Happy Friday Mountian View! Today was a big day- not only was today SEL day, but we also packed our CASA Care Kits! SEL day is a nationally recognized day that emphasizes the importance of Social Emotional Learning in our school communities. This year’s SEL day theme is “Uplifting Hearts, Connecting Minds” which was embodied throughout our CASA project. Throughout this process, students worked collaboratively in EEE classes, in their grade levels, and as a school to benefit children in the foster care system in neighboring communities. This service learning project included the SEL core competencies of Self-Awareness, Relationship Skills, Social Awareness, and Decision Making. The student body and staff were an integral part of this project and I am so grateful for their participation.

Today, we also received a special visit from the 4th graders, who walked over to Mountain View to help us pack the care kits and to drop off their donations. Hilltop collected socks and created cards for each bag with positive messages. As a school, we collected over 2,000 items- with our 6th grade collecting just over 600 items on their own. Check out some of the pictures below to see all of the items collected, the student body working well together, as well as the final kits!