Social Emotional Learning

Two kindergarten students confront each other with smiles atop the play structure

With SEL as a central pillar, Synapse equips its students to become change makers by cultivating a thriving community of social and emotional learners. Through explicit SEL instruction, integrated curriculum, and annual change maker themes, every member of the community (students, teachers, and parents) is engaged in a continual practice to become more aware, more intentional and more compassionate in life.

The SEL School

Step into a Synapse classroom and feel the energy and joy associated with learning at the forefront, where vanguard academics are infused with SEL principles. Equally applicable to personal growth, school culture, and constructivist inquiry, learning is optimized when feeling and thinking are fused.

SEL School

SEL School

Parent support and resources that create a vital bridge between home and school.
Restorative conflict resolution and social problem-solving practices that build lifelong skills.
Daily check-ins, meeting circles and advisories where a sense of safety and trust is established and maintained.
Social and academic inquiry that engages Six Seconds’ eight EQ competencies in pursuit of Know Yourself, Choose Yourself, Give Yourself, and are embedded in constructivist learning philosophy.
Regular student-led whole-school assemblies that celebrate EQ themes.
School climate where positive energy, acceptance, connection and growth mindset are the norm.
Curriculum designed under an SEL umbrella, specifically through the lens of an overarching annual SEL theme embodying essential change-maker skills: Intersections, Turning Points, The Power of One, Crisis and Opportunity, Iterations, Counterpoints, Risk & Initiative, Transformations, and Noble Goals.
A change-maker role model who personifies the Annual SEL Theme, chosen annually by the faculty.
EQ competencies as fundamental to the innovation process and exemplified in the all-school Change Maker Challenge.

SEL Specific Instruction

Synapse curriculum contains embedded and explicit instruction of Six Seconds’ eight competencies essential to emotional intelligence.

Specific Instruction
From Six Seconds

Specific Instruction

Six Seconds' Eight Competencies: Enhance Emotional Literacy; Recognize Patterns; Apply Consequential Thinking; Navigate Emotions; Engage Intrinsic Motivation; Exercise Optimism; Increase Empathy; Pursue Noble Goals

K-6 Self-Science classes in pursuit of Know Yourself, Choose Yourself, Give Yourself
Lower School friendship skills groups
Middle School Advisories providing issues-driven social problem solving
Middle School Social Innovation classes with full SEL integration in design thinking focused on change-maker projects
SEI, SEI-YV and SEI-P (Six Seconds’ emotional intelligence assessment and coaching tools) informing student and teacher goal setting and SEL development
Vibrant parent education program that supports a community of adult learners
School-wide SEL support, particularly at recess and transition time
Integration of SEL into Nature Days, facilitated by experienced nature staff, providing innately collaborative experiences to inspire curiosity, tap intrinsic motivation, and connect students to each other and to the natural world.
Integration of SEL into Physical Education, in support of awakening the mind and nurturing the body for optimal learning and emotional well being, acknowledging the value of a variety of skills in team play.

From Six Seconds

Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults acquire and effectively apply the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. In other words: It’s how students learn the skills of emotional intelligence.

SEL in Action

Emotions are data

Emotions are data. In our EQ Parenting workshops this week, we talked about the Plutchik Model of Emotions as a framework for Enhancing Emotional Literacy. There are no “good” or “bad” emotions, only messages from ourselves to ourselves. To understand those messages, we start with building blocks of emotional intelligence, which is labelling our emotions. As author Daniel Siegel puts it, with big emotions, you can “name it to tame it.”

Try this at home:

Set three alarms daily to check in with your emotions.
When the alarm goes off, try to name your emotion using the Plutchick’s Model.
Note what those emotions are and see if you notice any patterns!
Make it a game with your kids!

Sensing Emotions in our Bodies

Sensing Emotions in Our Bodies

Oftentimes, we encourage our children’s curiosity outward: look at how the leaves are turning colors or the beautiful night sky. Less often do we encourage kids to be curious about how they are feeling inside. Have you considered asking your child, “Where are you sensing sadness in your body?", “Are you sensing anger in your head, heart, stomach, etc?” “How would you describe the sensations as a metaphor (a knot in your stomach, your face feeling like burning charcoal, a lump in your throat)?"

Try this at home:

When putting your child to bed at night, do a Body Scan exercise where you help them to relax each part of their body progressively, starting with their feet all the way to their head.
This practice of nightly body scan can reduce the length of your bedtime routine, and kids really enjoy it!
With consistent practice, your child will eventually learn to tune into their bodies during waking hours, without your prompting.

Teaching GRATITUDE at home

Suggestions for parents wishing to instill a gratitude practice at home:

Model and encourage giving a gift of time or money or supplies to a cause that is important to your kids.
Help children to identify local heroes in the community, such as firefighters, transportation and safety workers, first responders and military and appreciate them with personal thank you notes and gifts.
Create opportunities for children to give the gift of “memory” by spending time with older members of the family or community.
Use family meetings to express gratitude to each other on a regular basis.
Encourage a regular practice of writing a gratitude journal and sharing with one or more family members regularly.

Which comes first: thought, feeling or action?

The cycle of thoughts, feelings, and actions (TFA) are constantly looping in each of us every day. When a situation arises, we may have thoughts about the facts of that situation; those thoughts trigger feelings, and based on those feelings we engage in behaviors which in turn impact the situation, and the cycle continues.

It’s important to learn to isolate our feelings from our thoughts so that we can take the appropriate actions to address the feelings or thoughts. The key is to understand the difference between a feeling and a thought. A feeling is your experience of the emotion and its context. A thought is all the words you use to describe it. Our thoughts often skip labeling the emotion. We say, "I think I am frustrated," but really, we feel frustration, fear, and disrespect. Our thoughts may be that we are not doing a good job with this parenting thing.

Try this at home:

Next time you experience an intense emotion, take a pause and consider what is your thought, feeling, and behavior?
Take a piece of paper and split it into three columns and label T,F,A across the top.
This is a great way to learn about our patterns and guide your kids to learn about theirs.

If you’d like to learn more about this tool and process, join us for the EQ Parenting sessions on Jan 12th and 14th, when we will talk about our parenting patterns.