Supporting Every Student: Inside RMS’s Approach to SEL

At Richfield Public Schools, we know that social emotional learning (SEL) is essential for supporting student growth and well-being. SEL helps students learn how to navigate social situations by teaching them skills to identify and manage emotions, develop healthy relationships, make responsible decisions and demonstrate empathy for others.

Over the last two years, with the guidance of our district SEL team and school social worker Nicki Keen Dawolo, Richfield Middle School has introduced several new SEL initiatives to promote student regulation, build resilience and provide a supportive school environment.

First, every student at RMS belongs to a cohort named after a local park, referred to as their “Park Team.” Park Teams include a core group of teachers that students share with their grade-level peers. This team structure allows students to consistently interact with the same four teachers, fostering strong relationships and personalized support. Nicki explains that these Park Teams meet regularly to address SEL and Conscious Discipline strategies, identify and solve challenges and plan events like Spartan Days. This system, new to RMS last year, ensures students feel known, understood and supported as they navigate middle school.

To help students regulate emotions and stay ready for learning, RMS has implemented “safe places” in classrooms across the school. These are quiet, designated spots equipped with tools like breathing exercises and sensory items, which help students de-stress and refocus. Teachers model these self-regulation techniques openly, sharing how they handle feelings of dysregulation in ways students can emulate. For instance, teachers may play calming music or take a moment to work on a crossword puzzle—demonstrating the importance of stepping back to regroup. Nicki highlights that teachers share with their students how they regulate themselves to be ready to learn, and often model this for their students, allowing students to see healthy emotional management in action.

The “Brain Smart Starts” initiative also plays a key role. It encourages teachers to begin each class in ways that prime the brain for learning—whether through breathing exercises, collaborative activities or mindful focus techniques. Since middle schoolers naturally crave social interaction, teachers incorporate ways to engage and unite students, meeting their developmental needs for connection in a structured, supportive environment.

RMS’s approach to SEL is multifaceted and collaborative. Alongside Nicki and her fellow social worker, Joey, there is a team of counselors, outreach workers and student engagement specialists all working together to ensure students receive the support they need. Counselors focus on structured meetings and managing accommodations, while social workers and engagement specialists provide flexible, on-the-spot assistance, whether students need to chat, work through conflicts or connect with outside resources like chemical health specialists or school-based therapists.

 “I feel like people forget that in middle school, part of their development is pushing boundaries - and that’s what they do in middle school,” said Nicki. “I think that our admin and student support staff do a really good job of holding students accountable, but also showing the teachable side of it.”

The administration team, hallway monitors and paraprofessionals at RMS also play integral roles, ensuring spaces like hallways and the lunchroom are safe and welcoming.

Ultimately, RMS’s SEL framework aims to help students identify and understand their emotions, practice self-regulation and learn when they need additional support. With the backing of Conscious Discipline practices, these tools and strategies are shaping a more resilient student body, one that’s ready to learn and thrive.

Richfield Public Schools supports all students with grade-appropriate SEL lessons and Conscious Discipline strategies. Want to learn more?

• Elementary families: Ask your child’s teacher how they teach SEL and Conscious Discipline in their classroom.
• High school families: Read the Counseling Corner every two weeks for the “Social-Emotional Learning: At-Home Connection” section from the high school social workers.
• Read more about Conscious Discipline in RPS.