Angeles to illustrate common practices that have been proven successful in re-engaging students and providing the support they need to thrive in a learning environment.

Libertas utilizes a “Strength of Character” system where students can earn points for modeling the school’s core values. For example, students can be awarded points for effort and other positive behaviors. This allows for their educators to promote growth and celebrate progress even when a student is struggling to grasp a concept.

Charter public schools recognize that academic success is dependent on a child’s social-emotional wellbeing and are providing those lessons to all educators so that more school leaders can create a program that best serves their students. “Are the kids OK?” is a question every school leader and educator should be asking themselves. When it comes to the wellbeing of our kids, there is no room for error.

Myrna Castrejón is the president and CEO of the California Charter Schools Association and a board member of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools

Emotional Intelligence: The Impact the Pandemic Had on Social and Emotional Learning

Published October 1, 2021

“Don’t let the noise of other people’s opinions drown out your own inner voice.” – Steve Jobs

The prolonged school lockdowns that started in early spring 2020 disrupted children’s routines, including normal school days and activities. It quickly blocked their access to the basic supports that schools provide, including the face-to-face contact with teachers and friends — a base fundamental to a child’s development. Being away from the classroom has not only contributed to reduced student performance, it has stretched the limit of children’s social and emotional well-being.

At Stratford School, we understand that social and emotional learning is paramount to student development and academic success, and the pandemic emphasized the need to elevate its importance. So we reached out to some of our Stratford principals, teachers and parents to find out what activities or programs they implemented during the pandemic that made an impact on students’ daily lives and social and emotional learning, and here’s what they had to say!

Read, Read, Read
Keira Pride – Head Librarian

Stratford School took its on campus/in-class book clubs online! Since we couldn’t hold library visits in person, Stratford librarians scheduled weekly book club sessions for students, Preschool – 5th Grade. Each week, hundreds of students would “zoom in” for an age-appropriate story followed by an in depth, and often very lively, book discussion. These weekly meetings not only created a community of literature-loving students, Stratford’s virtual book club created a safe place for students to share and connect socially with their peers. Ample time was included before and after each weekly story time so students could share whatever was on their mind — introducing their pets and siblings, to sharing their favorite food or excitement over losing a tooth – and some even presented artwork or school projects to the group. Students loved spending time connecting with their friends and sharing many laughs.

Create Friendship Circles
Mary Kiely – Lower School Director, Washington Park Campus

Stratford Washington Park held online and in-person Friendship Circles with students and the Lower School Director. These circles centered around the book Friendship and Other Weapons. Each week, we took time to create engaging activities and discussions around friendships and how to treat people. We discussed feelings and perspective, talking with peers in order to find ways to navigate difficult friendships, as well as being proactive in building strong foundations for friendships through discussion, games, writing and scenarios with role play.

Create An Emotional Bond
Annissa Mason Doumitt – Parent, Altadena Campus

When the first-grade children transferred to in-person learning from online, the teacher encouraged everyone to bring their favorite stuffed animal to school to sit in the bin by their desk. As this was a new landscape for children, wearing masks, socially distanced and unable to touch or hug after a long year of being separated, Mrs. Rains wanted the children to have something tangible they could hug when they wanted to hug their teacher or friend, were missing home or just needed some physical comfort. This was a wonderful way to transition to the classroom and recognize the isolation and wide range of emotions the children were feeling after all of this time.

Encourage Peer Relationships
Jennifer Garrone – Director Lower School, Crestmoor Canyon Campus

Throughout the 2020-21 school year, our school community had a ‘show must go on’ mentality and continued to host all events students would usually experience in a traditional school year, just this time — virtually! Connection with one another was definitely something that we adapted for our Stratford Online Academy students, and we found it important for students to have these opportunities to converse with one another. Aside from the usual morning meetings during the year, we hosted lunchtime socials for students that were led by online teachers or school leaders and provided students with an outlet for unstructured time. We also continued with our monthly spirit day assemblies, spirit weeks of free dress and campus-wide events, such as a virtual fall festival and spring picnic. Students truly enjoyed the events, because each of our events provided a sense of normalcy and something for our students to look forward to — it redefined and reimagined our school community.

Who’s Behind the Mask
Rachel Altreuter – Elementary Principal, San Francisco Campus

When we returned to in-person instruction after months of distance learning on Zoom, some of the kids were nervous about recognizing their teachers with a mask on. We created a bulletin board in front of the school called “Who’s Behind the Mask?” that showcased side-by-side photos of the teachers wearing a mask and without wearing a mask so that the children were sure to recognize their teacher!

