10 | ACTON-BOXBOROUGH REGIONAL SCHOOL DISTRICT
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)
CARTWHEEL CARE This year A-B partnered with Cartwheel Care to improve students’ access to community-based mental health services. Through a telehealth model, Cartwheel provides youth mental health assessments; short-term evidence-based therapy; medication evaluations; and clinical family guidance with no waitlists. Their experienced care team of licensed therapists and child psychiatrists exclusively serves Massachusetts schools. Over the 2022–2023 school year, A-B hosted a Cartwheel family webinar series covering the following topics: mental health in the digital world, positive screen-based relationships, executive function, resilience, and anxiety. Referrals to Cartwheel Care are made by the school’s mental health staff. Over 200 A-B families were offered services this year. LIFTS In the 2022–2023 school year, ABRSD partnered with the Lesley Institute for Trauma Sensitivity (LIFTS) to provide professional learning opportuni- ties to certified staff PK-8. This aimed to enhance their understanding of the impact of traumatic experiences on student learning, academically and socially. Educators collaborated to integrate trauma-sensitive practices into classrooms and the school community. Additionally, A-B collaborated with Lesley University to offer graduate-level courses in trauma-sensitivity . The LIFTS graduate program consists of five courses, totaling 15 graduate credits, leading to a certificate in trauma and learning.
THE CASEL 5 To identify a framework for social- emotional learning (SEL) goals and objec- tives, A-B formed an SEL Competency Advisory Committee as part of its efforts to implement the Multi-Tiered System of Supports model. The committee was tasked to identify an SEL competency framework that would serve as a founda- tion for the district’s initiatives. Grounded in the district’s mission, vision, and values, the cross-disciplinary K-12 committee embarked on the task of identifying the key social-emotional skills that are essential to foster and develop throughout a student’s A-B experience. Using these skills as a guidepost, the committee reviewed several SEL frameworks, ultimately resulting in the decision to adopt The CASEL 5. CASEL has developed a comprehensive PK-12 framework widely adopted by schools across the country and frequently referenced as an educational resource by the Massachusetts Department of Education. The CASEL 5 addresses self- awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills , and responsible decision-making . It applies across settings to all ages and cultural contexts, promoting social-emotional development and skills such as under- standing emotions, regulating behavior, empathizing with others, building rela- tionships, and making ethical choices.
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