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Teacher to Student & Family Outreach & Teaching

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Teacher to Student & Family Outreach & Teaching

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Share your videos with friends, family, and the world

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- Tech Support (at home & by phone)
- Deliveries to Students' Homes
- Token Economy
- Academic & Enrichment Supplies
- Food Insecurities
-  Special Requests
- Wellness Checks
- Additional Supports needed, as identified by students and families

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Attached is a recent presentation during a remote parent workshop that illustrates the SES Token Economy.

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Create a new document and edit with others at the same time -- from your computer, phone or tablet. Get stuff done with or without an internet connection. Use Docs to edit Word files. Free from Google.

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Padlet for SES Structures and Systems (SQR)

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Padlet for SES Structures and Systems (SQR)

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Padlet for The Instructional Core at SES (SQR)

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Padlet for The Instructional Core at SES (SQR)

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This Padlet illustrates SES's approach to the Instructional Core.

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Ideas/Goals for Further  Emphasis on High Expectations

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Ideas/Goals for Further  Emphasis on High Expectations

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Time allotted as well as protocols for teachers to communicate goals and expectations to classroom staff

Institutionalized ways for staff to recognize each other’s growth and achievement

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Teacher Teams at SES (Inspired by Research for Better Teaching organization)

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Teacher Teams at SES (Inspired by Research for Better Teaching organization)

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SES has transformed its teacher teams in order to focus on improving Teaching and Learning in all grades and subjects. Additionally, SES works to cultivate teacher leadership and agency.  Key teacher teams related to curriculum and understanding/implementing the MA Frameworks and Common Core include the following:
Common Planning Time: Teachers meet weekly in grade-level bands and use a menu of protocols to look at workshop lesson planning, look at student work, etc. The Think Tank team is a teacher group that plans and advances the work of Common Planning Time. SES leverages resources and advice from Jon Saphier's Research for Better Teaching organization to guide its growth in teacher teams and collaboration.
Vertical Planning: Teachers meet weekly in subject-area groups in order to analyze vertical planning, content priorities and skill-building, and to gain shared understanding of a student's vertical journey through each content area.

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UDL provides brain friendly strategies to help teachers and students teach/access on-grade-level curriculum and become expert learners. For more info/links, see the SES Instructional Core Padlet

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SES has invested heavily in sending teachers to the Standards Institute. Vision: "Education systems disrupt systemic racism by providing students of color meaningful, engaging, and affirming grade-level instruction." The Ops Team and 2/3 of teachers have attended the institute.

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Additional Initiatives to Embed High Expectations

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Additional Initiatives to Embed High Expectations

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Use of honor roll to recognize student achievement

Positive communication program to parents and guardians

Family Engagement Leadership team formed in conjunction with 1647 to increase and improve outreach efforts to families including home visits.

Student of the week/month to recognize outstanding growth.

Back-to-school nights and family breakfasts offered to invite families to learn more about their students’ growth and participation in the curriculum.

Remote:  Afterschool Parent outreach and student study halls, Monday - Thursday

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Senior Associate

Mo Nuñez is a senior associate with the Great Schools Partnership. He was born in the New York City but spent his childhood between the Dominican Republic and New York City. Mo has 20 years of experience in public education. He has taught across the northeast in public schools, private independent schools, and universities. He has also led and/or designed several successful alternative-education and at-risk-youth programs. Mo was most recently the director of student services and special education at Baxter Academy for Technology and Science; he is also one of the founding partners. Mo's professional focus is on issues of teen violence, restorative justice practices, the social-emotional education of teens, family engagement, and creating inclusive school environments for students. Mo's first language is Spanish. He graduated with a B.A. in sociology and creative writing from Hampshire College, and earned his MSEd in teaching and learning from the University of Maine. He lives in Portland, Maine, with his wife and dog.

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Moises Nuñez | Great Schools Partnership

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Mo Nuñez is a senior associate with the Great Schools Partnership. He was born in the New York City but spent his childhood between the Dominican Republic and New York City. Mo has 20 years of experience in public education. He has taught across the northeast in public schools, private independent schools, and universities.

