Social Emotional Learning Curriculum Presentation For Long Valley

LONG VALLEY, NJ — To kick off the new school year, members of the Washington Township Board of Education discussed the upcoming implementation of a social-emotional learning curriculum (SEL) for all middle school students.

According to the board, the district spent the summer reassessing its approach to SEL for the upcoming school year in hopes of improving the program for the students.

Long Valley Middle School Principal Mark Ippolito began the presentation by discussing why SEL is important in middle school as well as the district's previous approach. "What I can tell you after 25 years of middle school kids is that some of this stuff, this touchy-feely stuff can be a tough sell with kids," Ippolito said.

The curriculum restructuring aimed to find a better way to communicate with students in order to encourage them to speak up in class and reflect on their own feelings.

According to Ippolito, the aftermath of COVID-19 and virtual learning have played a large role in the need for SEL. "We were definitely seeing some social and emotional needs. Their interactions among peers after coming out of their living rooms or bedrooms… Wherever their school was for a year and a half. They didn't really have opportunities to engage one on one and we saw last year there were some difficulties with that," Ippolito said.

The pandemic and lack of social interaction in schools have resulted in gaps in positive work habits and students' attention to studies, officials said.

According to school officials, by promoting social and emotional learning, Long Valley Middle School hopes to improve the development of positive school climates and the healthy development of students.

According to Long Valley Middle School Assistant Principal Michael Mirabella, one of the major differences between last year's SEL curriculum plan and this year's is the change in the program that will be used.

The school will now use the "Second Step Middle School" program, which, according to Mirabella, focuses on the problem areas that the school previously identified.

"It really honed in on some of these areas that we wanted to focus on, specifically allowing students to set goals, make better decisions, and just overall, not only in school, but out of school navigate the world more efficiently," Mirabella said.

The new program offers guided lesson topics along with lesson plans made by teachers for teachers. According to officials, students will have two SEL lessons per month, which will be taught by a pre-selected pair of teachers.

The classes will last 30 minutes and be placed in the support period blocks of the day. "We really did not want much interruptions and we want it to be really seamlessly rolled out for our students and our staff," Mirabella said.

The topics of each unit will be adjusted based on the grade level and other developmental distinctions, officials said.

Planned topics include:

• Mindsets and goals
• Recognizing bullying and harassment
• Responding to conflict
• Thoughts, emotions and decisions
• Managing relationships and conflicts

A long-term goal of the SEL curriculum, according to school officials, would be to eventually move into mixed grade level groups and lessons and to build the program into a district-wide curriculum building from the elementary level.

"The need is there and we want to make sure that we can impart all of the things our LVMS students will need as they come into sixth grade, proceed into seventh and eighth to leave here happy, healthy and whole, and proceed onto high school," Ippolito said.