Belonging & Well-Being
At Duanesburg Elementary School, we believe students learn best when they feel safe, known, valued, and connected to their school community. Building strong relationships, a sense of belonging, and the skills students need to navigate emotions, relationships, and challenges is an important part of the elementary experience.
Responsive Classroom: Our Schoolwide Approach
Responsive Classroom serves as the foundation for this work across our school. This approach brings together academic learning and the development of a positive, engaging school community through strong relationships, predictable routines, clear expectations, and developmentally appropriate practices. From morning meetings and classroom routines to the way we respond to challenges, our goal is to create learning environments where every student feels that they belong and can be successful.
Supporting Student Growth
Supporting this schoolwide approach, students also engage with programs and resources such as Zones of Regulation and the Fly Five Social Emotional Learning Curriculum. These tools help students build self-awareness, understand and regulate emotions, develop healthy relationships, make responsible choices, and grow in independence.
Eagle Pride Assemblies
Each month, our entire school community comes together for our Eagle Pride Assembly. These gatherings give us an opportunity to celebrate our students, strengthen connections across grade levels, recognize the many ways students contribute positively to our school community, and reinforce what it means to show Eagle Pride at DES.
Most importantly, Eagle Pride Assemblies give us time to come together as one school community and celebrate what makes DES such a special place to learn and grow.
Together, these practices and traditions help us create a caring and connected school community while giving students skills and experiences that support their success in school and beyond.