Caring School Community classrooms begin with a Circle every morning, regardless of grade level. Every grade level’s approach is focused on building relationships, directly teaching social skills, and creating a calm learning environment while addressing discipline from a teaching and learning stance. The goals of offering students autonomy and voice within an environment that heightens their sense of belonging while offering the skills and self-efficacy that builds a sense of competence (the ABCs) are built into every grade level’s daily lessons.
The K–5 curriculum is comprised of:
- Daily Morning Circles
- Daily Closing Circles
- Occasional Community Chats (K–1)
- Weekly Class Meetings (2–5)
- Weekly Choice Time (2–5)
- Weekly guidance to integrate social skills across the day
- Cross-age Buddies
The 6–8 curriculum is comprised of:
- Daily Advisory
- Advisory Circles
- Class Meeting
- One-to-one Conferences
- Subject-area Integration Guides
K–6 and K–8 schools implement the program as designed. Some schools choose to implement Cross-age Buddies across the school, including the students from grades 6–8 in this schoolwide approach.
Some K–6 schools may choose to add a Closing Circle in sixth grade by adding brief reflection questions related to the social development focus at the end of each day.