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Future Plans and Goals for Further Development of a Positive Learning Environment

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Future Plans and Goals for Further Development of a Positive Learning Environment

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Exploration of supplemental social/emotional programs

Increase “open” counseling time with students and counselor--positive, proactive.

Continue to ensure that we are meeting goals to deliver positive communication and provide opportunities to build relationships with school community members

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Additional School Experiences and Support

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Additional School Experiences and Support

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SES strives to offer students a range of school experiences and a range of support services. Students arrive at SES having had substantial negative experiences with school, and SES tries to help students have an academic and behavioral 'reset' and a path to achievement and more successful and healthy behaviors. Some of the additional experiences and support are noted on the notes to the right.

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Emotional Health and Bullying Prevention

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Emotional Health and Bullying Prevention

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OneStop Resources and Artifacts of School Culture and Positive Learning Environment

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OneStop Resources and Artifacts of School Culture and Positive Learning Environment

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--Group logs
--Check-in groups
--PD such as de-escalation training
--Archived memos, meeting notes, and messages--synced via OneStop folders for availability to all stakeholders

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ASES's approach to high expectations is closely tied to its other primary academic and culture initiatives: UnboundEd Standards Institute, Universal Design for Learning, and high-functioning teacher teams and committees. These initiatives work together to prioritize and support the teaching of culturally-relevant on-grade-level curriculum; support teachers and students in delivering and accessing the challenging curriculum; and providing for teachers and staff avenues of leadership, agency, and continuous improvement.  These SES initiatives are buttressed by the academic standards set out in Massachusetts' Curriculum Frameworks, which align closely with the Common Core. And the state of Massachusetts is also a national leader in extending and defending the rights of students with IEPs.

Six years ago, Arlene Reidinger and her leadership team committed to a cultural transformation at SES--a transformation the goal of which was to make academic achievement a co-equal priority with SES's successful therapeutic environment. Over these recent years, SES's vision to elevate academics and embed high expectations has remained consistent, and the levers to achieve this vision have also remained consistent. The growth among faculty and staff has been tremendous and is evident in growing pedagogical expertise, a deeper understanding and commitment to on-grade-level high standards, and a burgeoning of teacher leadership initiatives and skills.

In addition to building the skill and expertise of faculty and staff around high expectations, SES also has developed systems for communicating progress and expectations with parents and students. The OneStop website for parents is a very good example, and students participate each day in a levels system and group-calling as needed in order to make sure that students maintain clarity on their progress and goals. Some teachers are also working on plans to track students' work over time in portfolios in order to support a growth mindset and help students track their growth as learners.

Another crucial feature of SES is the relationships and support provided to students and families.  In order to ensure that families have a thorough understanding of their child(ren)'s disability and therapeutic needs, SES is committed to supporting families through various modalities.  SES has an open door policy for at our at-home and community based stakeholders.  Supports include:  Access to clinicians (in-school and community based), Family Support Group (lead by parents/guardians), workshops covering a variety of topics (ie. online learning, COVID safety, therapeutic needs, etc.), and online platforms to interact with information provided to them (Student & Family One Stop and Facebook).

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High Expectations:  A culture of learning that includes high expectations and strong support

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High Expectations:  A culture of learning that includes high expectations and strong support

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1. Communication of and accountability to high expectations for staff.                 2. Partnerships with families to support high expectations. 3. Systems to communicate and support high expectations for students

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Crisis Intervention Aides--Central to School Culture at SES

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Crisis Intervention Aides--Central to School Culture at SES

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Crisis Intervention Aides are crucial to students' success at SES. Each class has at least two CIAs, who are trained as behavioral specialists and academic supports and mentors. CIAs are well attuned to student needs and experiences; and at daily Checkout meetings, aides help convey the voices and concerns of students.
Further, SES has outstanding diversity among its faculty and staff, and most of the CIAs come from the Lawrence community. To a great degree, the faculty and staff at SES reflect the composition and culturally-relevant values of the community of Lawrence.

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"The curriculum was developed for schools and organizations that support students and individuals with a variety of special needs including, but not limited to autism, developmental and intellectual disabilities, and emotional challenges. This comprehensive curriculum from start to finish encourages participants not only how to pursue and maintain healthy relationships but to find value in doing so."

