NSPS BEHAVIORAL and Social/Emotional Supports

The North Smithfield Public Schools offers age and developmentally appropriate behavioral and social/emotional supports, resources, and initiatives including:

District

• District-wide social/emotional learning series for all teachers: North Smithfield Schools has partnered with NE Basecamp to implement a year-long Social Emotional Skills Series professional development. This professional learning series includes deepening educators understanding of social emotional learning, a review of the RI Standards for SEL, exploration of the SEL indicators and the sharing of practical instructional strategies to build SEL skills within current content. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. Social and Emotional Learning, just like math and reading, is based on certain skills and, also like math and reading, SEL skills can and must be taught.
  
• Personnel: (5) School Counselors, (2) School Psychologist, (2) School Social Workers, and (2) School Resource Officers
  

North Smithfield Elementary School:

• REACH Recognition ~ NSES Staff Members recognize students for exemplifying a core value (Respect, Effort, Accountability, Cooperation, Honesty).  Students are recognized during morning announcements and have their choice of an extra PE, Music, Art or Library class.
  
• High Five Fridays ~ partnership with North Smithfield Fire Department
  
• Getting to Know You Cafe ~ Small groups of children,by grade level, eat lunch with either principal, assistant principal, school counselor, school social worker or school psychologist.  We are currently having lunch with grade 2, completed grades 3 & 4.
  
• Open Circle ~ All staff members are Open Circle trained.  Open Circle is a social emotional learning program to assist with relationship building and managing emotions.
  
• Kelso’s Choice ~ School counselor, school social worker and school psychologist schedule times with classroom teachers to implement this conflict resolution program.  Students learn how to choose an appropriate reaction to a situation as it occurs.
  
• Weekly Social Services Meetings ~ Principals meet with social services department each week to discuss students exhibiting social/emotional concerns or family issues.  Depending on the concern, a plan is implemented, ranging from daily check-ins with students to social skills groups.
  
• Starts with Hello Week (Fall) and Great Kindness Challenge Week (Winter) ~ Weeks specifically dedicated to spreading kindness throughout the school community
  
• Daily Kindness Messages ~ Daily kindness messages are posted on a whiteboard when students and visitors enter North Smithfield Elementary School.
  
• NSES News ~ Weekly emails to staff with articles or video clips dedicated to social/emotional learning.
  
• Staff Meetings ~ Trainings on building relationships and cultivating classroom communities.
  
• The Importance of Social Emotional Learning In School and At Home ~ Workshop with Missy McNeil, local family therapist, regarding social development in the house and how it relates to school.  These workshops will be periodically offered throughout the year to build an understanding of our commitment to social emotional learning.
  
• Morning Greeting and Afternoon Goodbyes ~ Principal & Assistant Principal greet as many students by name and say goodbye to students at the end of the day.
  
• Staffing  ~ School Psychologist, School Social Worker, School Counselor
  

North Smithfield Middle School:

• Good News from School Cards
  
• Grade level teaming
  
• Bi-Weekly team meeting to discuss shared students successes/concerns
  

• Sandy Hook Promise / Start with Hello Program
  
• High Five Fridays
  
• Motivational Mondays 
  
• Health Unit on Bullying and Empowering Bystanders
  
• The Kindness Challenge
  
• Variety of activities implemented during advisory block-Ex. Cards for Carlos, cooperative activities
  
• SRO presentations on a variety of related topics
  
• SRO works closely with students, teaches lessons in class, joins lessons in classes, in caf for all lunches
  
• SEL PD (NE Basecamp)
  
• Guidance Counselors/Social Worker/Assistant Principal mediate with students to end conflict prior to it becoming a repetitious pattern.  
  
• Guidance Counselors go to all grade 5 classes beginning of year to explain their role and how to access academic/social emotional help when necessary
  
• Greeting students upon arrival and wishing them well at the end of the day
  
• Monitoring absences and tardies to assess why students are not in school, ensuring it is not conflict related
  
• Created Google Slide Presentation that kids will be shown at the beginning of year that provides all necessary information about when to reach out for help, why it is important, and who they can turn to at the school.
  

North Smithfield High School:

• Sandy Hook Promise / Start with Hello Program
  
• Health Unit on Bullying and Empowering Bystanders
  
• The Kindness Challenge
  
• SRO presentations on a variety of related topics 
  
• SRO works closely with students
  
• SEL PD (NE Basecamp)
  
• Guidance Counselors/Assistant Principal mediate with students to end conflict prior to it becoming a repetitious pattern.  
  
• Student Assistance Counselor/ School Psychologist work with at risk students
  
• Buddy Group meets monthly 
  
• NSHS added new core value of Inclusion created by the students to previous core values to include everyone ​