Social Emotional Learning | North Bridge Academy

Social Emotional Learning at NBA

“True belonging only happens when we present our authentic, imperfect selves to the world, our sense of belonging can never be greater than our level of self-acceptance.”

- Brene Brown

Social Emotional Learning Philosophy

We believe that a foundational step in successful academic learning is building strong rapport and trusting relationships with our students and fostering the bonds between students. As a school, and in the way we approach our teaching, we respect where a student is emotionally and developmentally, and consider this in our planning in and out of the classroom. Teachers and staff operate from this perspective using strategies from Responsive Classroom, Social Thinking, CASEL, and Restorative Justice.

SEL WHEEL

The wheel is a framework by CASEL that helps cultivate skills and environments that advance students’ learning and development

Lower School SEL

Each day in the Lower School begins with a Morning Meeting, where students are prepared for the academic and emotional tasks of the day. The Lower School addresses SEL throughout the day with continued grounding exercises before transitions, teacher lead circles, and continuous examples of expectation in behavior. More specified lessons are brought in by the counselor or trained staff and include lunch groups, perspective taking, size of the problem, and managing difficult tasks.

MIDDLE School SEL

Each middle school student starts the day in Advisory, a teacher-led period during the first section of the school day. During this time expectations for the day are set, social issues are addressed, emotions are discussed, and students have a time to ground themselves before starting the academic day. Other MS SEL curriculum include Wednesday Circles with a focus on building positive, meaningful relationships with peers and with the school experience. The goal of these Circles are to provide a safe space for students to strengthen their academic and social-emotional competencies, as well as develop new skills while bonding with peers.

School-WIDE SEL

Morning Meeting and Advisory serve as an anchor for each classroom to create an emotionally safe and connected learning environment, support, and practice our school values, and is a constant throughout a student’s time at NBA. More specified lessons are brought into class by the counselor or trained staff and include anxiety management, using our words wisely, and communication. One-on-one support is provided by the counselor if needed, and all staff have been trained in supporting students’ emotional needs as well as academic needs.