The San Antonio ISD Social, Emotional & Academic Development (SEAD) and Restorative Practices Department is now offering new Social Activities for Family Engagement (S.A.F.E) for all students and families across the District. The activities are a continuation of the department’s Summer Emotional Learning for Families (S.E.L.F) and live sessions are offered monthly through ClassLink.
“Learning from each other’s differences gives us a chance to see our similarities,” said Jeanette Henderson, behavior implementation specialist. “Our sessions include diverse groups of students – there are gifted and talented kids and kids with autism all interacting together. Looking at the Zoom screen, all the kids are wiggling and smiling. No one would ever be able to single out a student with a disability.”
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During the fall semester, the S.A.F.E. team is holding live Zoom sessions through ClassLink for the whole family with activities including read-a-louds and Build a Fort Night. In addition to the live programing, there are a variety of activities that students and their families can participate in their own timeframe.
“Our Go Live! and Movement Challenges give our students experiences that many of them don’t necessarily have access to now because of COVID, or because of financial hardships,” said Heather Guerrero, instructional specialist. “Kids can experience a horseback ride or kayaking or cooking with a professional chef. Not only are these activities a great way to expand students’ minds, they give them a window into a possible career path in their future.”
Rather than a “special education” or a “general education” focus, S.A.F.E. strives to be an inclusive program for all families to help foster positive self-esteem, family cohesiveness, and safe activities that promote the development and enhancement of strong social and emotional learning to help students be successful in school and in the community.
Additionally, activities provide students and families opportunities to engage with others, multiple strategies for learning to identify feelings and ways to manage feelings in a healthy and safe way, and the chance for families to come together in a safe and structured space.
