Dear Morningside Center Friends,

Summer break is coming soon! Are you an NYC DOE educator? If so, watch your inbox for OSYD summer trainings and sign up for a Tier 1 training with us—from community-building to SEL and Circles, we can help you make your classroom warm, inclusive and an environment for more thriving, growing and learning!

Have you taken our Training/s? Pass this on to educator friends who might want the same community and classroom support!

What’s a Circle? Check out two short teacher interviews—you’ll learn how to hold Circles in Tier 1 training, too!

We also share a Juneteenth lesson, and an end-of-year activity—always free on our website.

We hope to see you this summer!

What is a Circle?

Why Use Circles? Two Teachers Tell their Stories

For over five years, Morningside Center staff developer Marieke van Woerkom has supported educators at the Global Leadership Academy West as they used circles to integrate social and emotional learning and restorative practices into their work with young people.  

Two teachers share how their school has strengthened connections among students and empowered them to resolve their own conflicts. The key? Circles.

New & Featured on TeachableMoment

A Juneteenth Gathering

June 19th is Juneteenth, acknowledging the emancipation of enslaved peoples in America. Through readings, circle gatherings, and resources, students explore the history of Juneteenth and share their thoughts about community, liberation, and celebration. 

Activities to End the Year

Looking for ways to help students reflect on the past year? Ways to deal with spring fever? Activities and games to celebrate the community you've built over the past months? Here are some activities you might consider to close out the school year and prepare students to transition into the summer and the year to come. 

What We're Reading

Ending the School Year Strong

"For many schools, early spring is the time when we realize that our best-laid plans may not align with our students’ real needs. We may be coming to terms with what high-stakes testing means for our students, our instruction, and ourselves with the loss of instructional time and other end-of-year requirements. We might even be unable to teach texts we’d hoped to try. Our relationships with our students may not be as strong as we wished." By Kimberly N. Parker at ASCD

Their student was detained by ICE. Now this Bronx school is rallying to get him back.

"In the panicked moments after immigration agents detained Dylan Lopez Contreras in a Manhattan courthouse last month, his mother dialed a familiar number. It was Hedin Bernard, a counselor at her son’s high school, English Language Learner and International Support Preparatory Academy, or ELLIS Prep — a nod to the famous island through which millions of immigrants entered New York City last century." By Michael Elsen-Rooney at Chalkbeat

Setting Up Community Connections for Science Classes

"Although you may sometimes feel like an island, the reality is that teachers need the help of other professionals to truly flourish. While it can be tempting for teachers to shut their doors, keep their heads down, and focus on planning, grading, and data analysis, doing so can limit the richness of our students’ educational experiences. Opening your door—literally and figuratively—can transform your classroom into a hub of authentic, real-world learning." By Brienne May at Edutopia

“I hope that more educators in our various communities continue to attend trainings like [Morningside’s] so that we can continue the conversation about what means to forge communities guided by love, respect, and kindness towards all.”  

—Special Education Teacher from the Bronx