The social and emotional well-being of Franklin Square students has become a major focus in the community’s three elementary schools this year.
The Franklin Square Union Free School District “has implemented new social and emotional learning (SEL) programs and activities to further enhance the well-being of its students at John Street School, Polk Street School and Washington Street School,” a statement released by the district explained.
The transition from in-person to virtual learning as a result of the coronavirus pandemic had a deleterious effect on the mental health and social and emotional state of students nationwide, according to a number of surveys conducted since the pandemic began two years ago. According to one survey, by a nonprofit called Active Minds, 20 percent of college students said their mental health had declined.
Late last year, the Elmont Union Free School District added three new school counselors for the 2021-22 school year. “Additional counselors were brought in to ensure the social-emotional well-being of both students and staff,” the school district said in a statement for a previous Herald story.
Franklin Square school social workers Rosie Carino, who works at Washington Street, and Christina Luca, who works at Polk Street, were tasked with overseeing the new well-being initiatives. Both spend time at John Street as well. Working with school psychologists, Carino and Luca have created age-appropriate programs and in-classroom lessons that focus on topics such as bullying prevention and self-esteem development.
Laura Horne, the chief program officer of Active Minds, stressed the need for schools to focus on students’ well-being in a statement on the nonprofit’s website. “The importance of regular, clear, compassionate communication regarding mental health resources and academic options,” Horne said, is vital.
This is the case, she said, because while a growing share of high school and college students nationwide feel that their mental health has been affected by the pandemic and the transition to virtual learning, not many are aware of where to turn for help.
“More than half of college students surveyed say that they would not know where to go if they or someone they knew needed professional mental health services right away,” Horne said.
Franklin Square schools are offering a range of new initiatives. For example, on Social Emotional Wednesdays, the last Wednesday of each month at Washington Street, students are assigned social-emotional homework. The January assignment focused on gratitude and appreciation.
Students at Washington Street also helped create a “kindness chain,” the district said. For this activity, students wrote “kind messages” on colored paper and linked them together to “symbolize a united school community.”
Preventing bullying is also a major focus when it comes to students’ well-being. During Bullying Prevention Month at Polk Street, students from kindergarten to sixth grade collaborated on a “Positive Post-It Wall.” After reading books about bullying prevention, conflict resolution and kindness, students shared positive messages on Post-it Notes on the wall.
In November and December, the anti-bullying theme was cooperation. Each class created “cooperation quilts.” Polk Street students have also been participating in “Buddy Classes,” in which younger and older students team up on projects focusing on cooperation.
At Washington Street, students ranging from kindergarten to second grade recently learned about “Buddy Benches.” Older students at the school took part in “Bully Proofing” presentations, learning how to identify and respond to bullying.
At John Street, students have been involved in presentations that also focus on kindness, making good choices and showing respect. Fourth-grade students worked on a “bucket filler” and “bucket dipper” activity, in which the focus was on “acknowledging acts of kindness that would fill one’s bucket rather than take from it,” the district statement read.
At all three Franklin Square schools, students can scan QR codes placed around the buildings to recognize teachers, administrators and staff who are exceptional when it comes to paying attention to student well-being — something known districtwide as the “Franklin Square Round of Applause.”
“Both Carino and Luca,” the district social workers in charge of the new initiatives, “expressed their excitement for the future and building connections with the students and staff in Franklin Square,” the district statement read.
