SOCIAL & EMOTIONAL LEARNING (SEL) AT MEWA
What is SEL?
SEL is for everyone, at every age! It’s a set of skills we practice throughout our lives. SEL stands for Social and Emotional Learning. It’s an essential part of human development that helps people of all ages build the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to:
Develop healthy identities
Identify and manage emotions
Achieve goals and dreams
Feel and show empathy
Establish and maintain healthy relationships
Make responsible and caring decisions
At MEWA, SEL inspires students to grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Each lesson is an opportunity to build confidence, form meaningful connections, and celebrate the unique strengths every student brings to our school community.
SEL Lessons
Students at MEWA experience SEL lessons throughout the day, every day. Because SEL is an essential part of learning, these lessons are integrated into academic and elective classes, as well as in MEWA Success and ESOL Success classes.
What are Character Traits?
Character Traits are specific SEL skills that help us live kind, strong, and healthy lives. At MEWA, we highlight a different Character Trait each month. This year, our traits are:
September: Respect
October: Responsibility
November: Gratitude
December: Empathy
January: Perseverance
February: Honesty
March: Cooperation
April: Courage
May: Creativity
All year: Kindness
SEL Shark of the Month (Our Student-of-the-Month Program)
Each month, staff and families can nominate students who demonstrate that month’s Character Trait. These students are recognized as MEWA’s SEL Sharks of the Month!
Families are notified, and students receive a personalized certificate, postcard, and prize. With permission, nominated students’ names, photos, and reasons for their nomination are featured in our weekly newsletter, The MEWA Post.
At the end of the year, the staff selects a MEWA Ambassador. In considering whom to select, we look for students who have been SEL Sharks and who demonstrate a positive attitude, kindness, respect toward others, perseverance, commitment to doing their best, and active participation in and contribution to our classes and school events.