At Herricks, our goal is to educate the "whole" child, by focusing on the academic component, the social emotional well-being of an individual and the social connection that students have with one another.
Social Emotional Learning (SEL) is the process that teaches individuals how to acquire and apply the information, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions, establish, and maintain supportive relationships, and make positive, responsible decisions. There are five core competencies that are taught through SEL. In Herricks, we have an SEL Committee that meets on a regular basis, made up of administrators, teachers and mental health support staff K-12. For the past six years, Herricks has been a trailblazer in this arena, emphasizing the fact that students must be emotionally present to learn
SEL Core Competencies:
Self-awareness – To recognize your emotions and how they impact your behavior; acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses to better gain confidence in your abilities.
Self-management – To take control and ownership of your thoughts, emotions, and actions in various situations, as well as setting and working toward goals.
Social awareness – The ability to put yourself in the shoes of another person who may be from a different background or culture from the one you grew up with. To act with empathy and in an ethical manner within your home, school, and community.
Relationship skills – The ability to build and maintain healthy relationships with people from a diverse range of backgrounds. This competency focuses on listening to and being able to communicate with others, peacefully resolving conflict, and knowing when to ask for or offer help.
Making responsible decisions – Choosing how to act or respond to a situation based on learned behaviors such as ethics, safety, weighing consequences and the well-being of others, as well as yourself.
Mindfulness is paying attention, to the present moment, on purpose, without judgement. Mindfulness is being able to simply be in the moment, with whatever feelings and thoughts you may have. Mindfulness is about finding inner peace that ultimately can bring inner happiness.
How Does Mindfulness Affect Children Academically, Socially and Emotionally?
Mindfulness allows the brain to be more accessible to learning, as it helps to clear the mind of distraction. Research suggests that mindfulness increases student achievement. It also strengthens children’s social skills to manage conflict in positive ways. Mindfulness helps children to learn to be comfortable with their thoughts and feelings, therefore increasing their overall self-esteem. The overall impact has great effects on children’s development at all ages.
Herricks Schools is happy to announce our partnership with Northwell Behavioral Health Services. These services provide timely access to mental health services for school aged children and adolescents (ages 5-18) who need urgent mental health support. Please use the links below to access more information.
