Dear Parents,
PCSD is committed to supporting all students’ mental wellness and social and emotional learning. The District has approved a Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener that students use to share their perspectives on how well their school and community help them develop skills they need to succeed. These skills include achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships with adults and peers, and making responsible decisions. These factors are critical to positive academic, social, and emotional success. All students in grades 6-12 have the opportunity to participate in the screener this year.
The SEL Screener elevates the voices of our students by making sure their perspectives are considered in decision-making. Screener data is used to plan programming for the district, schools, and individual students.
Individual students’ screener data will only be accessible to teachers, administrators, and staff with legitimate educational interests. Results will be maintained in secure files and databases accessible only to these individuals. Staff review this data alongside other information to plan interventions for students with identified needs. Parents and guardians will receive an individualized report regarding their student’s screener results following each assessment window. School staff are available to discuss results with families.
The screener will be administered to students at school. It consists of 25 questions and should take your child approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. In it, your child will be asked to rank statements from true to untrue. A few sample statements they may be asked are:
· I am easily distracted, I find it difficult to concentrate
· I get very angry and often lose my temper
· I am nervous in new situations. I easily lose confidence
· Other people my age generally like me
· I try to be nice to other people. I care about their feelings
If you would like to opt out of the Social Emotional Learning screener, or if you have any questions regarding the Social Emotional Learning Screener, please contact one of the following by September 19, 2023:
Sarah Hannonen at (775) 442-1478
Jonathan Reynolds, principal (775) 273-2625.