12/02/2004
By Dale
Oleksak Staff writer
Longmeadow
News
LONGMEADOW --
"As every parent knows,
a quality education is made up of much more than
reading, writing and Arithmetic.
In addition to the 3 R's, we now know that
providing kids with a safe, structured learning environment is
equally important to the educational process. 
Although many states mandate that schools teach social
competency skills to their students, Massachusetts isn't one of
them; but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it!" said Deborah
Starr, director of Heritage Academy in Longmeadow.
This year the academy has joined a growing list of Jewish day
schools now offering social and learning competency programs as
a regular part of their educational curriculum. Adopted by the
school earlier this year, the Open Circle Competency
Program was developed by the Stone Center at Wellesley
College.
The program, said its developers, recognizes the important
roles that relationships play in the academic and social success
of children and works to support caring, respectful school
communities with high expectations for all students. It was
selected by the U. S. Department of Education as a promising
program for national dissemination. So far, more than 5,600
teachers and 200,000 students throughout New England, New York,
and New Jersey have been introduced to the program.
"It gives children the tools they need to get along with
their teachers, their parents, and their peers," said Starr. "In
addition to teaching them how to be inclusive of one another, it
teaches them problem solving skills, how to recognize dangerous
situations, and when to get adults involved."
To ensure the program's success at the academy, teachers in
grades K-5 attended a workshop offered at the college this past
summer with the intent of introducing it into the classrooms
this fall.
The core curriculum teaches participants important social skills
such as how to listen, ways to calm down, how to deal with
teasing, recognize discrimination, reach a consensus, and
appropriate ways of dealing with anger.
The lessons are presented twice a week throughout the school
year within an open circle: teachers and students
arrange their chairs in an open circle and include an extra
chair for anyone who wishes to join them.
While similar programs do exist, said Starr, a
comparison revealed that Open Circle was a perfect fit for the
Heritage Academy community. "I had success with it at other
schools. It (the program) is not designed for at-risk children.
It is recognized by the Federal government as a promising
program. And, it is used in more than a dozen Jewish day schools
across the country."
Funding for the program was provided by private donors and a
grant from the Jewish Endowment Fund.
