Every morning at Evergreen Elementary, we do the morning announcements. These consist of three parts: Student pledgers, character trait affirmations/shout-outs, and positive office referrals and/or announcements from the principal. We use a list of character traits that span a variety of topics from Assertiveness to Unity and so much more in-between. Each month that we are in school, a theme for the month is chosen and within that month, four related character traits are picked out as focus points. For example: October is Kindness Month at EES. Within the month of October, we talk about kindness, respect, friendliness, trust, and helpfulness. These all connect to the theme of the month: Kindness. The morning affirmations are a brief “food for thought” moment to kick off our day.

We have also put out a Kindness Calendar that challenges the students to participate in 31 acts of kindness throughout the month of October. These tasks may be done at school, home, singularly, or with others such as friends or family.

SEL playground is focused on helping students while outside during recess time. Conflicts happen, especially when playing. EES offers support and intervention to students who encounter conflict during recess time or need a mediator between friends or peers. Sometimes you might see me playing or modeling games with kids that encourage teamwork or cooperation. This connects back to our PBIS model in that our goal is to demonstrate positive interactions with peers rather than punish.

Our E.A.T.S. garden is a major source of joy at Evergreen Elementary. The SEL program utilizes the E.A.T.S. garden by providing a calming place for students (individual, small group, or whole classes) to get their hands dirty and work as a team towards a bigger goal that requires patience and responsibility. As the weather warms, we plan on spending as much time as possible in our garden and with one another.

Art Expression and Exploration is a class that is offered to each class over the course of a two-week rotation. We focus on projects that allow the individual student to step out of their comfort zone, be challenged, think creatively, and focus on the aspects of ART.

A: Always do your best

R: Respect everyone’s vision

T: Turn your mistakes into masterpieces! 

Teamwork is a major theme during our art time and early finishers are always eager to help other students who need an extra set of hands to finish their projects. We proudly display all of the artwork that we complete and encourage each student to reflect on what they appreciate most about their creations.