September 2023 Mindfulness / SEL Program Update!

As The Well reaches its the third year of partnership between Imagine Bella Academy of Excellence with the My True SELF program, we have some exciting updates looking back through the past year into the new one! Read below:

August marked the beginning of the third year of partnership between Imagine Bella Academy of Excellence and The Well. In each year of partnership, we have managed to widen the reach of the My True SELF (Social-Emotional Learning Fun) program. We began with a focus on the mindfulness classroom. Then in the 2022/2023 year, we expanded to include programming for the entire school. This year, we will work to maintain our whole student, whole school reach while making strides to support and include the whole community in our efforts to bring social emotional learning initiatives to all.

Through collaborative efforts with the administration and staff, mindful/SEL
objectives for the 2023/2024 school year have been created. Our actions this year
will mindfully move us toward the achievement of those objectives.

We are looking forward to a wonderfully effective, bright, connected school year.

Thank you,
Kami Lerma, PT, NBC-HWC
Director of Mind-Body Programming
TheWell.World

On a classroom level, Imagine Bella welcomed Ms. Rylie Boodjeh, Lead Mindful Educator, who has provided students with a comforting, soothing sensory environment where they can learn about themselves, relating to others, and about being a supportive member of our local and world communities; students have already begun to learn and maintain skills that support self-awareness and self-management in and outside the classroom; additionally, small groups have begun allowing students more support in moving toward their SEL goals.

Throughout the school, we were able to lead teachers through a professional development training in August - setting the tone for their own mindful journey both personally and professionally - while additionally gathering input regarding what they wanted to see happen with the SEL program this year. Plans are being made between the educators and Ms. B to collaborate throughout the schooldays in each classroom to support both educator and student's SEL needs.

Moves are being made in the community to create networks of support, including a visit from police officer and yoga instructor Ms. Crystal Lewis, who meditated with students and described her own mindfulness journey - with plans for Crystal to regularly visit the students this school year. Ms. B also forged a partnership with The Tea Lab, a tea company based out of Cleveland, with the company donating two tea blends to the school tobring restoration and relaxation to staff and educators at Imagine Bella.

We're so excited to see what the 2022/23 school year has in store for us, and to continue this wonderful partnership well into the future!