Submitted by Dr. David Aldrich
Support Services, Maeser Elementary
For more than 20 years the faculty and staff at Maeser Elementary have provided Uintah School District students with knowledge and guidance toward becoming better learners and leaders in our community.
Students in kindergarten through 5th grade receive direct instruction and virtual instruction from teachers on campus. Some of the tools and resources teachers use at Maeser include Chromebooks, iReady, Lexia, and the Second Step program.
Second Step is a social-emotional learning program designed to help students feel safe, supported, and ready to learn. Students are taught how to interact positively with each other in a variety of situations, as well as solutions for negative behaviors that sometimes cannot be avoided.
Each week students are given classroom instruction on one lesson highlighting skills for positive learning and behaviors. The students also talk about the skills being demonstrated and how they can be put into action in real world situations.
As they move through their time at Maeser, the social-emotional learning skills build to echo and reinforce the positive attributes of future leaders. Kindergarten starts with simple skills such as listening and identifying basic emotions. As the years go on, students practice empathy and problem-solving at different levels. When the students reach 5th grade, they are shown age appropriate real-world situations to help them apply the skills they've learned to control stronger emotions.
The emotional skills being learned at all ages affect classroom learning. They also help students become better examples to their peers in school and in life.
The time put into the programs at Maeser Elementary comes from our positive teachers and staff members. Learning is the goal and because of the connections made with students, we come to work ready to succeed no matter the challenge or situation.
Looking at the effect COVID-19 has had on our students has only caused our staff to double down on the importance of making school a positive place so everyone has the chance to learn and grow through the year.