Coast Meridian »

Coast Meridian is located in the Cloverdale/Fleetwood area of Surrey. Many of our families live in large homes in the area, some with extended families living in the same dwelling and others that have basement suite rentals within their homes. The Coast Meridian community is ethnically diverse with strong parental and home support.  Many of our students have siblings who have previously attended the school and now attend North Surrey Secondary. Students enjoy coming to school and participating in the various clubs, activities and school wide themes.  They have diverse experiences and backgrounds.   Several  of our students are also involved in community and sporting activities outside of the school.

At Coast Meridian, our students are very eager to come to school.  There is a strong sense of community and many have siblings who have attend Coast Meridian in the past.  There is strong parental support and the students really enjoy new experiences and participating in school events. This is evidenced by large numbers of student support for school initiatives,  buddy activities, clubs and leadership activities.  

Students and their parents also support global initiatives such as Free the Children, food drives, clothing drives and PAC fundraising activities and events that happen throughout the year. Parents are very involved in their children’s education – with many attending at the school to drop off and pick up their children,  interact with teachers and other parents,   and driving/volunteering for sports activities and fieldtrips.  

There is mounting evidence from research which points to social and emotional skills as playing a central role in shaping student achievement,  and wellbeing.   At Coast Meridian, we continue to look at ways to effectively integrate social and emotional learning in an effort to help students acquire the knowledge, attitudes, and skills they need to recognize and manage their emotions, demonstrate caring and concern for others, establish positive relationships, make responsible decisions and handle challenging situations constructively.

Our inquiry focus is:  to what extent will school-wide teaching of social and emotional learning awareness and strategies impact our students and school culture in the Social & Emotional Learning Core Competencies?

Using Second step, the focus will be explicit and direct teaching using the social and emotional learning core competencies….per grade as follows:

Social-emotional learning (SEL) programs have been shown to improve “students’ social-emotional skills, attitudes about self and others, connection to school, positive social behavior, and academic performance; they also reduced students’ conduct problems and emotional distress,” according to a meta-analysis by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (Durlak, Weissberg, Dymnicki, Taylor, & Schellinger, 2011). SEL programs such as Committee for Children’s Second Step curriculum can support the elements that contribute to a positive school climate by fostering an environment of respect, inclusion, and safety. Following are some of the specific ways that these programs can help meet the standards set out in the 12-point scale of indicators above.The research-based Second Step program includes everything needed  to integrate social-emotional learning into the classrooms, which decreases problem behaviors and increases whole-school success by promoting self-regulation, safety, and support.

K

Students in kindergarten need to learn new skills, such as how to control impulses, stay focused, follow rules and acquire the confidence they need to adjust to a full day of learning.

Grade 1

Socially and emotionally, students in Grade 1 need skills such as knowing how to calm down, get along with others, and practice empathy.

Grade 2

By second grade, students have gained a sense of independence and self-awareness and are ready to start solving problems on their own.  Students need skills—such as how to avoid assumptions, pay attention and listen, finish tasks, and show compassion—that can lead to gains in confidence and school success.

Grade 3

Students in Grade 3 are expected to participating more in collaborative work and shared learning experiences. They need to learn skills like managing anxiety and disappointment and how to work together respectfully.

Grade 4

In Grade 4, students interact even more with peers, such as participating in conversations, giving compliments, managing strong feelings, and taking responsibility. They they need to learn and practice skills in problem solving and self regulation.

Grade 5

In Grade 5, students pay attention to social status and need skills to deal with gossip and peer pressure. Additionally, they need skills to help them self-regulate so they can focus in class and learn.  Students need to understand the complexities of feelings and reactions so they can be ready to learn and deal with emotions and problems responsibly.

Grade 6

Many students in Grade 6 first encounter peer pressure, substance abuse, and social bullying. Students need to learn important skills, such as how to disagree respectfully, be assertive, and recognize and respond to bullying. It is important that they build strategies for solving problems, identifying hopes, and making plans.

Grade 7

In Grade 7, students  can experience  new threats, such as cyber bullying and sexual harassment. Students need tools and strategies for coping with challenges and stress. The skills they learn can help them differentiate fact from fiction and make responsible decisions.

Social Emotional Learning Core Competencies

Professional Development:

1. Fall 2016 – a committee was formed to look at needs, direction, and structures of SEL for our school.
2. January 13, 2017 –  Taunya Shaw presented an in-school workshop to the SEL Committee, which provided direction and understanding of how SEL education positively impacts students.   She also suggested evidence based sequential programs.
3. Staff is committed to having future professional development activities on using Second Step in the classroom
4. A return visit from Taunya Shaw will be requested toward the end of the school year or early in the Fall to assist with our goal.

Resources:

1.  Resource materials on emotional intelligence
2. Second Step Kits for all Grade levels
3. MindUp Books available for those interested

Release time to collaborate with colleagues at same grade levels

Release time for SEL committee to assess and plan assemblies

Designated time at Staff Meetings to share classroom ideas/progress

We starting with questions:

• What  can we change in our school environment that will enhance the social and emotional learning of our students.
• What strategies/tools can be used school-wide that bridge over the years and use  common language throughout the school?
• How will implementing the Second Step Program as a school wide initiative help in providing our students with strategies, consistent language and core competencies  of  social and emotional learning.

Our initial plan is to use the Second Step Program as a springboard for working toward our questions and collecting data.  Based on the following information outlined in the Second Step synopsis:

1.  Second Step is researched-based
2. The Second Step program includes everything needed to integrate social-emotional learning into the classrooms, which decreases problem behaviors and increases whole-school success by promoting self-regulation, safety, and support.
3. Second Step contains age appropriate sequenital lessons to teach the important skills at various age levels.
4. Second Step includes engaging activities, award winning videos, games and guided classroom discussions to build on the skills the students are acquiring.