Open Circle
Swasey Central School uses both Responsive Classroom and Open Circle to address the social and emotional needs of children. Both programs are incorporated throughout our students' day, with Responsive Classroom being an umbrella that spans across aspects of a student's day, and Open Circle being used to deliver specific, targeted lessons. The skillful implementation of both will move the student's closer to the district's goal around student resiliency and pro-social behaviors.
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Open Circle provides a unique, evidence-based social and emotional learning program for elementary schools from Kindergarten through Grade 5. The curriculum proactively develops children’s social and emotional skills, including managing emotions, empathy, positive relationships and problem solving. Open Circle helps schools build communities where students feel safe, cared for and engaged in learning.
Classroom teachers implement the grade-differentiated Open Circle Curriculum during 15-minute Open Circle Meetings twice per week. Students form a circle of chairs, including an empty seat to symbolize that there is always room for another person, voice or opinion.
The program reinforces and enhances learning across all academic disciplines, is foundational to bullying prevention and intervention, and is integral to nationally recognized learning standards like the Common Core State Standards and 21st Century Learning Standards for success in a globally competitive workforce.
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Open Circle:
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Unites schools with common vocabulary, strategies & expectations for student behavior
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Improves school safety, school climate & student and family engagement
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Increases students’ ability to listen, show empathy, calm down, cooperate, speak up & solve problems
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Reduces students’ peer exclusion, teasing, bullying & fighting
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Improves educators’ classroom management, dialogue facilitation & ability to address students’ social and emotional needs
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Strengthens educators’ SEL skills, trust & collaboration
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Buys back time for academics by proactively addressing behavior problems
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