School-Connect®
School-Connect®: Optimizing the High School Experience is a 68-lesson curriculum (grades 7 -12) designed to improve students' social and emotional skills, boost academic achievement, and facilitate supportive relationships among students and teachers.
School-Connect (S-C) can be implemented in, life skills, health, English, advisory, psychology, or leadership courses. The curriculum consists of four modules:
Creating a Supportive Learning Community
Developing Self-Awareness and Self-Management
Building Academic Strengths
Resolving Conflicts and Making Decisions
Tamara offered the children a great program, a great opportunity and great life skills for them to take into high school. Tamara shows perseverance, dedication and leadership in the work that she does. I would recommend her to offer this program in the future and would work with her on community initiatives again in the future.
Jami Savage: Executive Director
Central Abbotsford Community School Society
www.abbycommunity.com
School-Connect works especially well in preparing incoming students for the demands of high school. Lessons focus on bolstering protective factors – such as supportive relationships, social skills, emotional management, and effective study habits – and reducing risk factors associated with school violence and high school drop out rates (e.g., bullying, social isolation, and poor academic attitudes and habits).
School-Connect lesson plans apply the latest research in emotional intelligence, positive psychology, prevention, conflict resolution, and character education. The lessons are designed to create a positive school climate while giving student's opportunities to explore, discuss, and practice skills crucial to success in school and the workplace.
Particular attention is given to the needs of at-risk youth. As students' sense of competency grows, so does their self-esteem and attachment to school.
Ideal presenters possess and apply many of these skills in their own life and see personal development as an on-going, life-long process—one that is both rewarding and enriching. Presenters, therefore, should be willing to work on skills they need to improve in themselves. This requires a certain amount of openness, humility, and humour on the part of teachers as they share the ups and downs of becoming socially and emotionally literate. Administrators should select presenters on this basis, rather than on what teachers are available to teach the course. As long as a school meets these conditions for dosage and presenters, the program can find a "home" in different types of courses.
School-Connect curriculum aligns with the BC Performance Standards for Social Responsibility.
Tamara is an experienced School-Connect Facilitator and Coordinator. S-C is a great way to build assets in your school community. Find out how to bring it to your school.
