Social, Emotional & Spiritual

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We value and instill in all of our students the importance of understanding who you are and being self-confident. We guide each student to develop their personal belief system and to be comfortable expressing their opinions.

It’s all part of understanding that we’re an essential part of how the world improves. We have many programs woven into our curriculum that enhance our student's life on campus.

Social

Marco Camargo is our Student Activities Coordinator and is responsible for a multitude of student-related activities, including ASB, School Assemblies, Community Enrichment and Service Learning. The Community program is woven with Pastor Mark’s Christian and Dr. Anderson’s Character Enrichment Programs, with a specific focus of cultivating: World-Sized Hearts and World-Class Minds. This team partners together to develop, promote, and support programs, academics, events, faculty and staff that further our school’s mission.

Community

Community Enrichment is a program that strives to provide Lower School students with opportunities to not only learn about but also practice IB Learner Profiles. Themes such as Caring, Communicating, Risk-Taking, Open-mindedness, Principled and Reflective are reinforced through the reading of children’s storybooks with similar themes, followed by Hopes and Dreams discussions and setting goals for the year.

Community is also structured to address additional themes of Service, Spirit, and Buddy times. Through service-themed communities, students will apply the lessons learned and the goals they set in service activities that support the school, community, and world at large. Through Spirit themed communities, students learn more about St. Mary’s school culture and history in order to build more Falcon Pride. Through Buddy themed communities, Lower School students are paired with their buddies in another grade to model and exercise their world-sized hearts.

Service Learning

Service Learning program involves students from EEP to Grade 8 getting involved in St. Mary’s, the neighboring communities and the world at large. They do this through a robust IB curriculum that gives them learning experiences that expose them to environmental, local, social, political and a variety of other causes.

In addition to academics, students throughout the year have opportunities to serve whether it be donating their hair in the Cancer Awareness Assembly or raising awareness for those impacted by cancer to participating in the Community Candy Canes campaign where students identify a cause to sponsor, set a goal and strive to make a difference in the month of December. At other times throughout the year, students develop empathy by engaging in various drives that provide food, clothing, books, funds that support shelters and organizations in need.

Social Emotional Learning

St. Mary’s is committed to growing world-sized hearts. Recognizing that social-emotional skills need to be taught, praised and practiced, Dr. Anderson visits each Lower School classroom monthly to foster these skills. Students are taught about self-management, self-awareness, social awareness, responsible decision-making, and relationship skills. To review specific topics that will be covered by grade level click on the button below.

Dr. Anderson collaborates with teachers throughout the school year to reinforce the social-emotional skills being addressed during some of our units of inquiry. For example, Junior Kindergarten students use belly breathing and calm down jars during their Peace Unit, Grade 4 students discuss creative expressions of emotion during their How We Express Ourselves unit, and Grade 5 students work on creating digital footprints they can be proud of.

Character Enrichment Program Grades K-5

In an effort to show students just how committed we are to growing world-sized hearts, Dr. Anderson has paired up with teachers, faculty and staff to “catch students being kind.” We are always on the lookout for students who go above and beyond, without being asked, to help others. Some students that are observed doing a good deed may receive a quick note to let them know they were caught being kind. They also receive a world size heart. Classrooms who collectively earn 10 world sized hearts earn a popsicle party hosted by Mr. Camargo or Dr. Anderson.

During Community, classrooms in which students have been caught being kind are acknowledged. This creates some friendly competition while encouraging students to earn world sized hearts. The challenge is to earn 25 hearts by the end of the year (in honor of our school’s 25 years!) to earn a special treat party hosted by Mr. Camargo! The goal of this program is to establish a culture of compassion, empathy and pride at St. Mary’s.

The World-Sized Hearts Challenge is part of our Community, Christian and Character Enrichment programs where we strive to build world-sized hearts through learning, promoting, modeling and acknowledging good behavior.

Each month therapy dogs and their owners are invited to campus for our Canine Connections program.

This is an optional activity students can participate in during recess to de-stress during the academic day. Dogs and their handlers are present on the field and sit in a specified area waiting for belly rubs, paw shakes and to show just how much unconditional love they have to offer.

Two to three times per year miniature therapy horses visit campus. They look forward to attention from our students and love getting brushed and having their manes braided.

School Counseling

Dr. Carmen Anderson, School Counselor

School counseling is a service provided by St. Mary’s as part of its commitment to developing well-rounded, confident children. The school counselor is available to meet with children individually or in a group and also with parents. The purpose of these sessions is to provide guidance on topics with which school aged students sometimes struggle. The school counselor also collaborates regularly with faculty and staff toward this aim.

Sessions may be scheduled by teachers, staff, parents, and/or students.

Please feel free to contact the school counselor with any questions at 949-448-9027, ext. 334 or via e-mail at carmen.anderson@smaa.org.

Spiritual

Chapels are a weekly time for all of our St. Mary community - students, faculty, staff and parents - to come together to learn stories of the Bible and how they relate to a designated IB Attitude or Learner Profile. Chapel themes are formulated around an age-appropriate children’s story from the Bible. Christian Enrichment classroom time provides opportunities for developing learning and understanding of Chapel.

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Dr. Carmen Anderson

School Counselor

x334 | carmen.anderson@smaa.org

Marco Camargo

Student Activities Coordinator

x337 | marco.camargo@smaa.org

Pastor Mark Chapman

School Chaplain

x321 | mark.chapman@smaa.org