Family SEL Resources - Highline Public Schools

Welcome to our Social-Emotional Learning family resources. Here you will find multiple ways to support your student and their learning at home and in the community.

We invite you to share with us so we can learn from your histories, knowledge and experiences. We look forward to partnership with you to improve what we are doing at school. Please reach out to us directly by email.

FAMILY RESOURCES

MEDIA & WELL BEING

General Resources

Explore the resources below to be used at home.

RULER resources

Practicing RULER at Home:

To create a positive emotional climate at home, it is important to practice the five key skills of emotional intelligence with children and other members of your family.

R - Recognizing

U - Understanding

L - Labeling

E - Expressing

R - Regulate

"How RULER works" Brochure

Mood METER STRATEGIES

English

Conversation Starters and Activites to Promote SEL at home

Tip Sheet

Getting to Know RULER

RULER Informational Video

RULER webinar: Using Mood Meter for Families

Grief and loss

Explore the resources below:

Journey Program through Seattle Children's Hospital (for any family that has experienced the death of a child)
After a loved one dies: how children grieve and how parents and other adults can support them (English and Spanish)
Supporting your child after the death of a family member or friend (English and Spanish)

Grief Out Loud Podcast

Supports to deepen your conversations with children and teens

Supports to deepen your conversations with Children and Teens

Connecting with your children in an open and honest way can be incredibly supportive. Try these strategies below.

Normalizing

You are not the only one experiencing what you’re feeling (ex: some children may be happy or excited, about this, some may be mad, frustrated, let down, etc.)

You are not the only one feeling __________. Lots of young people are also feeling ________.
All feelings matter, and it’s okay if you feel _________________.
When I have felt, ___________ some of the things that were helpful for me were…….

Identifying Strengths

When listening to your child share their feelings, listen for areas of strength underlying their emotions

You sound really disappointed that you’re not yet in school. This tells me that you really love school, and that your relationships with your friends and teachers is really important to you, and this is great
You sound excited to continue learning remotely at home. This tells me that you feel super comfortable at home and learning with your family.

Validating and Restating Without Judgement

Focusing On What You Can Control

When difficult things happen that are out of our control, it is helpful to identify elements of our situation that we CAN control, and to focus our energy on these.

Sometimes when hard things happen, we can feel powerless. Let’s identify a few things that we can control… what are you excited to continue doing that’s working?
Is there a way that you’d like to express your feelings about this to someone? Can I help you write some things down, create something, or get your feelings out?
When I have felt trapped, stuck, or limited in my choices, I chose to focus on _________________ and this helped me regain a sense of control over my options.

Reinforcing Supports

Talking with Kids About Their Day

Accepting Unpleasant Emotions in Times of Uncertainty (for middle and high school students)

RULER webinar: Helping Children Manage Emotions During Uncertain Times

Helping children process violence

"When Bad Things Are Happening" When news breaks of disaster or violence, your students may want to discuss a crisis as it unfolds.

Here’s how:

Ask and listen first
- Keep the conversation age-appropriate
- Limit a child's exposure to the media
- Be honest, but make sure the child knows they are safe
Take race and violence in an age-appropriate way

Read more about these supports.

"A Teaching Tolerance Guide: Let's Talk! Facilitating Critical Conversations With Students" is a 44-page guide from the Southern Poverty Law Center that offers advice for parents/care-takers/adults. This includes support on how to answer common questions from both children and adults such as:

What happened?
Could I have done anything to prevent this?
Whose fault is it?
Is this going to change my life?
Can I help?
I don't want to make things worse, so should I say nothing instead?
What if this upsets them?
Should I bring it up even if they don't ask questions? What if they don't seem to want to talk about it?
How can I tell if children need more than I can provide? Where should I go for such help?

Racial stress and healing

BEAM (Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective) has some wonderful journal prompts, affirmations, toolkits, worksheets and more!

Below are resources that were shared by the Washington Education Association (WEA).

Talking About Race (From the National Museum of African American History & Culture): includes learnings and resources for parents & caregivers, educators and anyone committed to equity. No matter where you are on your journey, you can explore topics.

Family-Care, Community-Care, and Self-Care Toolkit: Healing from the Face of Cultural Trauma (Prepared by the Community Healing Network, Emotional Emancipations Circles, and The Association of Black Psychologist)

Racial Stress and Self-Care: Parent Tip Tool (from the American Psychological Association - RESilience)

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Crisis support

If in immediate crisis, call 911.

Other resources include:

Your school counselor
Hotlines (some have texting options available):
- Suicide prevention lifeline (1-800-273-8255)
- Crisis text line (Text "HOME" to 741741)
- Trevor project
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

Students who learn best when they have snacks

Try let them!

Make a standing work-station (at a counter, remove the chair, etc.)
Offer breaks to move in your space (could be taking a walk, push-ups, jumping jacks, etc.)
Allow them to move to an different work area, such as sitting on the floor

Strategies for students who learn best when they know what time things happen, or what comes next

Try to set them up to know their schedule and times!

Use phone timers
Use visual timers or stopwatches
Make a schedule or task list they can write on or mark off

Strategies for students who learn best when they have noise in the background

Try to give them some noise!

Use headphones with soft music (or what you know works)
Leave music or TV on quietly in the background

Food and nutrition

All people learn best when they eat balanced meals. Here is a current list of all available Highline Public Schools meal pick up locations, which provide FREE meals to all people under 18 years of age for school days AND weekends.