Character Education

List of 3 items.

• Heartstrings

  Empathy, problem solving, handling difficult emotions—it’s all part of the curriculum at Severn's Lower School. Through Heartstrings, Severn’s character education program, wise mentors model new ways for children to deal with academic and emotional challenges, to manage their own learning, and to help along their peers. Good character can be learned, and we teach it here.
  
  

  The Heartstrings social-emotional curriculum strengthens social responsibility by building a foundation of understanding and respect for others. Our program celebrates and appreciates people and their perspectives, addresses the social-emotional needs of the individual student, and educates the whole child by furthering important social skills.
  
  The Lower School uses the Second Step character education program and supplemental books and hands-on learning activities that support and reinforce the concepts being taught. Focused grade-level activities address age-appropriate strategies for areas such as 
  

  • Empathy
  • Problem Solving
  • Conflict Resolution
  • Mindfulness
  • Bullying Prevention

• Helping Hands

  The Helping Hands program is structured for and aimed at educating the whole child by furthering social skills, creating a healthy learning environment, and providing a proactive context for establishing positive relationships by providing for leadership opportunities for students throughout the grades. 
  
  Students in the upper elementary grades are assigned as partners to students/classes in the lower grades. Teachers select times for students to collaborate to accomplish set goals, read together, eat lunch together, attend assemblies, etc. 
  
  Grade level partnerships are as follows: 2nd & PS, 3rd & PK, 4th & 1st, 5th & Kindergarten.

• Open Doors

  Open Doors is a program designed to promote education to Lower School students on the topic of diversity. It is geared toward reflecting and appreciating how we are different from one another and how we are similar. The ultimate goal is to reflect upon barriers that people create based on differences we have from one another. 
  
  Lower School students enjoy the time to openly discuss their thoughts in a safe environment. Some recent Open Doors session topics include:
  
  

  Violet: How are We Unique?  
  How we are alike but also different in our families.

  
  The Cracked Pot
  Everyone is a winner in his or her own way. 
  
  

  Your Song
  Each of us has different talents and gifts.