Supporting the Whole Child: Building a Safe, Respectful, and Responsible School Community
Dear TLES Community,
At TLES, learning goes far beyond academics. While strong instruction in reading, writing, math, and content areas is essential, we are equally committed to nurturing the social, emotional, and behavioral skills that help our students thrive as classmates, friends, and leaders. Every day, our teachers and staff intentionally create classrooms and common spaces where students feel safe, valued, and empowered to make positive choices.
Our school-wide ROAR expectations guide this work. Through explicit teaching, modeling, and reinforcement, we help students understand what it looks like to be Respectful, Own One's Actions, Advocate for Self/Others, and be Responsible, in every setting—whether in the classroom, cafeteria, playground, or bus. These expectations are not simply posted on the wall; they are actively taught, practiced, and celebrated.
A key part of this support is our weekly Second Step Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum. Through engaging lessons, role play, and discussion, students learn skills such as empathy, emotion management, problem-solving, and responsible decision-making. These lessons give children practical strategies for handling conflicts, managing strong feelings, and building positive relationships with others.
Our teachers also use the principles of Responsive Classroom, which serve as the foundation for how we build strong classroom communities at the beginning of the year and sustain them throughout. Morning meetings, interactive modeling, positive teacher language, and community-building activities help students feel connected and respected while developing a strong sense of belonging. This proactive approach teaches expectations clearly and supports students in learning how to contribute positively to their classroom community.
Throughout the year, we provide quarterly refreshers on our school-wide rules and expectations, as well as additional reminders following extended breaks. These touchpoints help students reset, practice routines, and recommit to the behaviors that keep everyone safe and successful.
In addition, our School Counselors provide regular lessons—weekly to monthly depending on grade level—focused on friendship skills, navigating social challenges, managing big emotions, problem-solving, and making thoughtful choices. These lessons give students tools they can use immediately in their daily lives.
Together, these proactive systems create a caring environment where students learn not only what to know, but how to be: kind, responsible, resilient, and respectful members of our community. We are proud of the intentional work our teachers and staff do each day to support the whole child and to ensure that every student feels safe, supported, and ready to grow.
Thank you for partnering with us as we continue to build a school community where every child can ROAR.
Ben Chiet, Sarah Buchanan & Lindsay Duch
