Spring Break Activities

It’s March into Literacy Month! As you head into spring break, click the link to check out the literacy-themed connection activities you can do locally as a family! Besides being fun, these activities help students set positive goals, establish and maintain positive relationships and make responsible decisions.

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is how children and adolescents learn and apply knowledge and skills to develop healthy identities and confidence, set and achieve goals, manage feelings, work and play with others, show empathy, make responsible and caring decisions, and solve problems. Through SEL, students are better able to learn and contribute to a positive school environment. These skills are what build foundational knowledge to support the Profile of an LCPS Graduate and career readiness skills.

Benefits of SEL

What are the benefits of implementing social-emotional learning in schools? Research has found that students participating in evidence-based SEL programs have:

Student Gains 

Social-emotional skills
Improved attitudes about self, others, and school
Positive classroom behavior
Academic performance in reading and math (11 percentile-point gain)

Reduced Risks of Failure

 Conduct problems
 Emotional distress

Source: Durlak, J.A., Weissberg, R.P., Dymnicki, A.B., Taylor, R.D., & Schellinger, K. (2011) The impact of enhancing students’ social and emotional learning: A meta-analysis of school-based universal interventions. Child Development: 82 (1), 405-432.

What is Second Step SEL?

Adopted by LCPS in 2019, the Second Step® program is a universal, evidence-based social-emotional learning curriculum taught by classroom teachers of students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Students learn and practice critical social-emotional and executive functioning skills that support student success in school while preparing them for everyday life. Second Step includes four teacher-led units, each with five to eight interactive lessons. Family communications accompany each Second Step lesson, providing lesson summaries and prompts to reinforce the learning at home. 

The following units are covered in the Second Step curriculum:

Early Learning (Pre-K)

• Skills for Learning

• Empathy

• Emotion Management

• Friendship Skills and Problem-Solving

Full Scope and Sequence and Program Overview

Elementary (Kindergarten - Grade 5)                       

• Growth Mindset and Goal-Setting

• Emotion Management

• Empathy and Kindness 

• Problem-Solving        

Middle School (Grade 6-8)

• Mindsets and Goals   

• Developing a Positive Sense of Self

• Thoughts, Emotions, and Decisions

• Managing Relationships and Social Conflict

Second Step SEL is implemented PreK-8 in all elementary schools and middle schools.

To learn more about the Second Step curriculum, view the Scope & Sequence and visit Secondstep.org. 

View Second Step Elementary Sample Lessons and Middle School Sample Lessons

High School SEL

LCPS has not adopted Second Step or other curriculums to teach SEL in high schools, yet there are many
ways schools are addressing social-emotional learning and mental wellness through school-wide campaigns
and classroom lessons, including: School Counseling Lessons and Advisory Lessons; Sources of Strength
and other student leadership groups; and Positive Experiences in Educational Relationships (PEER).

Visit the Virginia Department of Education information on SEL: VDOE Social-Emotional Learning

Family Curriculum Access

Families have access to viewing all lessons and family engagement materials in the Second Step Elementary and Second Step Middle School curriculums through their own Second Step account. Create your Second Step account by visiting secondstep.org and entering your school access code. For more information about your school's code, please contact your school administration. (Directions: How to Create a Second Step Account)

SEL Day 2023

Uplifting Hearts, Connecting Minds

The LCPS SEL/Mental Health Decision Tree defines the decision-making process for

• Evaluating the implementation of Tier 1 behavioral strategies

• Aligning supports with identified student needs (in collaboration with members of the Unified Mental Health Team)

• Selecting and implementing appropriate tiered levels of support, to include evidence-based interventions (UMHT)

• Informing families of the need for intervention

• Progress monitoring the intervention

• Evaluating student response to the implemented intervention