ERD. October SPT Newsletter!

During the month of October, all grade levels will be focusing on Bullying Prevention lessons through Second Step during Spartan PRIDE Time. This month also marks the conclusion of Hispanic Heritage Month on October 15th, while also recognizing Down Syndrome Awareness Month and National Bullying Prevention Month throughout October.

As a school and district, we remain deeply committed to fostering an inclusive community where every student feels a strong sense of belonging and their social-emotional well-being is prioritized. To support this goal, we have dedicated a 30-minute period called Spartan PRIDE Time (SPT).

What is Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)?
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is defined as the process young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. (Casel, 2021). These foundational skills prepare our students not only to thrive as members of our school community but also in their future careers and life.

During Spartan PRIDE Time, our school community focuses on teaching and modeling our core values: Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dependability, and Empathy (PRIDE). In an effort to foster strong home and school partnership, we want to make sure that our families are included and informed of our monthly themes and topics. It is our hope that, together, we can partner with families to help promote reflection, critical thinking, and open dialogue around important topics related to SEL.

To support our classroom teachers, we have a Spartan PRIDE Time team made up of classroom teachers, our school counselor, librarian, social worker, psychologist, and administrators to develop a list of resources to choose from to discuss our monthly themes.

To learn more about SEL and our Spartan Pride Time, you may access our district's webpage on SEL, by clicking here.

With Spartan Pride,

Mr. Speicher and Ms. Robinson

• 9/15-10/15: Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month
• 10/5: World Teachers Day
• 10/10: World Mental Health Day
• 10/11: National Coming Out Day
• 10/12: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
• 10/21: Unity Day - Kindness, Acceptance, Inclusion

• Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) is defined as the process young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. (Casel, 2021). We also believe these foundational skills will help prepare our students to be successful members of our school community, future workplace, and in life.

• As a school community, we also use this time to educate and model the expectations of our school pillars of Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dependability, and Empathy (PRIDE). In an effort to foster our partnership, we want to make sure that our families are included and informed of our monthly themes and topics. It is our hope that together we can partner with families to help promote reflection, critical thinking, and open dialogue around important topics related to SEL.

• To support our classroom teachers, we have a Spartan PRIDE Time team made up of classroom teachers, our school counselor, librarian, social worker, psychologist, and administrators to develop a list of resources to choose from to discuss our monthly themes.

To learn more about SEL and our Spartan Pride Time, you may access our district's webpage on SEL, by clicking here. Also to review our Second Step scope and sequence, you may click here.

3rd Grade:

3rd Grade Family Letter - English

3rd Grade Family Letter - Spanish

4th Grade:

4th Grade Family Letter - English

4th Grade Family Letter - Spanish

5th Grade:

5th Grade Family Letter - English

5th Grade Family Letter - Spanish

If you would prefer to opt your child out of Spartan Pride Time, please click here. If you have more than one child, we ask that you complete a form for each child.

Lastly, if you have opted your child out in the past, you must still complete this form for this school year.

If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Erdenheim Elementary Administration Contact Information:

benjamin_speicher@sdst.org

courtney_robinson@sdst.org

Email: er_attendance@sdst.org
Website: https://www.sdst.org/schools/erdenheim/index
Location: 500 Haws Lane, Flourtown, PA, USA
Phone: 215-233-6085
Twitter: @SDSTschools