SAISD’s Social, Emotional and Academic Development (SEAD) Department is working to bridge the social and emotional connection from the physical campus classroom into the online learning environment for staff, students, and families.
“Uncertainty and change create stress for us all,” said Dawn Kulpa, director of Social, Emotional and Academic Development & Multi-Tiered Systems of Support. “We all need a safe space to process our experience and children look to us to provide that for them. This is a critical time to tune in to what our children are communicating and validate their feelings.”
The first step in responding to the needs of students was the release of Helping Children Cope, a developmental guide specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, to support educators and families in recognizing students' cues and supporting them through this time.
“SAISD has made great strides in implementing SEAD practices that address whole-child developmental needs,” said Eddie Reyes, coordinator of SEAD. “We embrace this opportunity to evolve our SEAD approach to complement the new online learning environment.”
This week the SEAD Department launched a new training on Virtual Peace Areas for all students PK-12. This training focuses on creating virtual spaces that support students to identify their emotions and choose from a selection of strategies to use at home. During the training, each educator will reflect on their students’ needs and be provided with Peace Area templates that have activities and strategies carefully curated by the SEAD Department. Participants will also have the opportunity to customize the templates to best meet their needs.
The SEAD Department also is supporting staff members’ individual well-being and rapid transition to working from home through professional development opportunities such as “Self-Care during COVID-19 – Working from Home,” which includes opportunities for participants to hear from one another on what this experience has been like so far, create a Self-Care Plan, and review available resources to all employees through Aetna’s Employee Assistance Program. Many of the services offered do not require an employee to be a participant of the Aetna health plan.
During the first week of remote working, more than 400 SAISD educators participated in the self-care professional development. This session highlights digital tools that promote learning while integrating social and emotional skills and human connection. The SEAD Department will continue to host sessions each week that are focused on District educators and staff self-care and well-being that address the unique needs of these times. Sessions range from 15-45 minutes and will be scheduled at various times throughout the week in an effort to be accessible for everyone.
On Monday, March 23, the SEAD Department launched The Human Thread: SAISD’s Daily Connection, a prompt posted in English and Spanish intended to help the SAISD community connect – staff, students, and community members are all invited to participate. These prompts can be used in a Flipgrid of student responses, as daily journal prompts or as a way to begin a virtual staff meeting.
“The need to keep physical distance amplifies the importance of human connection,” said Kulpa. “The District is emphasizing the power of connection because we know that it is integral not only to learning, but to the overall health and well-being of our District and greater San Antonio community.”
Titles, descriptions and registration links to all of the professional development opportunities mentioned can be found in the SEAD Support COVID-19 document. This document will continue to be updated as more offerings are added.
Keep abreast of what’s going on in the SEAD department by visiting its Twitter feed for daily prompts as well as other SEAD tools and strategies.