NPS Agreement

Newton SEL Community Awareness Collaboration
Newton Public Schools and the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Alliance for Massachusetts
April, 2019

The Newton Public Schools (NPS) and the Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Alliance for Massachusetts (SEL4MA) have agreed to work cooperatively to bring SEL skills out into homes and our community by effecting cross-sector, cross-cultural collaborations among Newton city departments, art and cultural groups, religious organizations, businesses, NGOs, youth-serving organizations, youth sports leagues, and local media.

It is the intent of this written statement to make clear that NPS and SEL4MA are working together toward achieving the same goal of having excellent academic programs, but also recognizing that social emotional learning is essential to academic success. Supporting the development of students’ SEL competence is one of the foundation blocks of NPS.

Aware of the fact that this transformation in education is relatively new to schools, parents and the community as a whole and the significant impact this teaching has on the social and emotional lives of our students in these stressful times, NPS and SEL4MA has forged this collaboration to bring SEL awareness and understanding to all of our citizenry.

Both members of this collaboration believe that SEL skills will be more easily absorbed and be practiced by students if the same messaging was heard by them at home and throughout the community. Therefore, SEL4MA intends to fully engage with parents, procuring volunteers from their number, and finding ways to build public awareness of SEL practices at home.

SEL4MA will use all forms of medium available including social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, NextDoor, etc), email, poster art, videos, PSA’s, signage, school meetings, local newspaper and other creative endeavors to highlight this work.

Therefore, both NPS and SEL4MA seek your support and SEL spirit of teamwork to further our school system’s urgent and imperative SEL goals by finding ways to model, promote and advance the work being done in our schools.

Today, let’s help our children fulfill their dreams for tomorrow!