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Ask about our Free Demo to start you FREE TRIAL today!

Searching for highly adaptable lessons and activities that teach challenging life and social skills, both in-person and virtually, to school students and older individuals with various special needs? You've found it!

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--Supervisor of Special Education at IU5
HRC in Action

The healthy life and social skills adolescents need to grow into successful adults.

Teachers and behavioral therapists know that the number one unmet need among autistic and developmentally challenged adolescents is stronger social skills. Finding an effective curriculum that enhances your existing efforts can be time-consuming and overwhelming. The Healthy Relationships Curriculum is comprehensive and fits seamlessly into your current program, closing gaps, and building life-lasting skills.

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"The Curriculum addresses all of the issues socially, sexually and emotionally that our students do not get with public education. Visuals are great and lessons are scripted well." -Public Life Skills Educator

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Home Page - Healthy Relationships Curriculum

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Ask about our Free Demo to start you FREE TRIAL today! Searching for highly adaptable lessons and activities that teach challenging life and social skills, both in-person and virtually, to school students and older individuals with various special needs? You've found it!

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The Philosophy: "Positive Action is based on the intuitive philosophy that we feel good about ourselves when we do positive actions.The Thoughts-Actions-Feelings Circle (TAF) illustrates how this works in life: our thoughts lead to actions and those actions lead to feelings about ourselves which in turn lead to more thoughts. When this cycle is negative, students do not want to learn. When this cycle is positive, students want to learn. The essence of the program is to emphasize those actions that promote a healthy and positive cycle. The Positive Action program works through these concepts in a systematic way."

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Positive Action is a systematic educational program that promotes an intrinsic interest in learning and encourages cooperation among students. It works by teaching and reinforcing the intuitive philosophy that you feel good about yourself when you do positive actions.

The effects of the program range from increased academic achievement to dramatic reductions in problem behaviors. These results have been replicated in diverse settings and feature the most rigorous efficacy study designs available.

For more than 30 years, Positive Action has been helping educators around-the-world create positive learning environments for their students. Imagine what Positive Action could do for your students!

Click here to begin reviewing Positive Action in detail.

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Positive Action is a systematic educational program that promotes an intrinsic interest in learning and encourages cooperation among students. It works by teaching and reinforcing the intuitive philosophy that you feel good about yourself when you do positive actions. The effects of the program range from increased academic achievement to dramatic reductions in problem behaviors.

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Second Step provides a holistic approach to teaching SEL to students in the elementary and middle-school grades.

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A holistic approach to building supportive communities for every child through social-emotional learning.

Click on a section to explore
Second Step ® programs.

A holistic approach to building supportive communities for every child through social-emotional learning.

Click on a section to explore
Second Step ® programs.

All Second Step ® programs include supports for families, from weekly letters and book lists to free resources like The Imagine Neighborhood™ podcast series and ParenTeen Connect. Families can also bring social-emotional learning home through our Captain Compassion® comics, which give kids and adults the power to prevent bullying, as well as our Hot Chocolate Talk® resource, which helps families talk about child safety.

Universal, classroom-based, social-emotional learning curriculum for Kindergarten-Grade 5 that nurtures children's social-emotional competence and foundational learning skills. Choose from two options: the new Second Step® Elementary digital program, or evidence-based Second Step Elementary classroom kits.

A Second Step® social-emotional learning (SEL) program for high school students is now in development. Sign up if you'd like to receive updates or be considered for participation in program field-testing and research.

In the meantime, consider implementing Second Step® SEL for Adults. This professional learning program can help you bring the benefits of SEL to your high school, starting with your staff.

A stand-alone professional learning program designed to help K-12 educators strengthen their social-emotional skills and create a supportive school climate.
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Decades of research show the positive effects of universal, classroom-based SEL programs for children. There's also broad recognition that benefits are even greater when children experience SEL throughout their day, across home, school, and out-of-school time environments, and throughout developmental stages. When implemented holistically, with a coordinated, community-wide approach, SEL can build stronger communities and support inclusive, equitable learning.
Download White Paper

The new Second Step® Elementary digital program is designed to meet the needs of today's classrooms.
Learn More

Introducing Second Step® SEL for Adults, a professional learning program for all school staff to strengthen their social-emotional skills and create a supportive school climate.
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Second Step® Programa extraescolar, a Spanish-language version of Second Step® Out-of-School Time, is now available. Purchase one or both to best serve your community!

