Social Emotional Learning/Counseling

Our little ones often have big feelings, especially in a changing world that has presented their young minds with new opportunities and challenges. As parents, we do all that we can to support our children, but you don't have to manage it alone.

That's why WISH puts a strong emphasis on our social-emotional learning programs and counseling support. Our whole scholar approach includes the development of a child's emotional intelligence, helping them to navigate their own feelings and those of others. It's how we are able to create an environment of caring and belonging--our kiddos are taught to prioritize kindness and empathy. When a child's concerns and worries extend beyond the classroom, our school counselors are there to provide them and their families with the help they need.

School Counseling

As the school counselor for the Elementary School, Ms. Trisha Lee is always readily available to give individual or small group support to students. She also goes into the classroom regularly to teach social-emotional skills like how to have a growth mindset, how to be a good friend, how to manage nerves, and how to cope with challenging situations and more.

Her website is an invaluable resource for students and caregivers--take a look here.

You can also email her at [email protected] with any questions.

A Focus on Kindness

At WISH, an understanding of gratitude, empathy, and kindness are woven into our curriculum. In addition to the social-emotional learning they receive, students can also participate in Kindness Club after school on Wednesdays. There, our young scholars explore social-emotional topics, make crafts related to that week's kindness theme (like dream catchers, glitter jars, and gratitude journals), and connect with students from other classes and grades. We are so grateful to 2nd Grade Teacher, Ms. Adrien Murphy, for offering this enriching experience to our little ones! We also celebrate Gratitude Week every November, where students write encouraging notes to each other, express appreciation to their educators, and typically work on a gratitude-themed project. This year, students in all grades made gratitude stones to give to friends and family. In January, we then held Kindness Week, where students made encouraging messages for each other around campus, both in sidewalk chalk and on paper.

RULER

Created by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, the RULER program is an effective tool to help our students navigate their emotions. WISH has been so lucky to have educators trained in this approach, and it is implemented in all of our classrooms. RULER is an acronym that stands for Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating emotions. This evidence-based program includes four primary tools: the Charter, Mood Meter, Meta-Moment, and Blueprint. With the Charter, students create a manifesto of sorts, outlining how they all, as a group, want to feel and be treated in their classroom. The Mood Meter is a color chart that helps them identify and label their emotions. The Meta-Moment is a pause button on a heightened situation, giving them the tools to step back and evaluate their reaction and response. Finally, the Blueprint is a system that encourages a student to look at a conflict from the other person's perspective, strengthening their empathy and conflict resolution.