Affective Curriculum

We have a social and emotional skills (SES), or “affective,” curriculum that supports students through seventh and eighth grade. This class is complemented in a quarterly rotation with Media Literacy and Rhetoric. Students take two nonconsecutive quarters of SES in both their seventh and eighth grade years, and a quarter of Media Literacy and Rhetoric I in both seventh and eighth grade.

Social and Emotional Skills

The purpose of the curriculum is to empower students to define their identity on their own terms and allow them to explore—in a safe environment—ideas that are often frightening or overwhelming. One of our goals is to ensure that students identify who or what gives them support when they are in situations that are uncomfortable or challenging. This class offers them a personally relevant toolbox with which to move on to high school and into cyberspace.

Studies have shown that social and emotional development is as critical to lifetime success as a strong foundation in the core subjects that are also a part of the Saint Mark’s curriculum. Thus, honing leadership and communication skills are an important focus of this affective curriculum. Our activities include many informal group discussions, some general reading from The Underground Guide to Teenage Sexuality by Michael J. Basso, guest speakers, weekly journaling, and formal activities designed to help students identify their learning and communication styles with the intention that they then learn how to use those powerfully.

We are proud to offer students a safe place to think about how they will approach the many challenges and opportunities that the future holds for them without compromising their core values.