Social Emotional Learning Initiative

Taken together, our Pillars are meant to inspire caring, compassionate action. I believe we are inculcating a balance of emotion and logic throughout our learning journey at Sage Ridge. As T.K. Coleman eloquently encapsulated it, “Our feelings are not there to be cast out or conquered. They're there to be engaged and expressed with imagination and intelligence.” This raises the importance of what we call Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in schools and is frequently labeled Emotional Intelligence (EQ). The skills and dispositions associated with SEL and EQ are being given equal stature in the call for the development of 21st century skills that are now needed for success. 

Yet it goes well beyond this and connects to our deep past. We know that leadership and success needs balance - to listen and learn, to be able to be critical and compassionate. It is these dispositions that allow people to connect communities. And we see this throughout civilization as philosophers and scientists recognize the importance of ethics, citizenship, and service. We need to connect fundamentally at an individual level before we are able to extend that to serve a wider community. It is our duty to help our students empathize and develop values that give them balance socially and emotionally to help them develop the respect, integrity, and courage and apply it in scholarship and community. 

Our community has suffered a blow this week in the passing of a parent. It has been incredible to witness the outpouring of compassion and action by our community members to support the family and our students as they seek to grapple with what has happened and begin to grieve. This is where the strength of our pillars comes into its own - as our community genuinely works together to help all in need. We can teach values and dispositions but we know these have been learned when they are applied in times of trouble to support the community we have. We are fortunate to have such a caring and compassionate community willing to act on what we collectively hold important. I extend my deepest gratitude to all who have taken action to help in a time of need. This is truly the Sage Ridge Way. 

Tobin S. Bechtel
Head of School

The School has contracted with the nonprofit Mindful SEAD to provide students, faculty/staff, and parents with the tools to nourish the potential that each student brings to his or her learning journey, not only on the academic level, but on the whole-child level as well. Students will be provided with activity workbooks and engage in SEL during advisory time. Through a new Teacher Learning opportunity, our faculty and staff will be supported in their own growth and development, which will enable them to deepen the positive support they give to all Sage Ridge students.

As we seek to develop our entire learning community, we will be offering parent workshops that we hope can bridge the gap between school and home. We know that as parents and teachers work together, with common language and similar intentions, students experience more success, both socially and academically.