The Second Step family of programs helps you take a holistic approach to social-emotional learning (SEL), combining classroom SEL with new offerings for out-of-school time and SEL for adults. Learn how our expanded family of programs can help you level up with:

Compassion in the classroom

Common language across environments

Educator well-being

While we're best known for our Second Step family of social-emotional learning programs, Committee for Children has championed the safety and well-being of children since 1979. From our headquarters in Seattle, Washington, we partner with researchers, policymakers, and thought leaders to fulfill our vision of safe children thriving in a peaceful world. Learn more about our work.

We're committed to ensuring our programs are culturally relevant, affirming, and accessible to all children, especially the most systemically marginalized children. Find out more.

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A holistic approach to building supportive communities for every child through social-emotional learning. Click on a section to exploreSecond Step ® programs. A holistic approach to building supportive communities for every child through social-emotional learning.

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Social Emotional Learning: Added Supports

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Social Emotional Learning: Added Supports

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In addition to the SEL foundation provided by Project Adventure's BMTA, SES uses several additional SEL programs to meet the distinctive needs of students at SES. Current programs are listed on notes to the right. SES regularly evaluates whether current programming is meeting the needs of students, and SES seeks out new strategies as needed.

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Positive Learning Environment: Leveraging UnboundEd, UDL, and Teacher Teams

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Positive Learning Environment: Leveraging UnboundEd, UDL, and Teacher Teams

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Project Adventure's BMTA provides the foundation for school culture at SES. And the philosophies and supports provided by UnboundEd, UDL, and high-functioning teacher teams helps leverage positive school culture into a positive learning environment with high standards and strategies for overcoming obstacles to academic success. SES seeks to disrupt system racism and overcome myriad obstacles to students' academic attainment through best-practices in classrooms and the school overall.

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Teacher Teams at SES (Inspired by Research for Better Teaching organization)

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Teacher Teams at SES (Inspired by Research for Better Teaching organization)

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SES has transformed its teacher teams in order to focus on improving Teaching and Learning in all grades and subjects. Additionally, SES works to cultivate teacher leadership and agency.  Key teacher teams related to curriculum and understanding/implementing the MA Frameworks and Common Core include the following:
Common Planning Time: Teachers meet weekly in grade-level bands and use a menu of protocols to look at workshop lesson planning, look at student work, etc. The Think Tank team is a teacher group that plans and advances the work of Common Planning Time. SES leverages resources and advice from Jon Saphier's Research for Better Teaching organization to guide its growth in teacher teams and collaboration.
Vertical Planning: Teachers meet weekly in subject-area groups in order to analyze vertical planning, content priorities and skill-building, and to gain shared understanding of a student's vertical journey through each content area.

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UDL provides brain friendly strategies to help teachers and students teach/access on-grade-level curriculum and become expert learners. For more info/links, see the SES Instructional Core Padlet

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SES utilizes a point and level system where students earn rewards for positive interactions amongst their peers, faculty, community, and self.

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1. Be here (and be present)
2. Be safe.
3. Commit to goals.
4. Be honest.
5. Let go and move on.
6. Care for self and others.

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Calling Groups: A Key Component of School Culture in BMTA

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Calling Groups: A Key Component of School Culture in BMTA

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The calling of groups at SES is a core strategy to develop positive relationships and productive communication. Types of groups that may be called include check-in, information, feelings, confrontation, celebration, and consequence.

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Checkout Meetings--A Key Component of BMTA-centric School Culture at SES

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Checkout Meetings--A Key Component of BMTA-centric School Culture at SES

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Near the end of most school days, teachers and aides gather to review the daily academic and behavioral progress for each student. The shared input of faculty and staff is crucial to gaining a sense of each student's daily trajectory and how interventions and strategies for each student might be adapted for greater success. The attached image shows some of criteria (from Project Adventure) that are part of the discussion and point-keeping for each student each day.

