Teachers have long known that feeling safe and secure in school helps students focus their energy on learning. And the research bears that out: A 2018 study found that when teachers deliberately foster a sense of belonging by greeting each student at the door of the class, they see “significant improvements in academic engaged time and reductions in disruptive behavior.”

This post outlines ideas from teachers for ensuring that every student in the classroom feels like they belong.

Some of the activities included take less than five minutes. They’re divided up among the grades, but many can apply across all of the years from kindergarten to 12th grade.

As we prepare for the fall 2020 re-entry to school, in thinking about specifically supporting learning, we have developed the “Sun West Return to Learn Process”.  This process reminds us of the best practices we already implement in our schools, continues to reinforce our PeBL philosophy and will help us work together to achieve “Success for ALL learners”.This resource includes curated lists of on demand professional learning opportunities & resources connected to each of the 5 elements included in the Sun West Return to Learn 2020 Process.