Social and emotional learning (SEL) gives children the tools they need to feel more safe, secure and confident, helping them grow, mature and become more successful in school and their daily lives.

Here you’ll find a host of school-based resources to support the physical and mental health, behavioral and emotional needs of your child and family.

Supporting School Success For Your Child

Whether your child will be learning with us in school or off-site/remotely, this start of school will be unlike any other. Here are some ways you can help support your child before and during the school year. Source: Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Read more tips for a successful start to the school year at the CDC website.

• School will look and feel different this year (e.g., desks/work spaces will be further apart from each other, face coverings will be required, teachers and other staff will be staying at a physical distance, lunch and other breaks may be happening right in the classroom.) Talk with your child before school starts about what they might expect. Our principals and teachers have included many of these details in their welcome letters to you and will be taking time at the start of the school year to help orient students to the new way of doing things. 

  • Many of our elementary and middle school students will be attending our brand new Airline Drive Academy this fall. Take a video tour around our new school:

• Check-in daily with your child about how school is going and about interactions with classmates and teachers. Learn how they are feeling about their new school setting and routine and reassure them that you, their teachers and school staff are ready to help them work through any uncomfortable feelings they may be having.
• Changes in your child’s behavior may happen. Watch for changes like crying or irritation, excessive worry or sadness, unhealthy eating or sleeping habits, difficulty concentrating, which may be signs of your child struggling with stress and anxiety. Reach out to your child’s teacher or school social worker or counselor for support.
• Try to attend school activities and meetings. Our schools may offer more of these virtually. As a parent/caregiver, staying informed and connected may reduce your feelings of anxiety and offer a way for you to express any concerns you may have about your child’s school. But, you don’t have to wait for scheduled meetings to reach out to your child’s teacher, principal or support team. We’re here at any time to talk with you and help make school work well for your child. 

Calming Corner 

Take a tour around these virtual Calming Corners, created by Capital Region BOCES School Social Workers Lisa Ash and Jennifer Coso, filled with simple and fun ways to work a little relaxation and calm into your child’s (or your own!) days. Click on the items you see to link to activities to try: 

Calming Corner for Older Children/Teens:

Tips For Face Covering/Mask Wearing Success

Wearing face coverings will be required throughout the day in our schools and programs. Here are some suggestions from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) that will help make wearing a face covering more safe and successful for your child:

• Have multiple cloth face coverings for each child/family member, so you can wash them daily and have back-ups ready. If you can not provide face coverings of your own, they can be provided to you at no cost. Please contact your child’s school principal or teacher for this assistance.
• Allow your child to choose cloth face coverings that fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face, completely cover the nose and mouth, are secured with ties or ear loops and allow for breathing without restriction.
• Choose face coverings that can be washed and machine dried without damage or change to shape.
• Label your child’s cloth face coverings clearly in a permanent marker so that they are not confused with those of other children.
• Practice with your child putting on and taking off cloth face coverings without touching the cloth.
• Explain the importance of wearing a cloth face covering and how it protects other people from getting sick.
• As a family, model wearing cloth face coverings, especially when you are in situations where physical distancing is difficult to maintain or impossible.
• If you have a young child, help build their comfort wearing a cloth face covering and become comfortable seeing others in cloth face covering.
• Praise your child for wearing a cloth face covering correctly
• Put a clean cloth face covering on stuffed animals.
• Draw a cloth face covering on a favorite book character.
• Show images of other children or people they admire wearing cloth face coverings.