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Project Adventure BMTA: Letting Go and Moving On

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Project Adventure BMTA: Letting Go and Moving On

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Project Adventure's Behavior Management Through Adventure (BMTA) is the therapeutic foundation of SES's school-culture milieu. Key elements include the "letting go and moving on" mindset, a points-and-rewards systems, calling groups as needed, and a daily Checkout meeting for each grade band in order to review each student's daily work and overall experience.

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School culture is hugely important at SES. As a therapeutic day school serving the community of Lawrence, SES has the dual mission of providing on-grade-level culturally relevant academic schooling--in a therapeutic environment. Each student at SES is on an IEP, and each student at SES experienced behavior issues at their local sending school that resulted in a transfer to SES. Students at SES have struggled with serious behavior issues, mental illness, and the consequences of trauma. SES works very hard to make school work for these students. These efforts at SES are led by faculty and staff with substantial expertise in therapeutic environments.  Principal Arlene Reidinger, for example, began her career as a clinician and school psychologist, and staff development at SES includes regular and in-depth training in the therapeutic strategies in use in SES classrooms and the larger school environment. SES over the years has worked with great intention to develop suitable structures, staffing plans, and ways of being in terms of school culture. And over the last several years, SES has worked  to meld its successful therapeutic/behavioral culture with higher and higher levels of Teaching and Learning. A foundational goal at SES is to provide a warm and welcoming healthily-structured therapeutic day school that also provides high-quality teaching on grade level in order to achieve strong student achievement.

Key considerations include the following:
--Student body that reflects Lawrence demographics (high percentage of students of color, strong connections to immigrant backgrounds, primarily lower socioeconomic status, high percentage of ELs, etc.)
--Students' needs considered in a holistic and therapeutic context student by student (mental and behavioral health, IEP needs and requirements, prior school experiences, home life, importance of academic attainment, Covid-related stressors at home and school, substantial learning gaps, etc.)

Key elements/programs that define and support school culture at SES:
--Very small classes and low adult:student ratio
--Project Adventure culture/behavior program. To learn more about key characteristics, see the slideshow and/or website.
--UnboundEd Standards Institute--Emphasis on disrupting racism through "meaningful, engaging, affirming" academics in context of cultural relevance, equity
--Universal Design for Learning--Emphasis on respecting/honoring variability among learners;  providing daily options for all learners relative to engagement, accessing curriculum, and acting on/expressing one's knowledge on way to becoming expert learner. Key point: The disabilities/obstacles are in the curricula and environment rather than the learners. This framework supports a positive school culture where emphasis is on making learning/curriculum accessible to all students.
--Robust Social and Emotional Learning programs tailored to the substantial and complex needs of students at SES

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[https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1cqNuC3baQea_Od2iHNnMmdYYrFxJQuS1/edit#slide=id.p22]

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SES has invested heavily in sending teachers to the Standards Institute. Vision: "Education systems disrupt systemic racism by providing students of color meaningful, engaging, and affirming grade-level instruction." The Ops Team and 2/3 of teachers have attended the institute.

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SQR Rubric: Positive Learning Environment

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SQR Rubric: Positive Learning Environment

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This PDF includes the rubric and "Look For" items for each indicator.

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This Padlet: School Culture at Lawrence SES

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This Padlet: School Culture at Lawrence SES

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This Padlet includes SES information related to school culture, which refers to a a positive learning environment and high expectations.

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The WHY of the SQR Process: The Theory of Action of SQR (School Quality Review)

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The WHY of the SQR Process: The Theory of Action of SQR (School Quality Review)

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" The indicators of quality for curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment are grounded in the theory of action that student learning improves when the relationship between student, teacher, and content – the instructional core- is improved. The theory of action extends to include the idea that efforts to improve the instructional core are either supported or hindered by the quality of school culture and structures and systems for improvement.  The work belonging to each category below is informed by an equity lens to ensure the school community effectively involves and serves all stakeholders."  --From the SEN SQR Rubric

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Positive Learning Environment: Clear philosophy and intentional structures for a positive, equitable school culture

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Positive Learning Environment: Clear philosophy and intentional structures for a positive, equitable school culture

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A. Safe, equitable, and inclusive school culture.                    B. Structures for coordination of social-emotional learning and supports. C. Opportunities for learning aligned to desired school culture