ESUSD Superintendent Melissa Moore distributed the message at the link to parents, staff and the community today, March 26, 2020.
Dear ESUSD Parents, Staff and Community,
I would like to follow up and share further resources to help with Social Emotional Learning (SEL).
Dr. Logan Fox, El Segundo High School Assistant Principal, provided this tip, which encourages families to use the Mood Meter and other SEL tools related to The RULER Approach to social emotional learning developed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. “I would highly recommend that families explore the Mood Meter and I encourage parents to use it to gauge how their child(ren) are feeling and to spark conversation. I would suggest they use it twice a day, if possible (a.m. and p.m.). For older students, I recommend ‘journaling’ or having their child(ren) start a diary — an excellent tool for students to express in writing how they are feeling in a safe, non-judgmental outlet (as opposed to using social media). What a memory this will be if they keep their journals and read them several years from now.”
The Mood Meter is a tool to monitor emotions under The RULER Approach. The RULER Approach provides learning tools/methods for educators, students, and parents to better recognize, understand, and manage personal feelings.
The Mood Meter has already been introduced in most ESUSD elementary classrooms and is beginning to be rolled out at the secondary level as well. The Mood Meter is designed to help students learn to recognize emotions and develop strategies for regulating (or managing) those emotions. RULER stands for recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing, and regulating emotion.
Mood Meter Resources:
Video About Mood Meter and App for older students
Mood Meter App (optional, for a small fee)
Printable Mood Meter (by grade)
Video about Mood Meter in Early Childhood Classrooms
We are all in this together! ESUSD will continue to provide information, tools, and resources to help ESUSD families, and hopefully ease stress and anxiety for all family members during this time of uncertainty. Stay well and keep learning!
Melissa Moore, Ed.D.
Superintendent
El Segundo Unified School District