Social-Emotional Learning
Learning to know yourself.
Learning to understand others.
Social-emotional learning is woven into the Stanley experience, helping children grow as confident learners, thoughtful friends, collaborative classmates and responsible members of a community.
A Cornerstone of British Primary Philosophy
The skills for learning, relationships and life.
At Stanley, social-emotional development is not separate from academic learning. It is part of how children learn.
Through intentional teaching and daily community practice, students develop emotional awareness, interpersonal skills, identity, thoughtful decision-making and the capacity to participate fully in a diverse and interconnected community.
These skills are taught explicitly, practiced authentically and revisited as children grow. A strategy introduced with young children becomes increasingly nuanced as students learn to understand themselves, navigate relationships and take greater responsibility for their choices.
Our Framework
Five competencies that grow with students.
Stanley's curriculum is organized around five core areas of social-emotional development, providing a shared framework from the earliest years through Middle School.
Self-Awareness
Recognizing emotions, identity, strengths, needs and patterns in one's own behavior.
Self-Management
Developing strategies for regulation, perseverance, planning and managing challenging moments.
Social Awareness
Practicing empathy, perspective-taking and an understanding of diverse experiences and ways of being.
Relationship Skills
Communicating, collaborating, navigating conflict and learning how to repair relationships.
Responsible Decisions
Considering choices, consequences, fairness and impact before deciding how to act.
An Integrated Approach
Taught. Practiced. Lived.
SEL happens in dedicated lessons, but some of the most important practice happens in the moments children encounter every day.
01
Taught intentionally.
Students receive developmentally appropriate SEL instruction designed to give them shared language, strategies and tools for understanding themselves and others.
02
Practiced in real life.
Morning meetings, classroom conversations, recess, role-play, collaborative work and moments of conflict give students authentic opportunities to put those skills into practice.
03
Reinforced by community.
Classroom teachers, specialists, counselors and advisors work together so children encounter a consistent approach to communication, problem-solving and relationships throughout their day.
Skills in Practice
What does social-emotional learning look like?
Across their years at Stanley, students build practical skills and character strengths that help them understand themselves, navigate relationships and contribute thoughtfully to a community.
Self-Awareness
Self-Advocacy
Goal Setting
Conflict Resolution
Cooperation
Gratitude
Honesty
Kindness
Safety
Compassion
Courage
Integrity
Perseverance
Respect
Responsibility
The Classroom Is Only the Beginning
Real relationships create real practice.
Children learn social-emotional skills while collaborating on a project, navigating a playground disagreement, joining a group, advocating for themselves, recovering from a mistake and figuring out how to move forward together. At Stanley, those moments are part of the learning.
A Developmental Journey
The work grows more sophisticated as they do.
The same foundational competencies are revisited across a student's years at Stanley with increasing independence, complexity and self-reflection.
Pre-Kindergarten through 2
Build the toolkit.
Young children begin by learning to name emotions, notice body cues, communicate needs and understand how their actions affect other people.
Teachers help students practice concrete strategies they can use when emotions are big, friendships are complicated or a situation does not go as planned.
- Recognizing and communicating feelings
- Developing regulation strategies
- Cooperation and problem-solving
- Considering another person's feelings
- Making kind, safe and responsible choices
3/4/5
Understand yourself and others.
As students mature, emotional literacy becomes more nuanced. Children begin identifying patterns in their own behavior and understanding which strategies help them participate, learn and navigate challenging situations.
Perspective-taking also deepens. Students explore how different experiences can shape the way people interpret the same situation and learn that resolving conflict sometimes requires repairing a relationship, not simply solving a disagreement.
- Personalized regulation strategies
- Perspective-taking and empathy
- Inclusion, fairness and belonging
- Conflict management and relationship repair
- Increasingly independent decision-making
Middle School • 6/7/8
Know who you are.
In Middle School, students explore identity, values, self-efficacy and increasingly complex relationships while taking greater ownership of their choices.
Weekly SEL experiences, homeroom, individual support and the three-year Advisor Program give students trusted adults and consistent spaces to reflect, ask for help and navigate the opportunities and challenges of adolescence.
- Identity development and personal values
- Self-advocacy and self-efficacy
- Decision-making and critical thinking
- Relationships and healthy communication
- Responsible digital citizenship
Responsive by Design
Support when students need it.
Social-emotional learning is proactive, but children do not all encounter the same challenges at the same moment.
Teaching skills and responding to real needs.
Stanley's SEL faculty and counselors work with students individually and in small groups when more targeted support is helpful.
They also collaborate with classroom teachers and families, helping the adults around each child share language, strategies and understanding.
The goal is not to remove every difficult moment. It is to help students develop the skills and confidence to navigate those moments increasingly independently.
Growing Up in a Digital World
Character extends online.
In Middle School, Stanley uses resources from The Social Institute to help students think thoughtfully about technology, social media and digital life.
Students explore privacy, balance, healthy technology habits, relationships and how the choices they make online reflect values such as empathy, integrity and responsibility.
Dedicated Faculty
People dedicated to helping children grow.
Stanley's commitment to social-emotional development is reflected in dedicated professionals serving students at each developmental stage. They teach students directly, collaborate with teachers and partner with families.
Pre-Kindergarten through 2
Allison Neckers
With a background in social work and deep experience at Stanley, Allison works with students, teachers and families to help young children understand emotions, navigate relationships and develop the foundational skills they need to live and learn together.
3/4/5
Meaghan Seelaus
Meaghan brings experience as a therapist, parent and former teacher to her work with 3/4/5 students. Her background includes supporting children and families navigating neurodivergence, grief, family change and other complex life experiences. She approaches social-emotional development with curiosity, compassion and a belief in helping children understand their own strengths, needs and ways of moving through the world.
Middle School
Amy Summers
A Licensed Professional Counselor with more than two decades of independent school experience, Amy partners with students, families and faculty to support the social, emotional and academic growth of young adolescents.
Whole Child Development
Because knowing yourself changes how you learn.
Over time, students develop more than a collection of strategies. They develop a deeper understanding of who they are, how they affect others, what they need to succeed and how they can contribute to a community. Those skills strengthen friendships and classrooms today while preparing students for increasing independence beyond Stanley.
See Stanley in Action
Come see what it means to know the whole child.
Visit Stanley and experience a community where academic, social and emotional growth are deeply connected.