Opening Quote: “The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word crisis. One brush stroke
stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger--but recognize the
opportunity.”-John F. Kennedy

Wanted: A Whole Child

The COVID-19 crisis and civil unrest has opened our eyes to the many challenges facing our society. One
major question is: How do we raise a whole child? The current state of society has forced us to look at 
our children in a whole different way. This moment requires that we, as parents, teachers, and primary
care providers, must look very deeply into the development of the whole child. So, as a school, we are
taking this pandemic as an opportunity to focus on what matters most-the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) of our students.
Social Emotional Learning is the motor that fosters the movement and development of the whole child.
“Social-emotional learning is a broad term referring to how students regulate their emotions,
communicate with others, use compassion and empathy to understand the needs of other people, build
relationships and make good decisions,” says licensed psychologist Jennifer B. Rhodes. To Dr. Rhodes’
point, if we want a better society we must equip our children with what they need to navigate life today
in an effort to make a better tomorrow. The question is: What is our school community doing about
this?
You may have noticed that there are two things that are happening as soon as your child logs in for school
at 9:15 am. We call it Community Circles and Second Step. Community Circles are gatherings in which all
students sit in a circle facing each other to facilitate open, direct communication. This concept is used
virtually as well. Community circles provide a safe, supportive space where all students can talk about
sensitive topics, work through differences, and build relationships. While the Second Step program
allows students to role play situations that may happen in the classroom, on the playground and in life.
How timely are these lessons? The bottom line is this, there will be life after the pandemic and this
election. And our children will be in the position of leading the real work that will take place to heal our
country.
After all, we can have great cardiologists, carpenters, lawyers, and teachers; but, if we do not have great
people who care about themselves and others then as a society we have collectively missed the mark.
We must focus on the development of the whole child.
Let something good from this crisis. Let’s us through this crisis emerge better than ever before. We look
forward to seeing your child every morning at 9:15 am. Until next time… Bye-Bye!

Yours in Service,

Principal Powell

Mrs. Ketia Singleton–Academic Dean