December marked the end of the Fall semester and also the last ExCEL SEL Meeting of 2016! Our December SEL Meeting focused on self-management. Self-Management is the second of the four mindsets (Growth, Self-Management, Self-Efficacy, and Social Awareness) and includes:

• Setting plans and working toward goals
• Overcoming obstacles
• Regulating emotions
• Advocating for oneself

After watching “The Marshmallow Test,” Site Coordinators at December’s meeting had a chance to discuss self-management strengths and challenges with students, staff, and themselves. They also worked in groups to strategize how to build on existing strengths and creating a positive environment to manage reactions and emotions.

• Some of the self-management strengths mentioned for students at the Elementary level included positive behavior, talking about feelings and impulse control while challenges included distractions and giving up when things get too hard.
• At the Middle School level, staff strengths were highlighted using praise (Cheers for Peers), modeling positive examples and new opportunities.

Every program has different ways of handling self-management in their After School community. One easy way of supporting both your staff and students is to provide a few minutes of your time to check-in and offer a listening ear.

We hope you had a restful break and are ready to start 2017 with fresh ideas!