As we race ahead into summer and a new school year that is full of uncertainty, we want to take a breath and express gratitude that you are still here, and that we are too.

Our staff has been working hard to meet the needs of students and teachers right now - including the need to provide extra social and emotional support in the Covid era and to actively educate for racial justice and counter white supremacy in ourselves, schools, and systems.

This includes a marathon effort last week to develop and provide SEL/racial equity training and curricula on the spot for some 1500 NYC summer school teachers. We've also engaged our staff developers in a range of helpful creative projects that we'll be rolling out in the coming months, beginning now.

Below, see one such project: a new set of online SEL games ideal for getting off to a good start with students this summer and fall. Also below, an activity to engage students on the Supreme Court's DACA decision and a heads up on upcoming free webinars to support you in the coming year.

Find out more about the folks who created and adapted these online games, Morningside staff developers Laurine Towler and Jason Jacobs.

Games are a great way to start out with a new group of students. Here are eight fun online games you can do with students that are ideal for beginning the summer session. They'll help you get to know each other, cooperate, build empathy and create a community together.

Through photos, videos, and discussion, students explore the Supreme Court's June ruling protecting DACA, discuss the youth-led movement fighting to advance immigrants' rights, and think about what comes next.

Also, some resource collections that you might find helpful in this moment:

Looking for inspiration and support? Save the dates on our two summer webinars with AFT & Share My Lesson!

Don't want to wait til August? You can watch our most recent webinar anytime - Culturally Responsive Instruction: Tools to Create a Welcoming Classroom for All. See more of our previous webinars here.

Our PAZ summer camps won't be in session this year, but our after-school staff made sure to send their students off with care packages for the summer. These kits included t-shirts, masks, first aid kits, crayons and paper, and other goodies as well.

You can check out the last PAZ newsletter here.

We send our love to PAZ kids & families this summer!

“We live in a culture with a joyless quest for insatiable pleasure… but when it comes to the joys that are beneath the pleasures—don’t let anything or anybody take your joy away." — Cornel West