We also hosted Friday lunchtime socials that allowed the kids learning online to connect with their in-person peers. Students were invited to join a video call hosted by our lunch staff where kids would play games together, tell jokes and riddles, and just hang out and socialize. We had some “regulars” who would come every time just to check in and say hello to their favorite lunch teachers!

Developing Emotional Intelligence

It can be challenging for students of any age to understand what they are feeling and learn to channel those feelings in ways that help them become better people and better learners. The key is developing emotional intelligence: knowing what emotions are, how they work and how to use them and manage them for social interaction and learning. Students also need to gain the capacity to recognize other people’s emotions, to discriminate among the different feelings and to label them appropriately.

As we return to school, not only will children continue to build foundational skills that will pave the way for academic success, they will also reignite social-emotional skills like kindness, sharing and self-awareness that will contribute to their overall success in life. If you are interested in learning more about Stratford School, or scheduling a personalized tour, visit us online at www.stratfordschools.com.

Saugus Schools Implement Mindful Leading at Recess

Published May 1, 2016

By Elena Epstein

Campus supervisors from Tesoro del Valle Elementary School receive their certificates of completion during the last Mindful Leading workshop. Left to right are Graciela Paredes, Paula Broad, Jill Bloom and Julie Smith with Saugus Union School District Superintendent Joan Lucid and parent coach and author Roma Khetarpal. PHOTO COURTESY SAUGUS UNION SCHOOL DISTRICT

For several mornings, Lisa Storaker, a campus supervisor at Mountainview Elementary School in Saugus, noticed a second-grader leaning against the wall near the playground watching the action around her, but not participating. Storaker became concerned.

“I started chatting with her to get to know her better,” says the mom of five, who has been a campus supervisor for the Saugus Union School District for five years. “I asked her what she does after school and about her siblings. It turns out she comes from a large family, and mornings before class are her only alone time. She wasn’t being excluded. She just wanted to have some time to herself.”

As a campus supervisor, Storaker is on the front lines of helping children navigate the social and emotional learning that takes place daily on school playgrounds. This time away from the structured classroom environment is crucial for developing critical life skills such teamwork, friendship, communication and conflict resolution.

The Importance of Unstructured Play

Acknowledging the importance of unstructured playtime, the district implemented a “mindful leading” training program for campus supervisors. Recess can be fraught with cliques, bullying, fighting and hurt feelings. The workshops address these common issues and provide strategies to help ensure students have a positive playground experience.

Eighty-four campus supervisors from 15 elementary schools participated in the four-part training program led by author and parent educator Roma Khetarpal, founder and CEO of Tools of Growth, an organization devoted to helping kids “Be Happy, Think Positive, and Do Good.” The Santa Clarita resident is also the author of the award-winning book, “The Perfect Parent.”

“Our campus supervisors really get to know the kids as they grow from kindergarteners to sixth graders,” says Isa De Armas, Ed.D, director of curriculum and instruction for the district. “This type of training gives them more tools to use to open up discussions and break through strong emotions.”

The Campus Supervisor’s Role During Play

During the training, Khetarpal reminded the campus supervisors of their unique role in helping children feel safe and secure. Topics ranged from emotional intelligence to responding instead of reacting and being present. “Go down to their level, ask open-ended questions and really listen to them. Let them finish their sentences,” advised Khetarpal. She also emphasized the power of words, reminding her audience to move away from phrases such as “How many times have I told you?” to harness the teaching moment that has presented itself.

One of Khetarpal’s main messages is, “When you’re right, practice being kind first.”

“Being an adult does not mean we are superior to children,” says Khetarpal. “We shouldn’t be in a position of dictatorship, but rather a position of directorship.”

The Impact of Mindful Leading

Campus supervisors say the workshop tools are working. One supervisor took the time to delve into the motivation of a kindergartener who caused havoc at lunch every day by spitting juice on kids around him. The child is now a yard helper, ending the juice fights. Julie Huff, a supervisor at Emblem Academy, says she now asks open-ended questions of her 14-year-old daughter, and has loved the discussions that have resulted. Several supervisors have found the technique of taking a few deep breaths before addressing an emotionally charged situation a simple, but extremely effective, tool.

“As educators, we always have to work harder and be more intentional when in a challenging situation,” says district superintendent Joan Lucid, Ed.D. “Our campus supervisors play a significant role in our children’s lives, and it can be very challenging. But the kids who are having the hardest time are the ones who will remember the special adult in their lives who didn’t give up on them.”

The Importance of Unstructured Play

The Campus Supervisor’s Role During Play

The Impact of Mindful Leading

L.A. Parent