Welcome back to school from Open Circle!

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Core Program

sessions are almost full!

Administrator Workshop

December 10

November 19 or February 11

Coach Training

beginning October 14

Coach Institute

November 5

Family Engagement

beginning November 4

Sustainability Program

Curriculum Refresher - new

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2015 Curriculum

Children's Books: Weaving Mindfulness into Open Circle

Weaving mindfulness practices into the curriculum is a way to strengthen children's ability to concentrate and focus their attention.

See our new Book List >>

SEL Job Opening

Assistant Superintendent of Social Emotional Learning & Wellness, Boston Public Schools

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September 2015 eNewsletter

Practical Tips for Teachers: Great Beginnings for the New School Year

Welcome back to school! Enjoy a great start to the year with Open Circle. A few tips to consider as you begin the school year:

IN THE CLASSROOM

Hold Open Circle Meetings twice a week for 15 minutes. Put it in your schedule - it helps!
Encourage students to find ways to get in and out of the Open Circle. Come up with a plan, try it, evaluate, revise, and test again.
Pace yourself. Give yourself permission to get through part of a lesson in one meeting.
Send Home Link letters to families to reinforce Open Circle approaches at home.

ACROSS THE SCHOOL

Invite adults in your school community to sit in the empty chair during Open Circle Meetings.
Unite your school community by infusing Open Circle vocabulary & non-verbal signals throughout your school.
Strengthen relationships by leveraging Open Circle activities in staff meetings.
Designate an Open Circle library section.

More Tips

Open Circle School: Solving Problems on the Way to Class
Walk down the halls of the New Franklin School in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and you'll instantly get the feeling that a creative and collaborative school community has fully embraced Open Circle. Read article

Blog Post: Why Relationships Matter
Relationships are essential to fostering equity and excellence in our schools and classrooms. Social and emotional learning programs are one of the vehicles that can be used to establish genuine, caring relationships throughout school communities. Read blog post

Partner Offer: SEL101 Course
SEL101, a course from the Academy for Social-Emotional Learning in Schools, begins this October. The four-week SEL101 course, offered entirely online, explores the foundations of SEL as well as recent research and innovation in the field. This course allows you to earn an online, professional credential in SEL. To apply and learn more, visit selinschools.org.