By Mark Thibadeau, Clinical Supervisor

We’re excited to highlight our clinical team at Cox Academy for providing Tier 1 social-emotional learning opportunities for students and staff.

This is the third year of collaboration between clinicians and school staff, working together to create teacher and student facing social-emotional resources. This consists of:

1. Creating a social-emotional curriculum that covers the school year
2. Facilitating monthly professional development for teachers so they can implement the lessons in their classrooms
3. Gathering feedback from teachers regarding current needs
4. Adapting curriculum accordingly

This year, clinicians Roxas Tumaneng and Trinity Morton are pushing this further. This is Roxas’ third year creating the social-emotional curriculum supporting teachers to incorporate concepts such as mindfulness, healthy boundaries, and emotional regulation into their class routines. Roxas also aligns these lessons with Cox Academy’s principles – courage, compassion, pride, productivity, collaboration, and perseverance – to reinforce norms that teachers are implementing and students are learning.

RELATED | Learn more about Seneca’s Unconditional Education Partnerships

This fall, Trinity created a student website with video tutorials of different coping skills students can use based on how they are feeling. These tutorials are also being incorporated into the social-emotional lessons, and Trinity has had the experience of multiple students telling her “We saw you on TV” after they watch the tutorials.

Roxas and Trinity arranged for grades 3-5 to have coping skills booklets that align with the videos and add to a social-emotional learning (SEL) bulletin board in the school lobby. All of these combine to address Cox Academy’s social emotional needs on a schoolwide level and enhance everyone’s overall well-being.