February SEL Newsletter

Posted Date: 02/27/26 (04:01 PM)

February SEL Newsletter

A Month of Compassion, Celebration & Community

Dear SIS Families,

February was an incredible month at SIS! Our Social Emotional Learning (SEL) theme was Compassion, and it truly became the heart of our school community. Compassion was woven into our morning announcements, classroom discussions, and daily activities.

SEL in Action: Compassion All Month Long

Our newly installed IMPACT Team spread kindness throughout the building by creating hundreds of “Positivity Clothespins.” Purple clothespins with uplifting messages were “passed” around the school, brightening lockers, classrooms, and hallways with words of encouragement. It was inspiring to see positivity shared in such a meaningful and visible way.

Black History Month Celebrations

February was also a time of reflection, learning, and celebration for Black History Month.

Each day throughout the month, Mr. Bentsen shared Black History Month trivia during morning announcements and highlighted the accomplishments of influential African American figures. These daily spotlights helped educate, inspire, and spark meaningful conversations across grade levels.

On February 5th, students participated in a schoolwide virtual read-in led by our Superintendent, Dr. Morrell. This special event brought our entire school community together through literature and meaningful discussion.

To wrap up the month, on February 27th, we attended a special Black History Month assembly at the high school auditorium. The program featured an exciting drumming group and an engaging performance by Genius Potential titled “Epic Rap Battles of Black History.” Students were captivated by the interactive and high-energy presentation, making it a memorable and powerful way to celebrate Black history.

P.S. I Love You Day

We proudly celebrated P.S. I Love You Day on February 13th. P.S I Love You Day is about promoting mental health awareness, encouraging kindness and creating supportive environments. This day connected beautifully with our SEL focus on compassion.

Festivities began with a special Movie Night and Open Gym on February 12th. On P.S. I Love You Day, our school was filled with purple as students and staff showed their support. Classrooms engaged in meaningful activities including:

Button making
Postcard writing
Creating positive affirmations
Posting uplifting messages throughout the building

We capped off the celebration with a spirited volleyball pep rally! Grade levels competed in a three-way volleyball match, and the winning team had the exciting opportunity to face off against the teachers. It was a fantastic way to celebrate unity, positivity, and school spirit.

Classroom Highlights

There were a lot of great things happening in all classrooms throughout the month of February. Some highlights include:

Mrs. Martin’s 5th grade class impressed us all with their annual performance of The Legend of Los Novios, an Aztec story. Students memorized their roles and delivered a wonderful performance, bringing this powerful story to life.

In Mr. Skurka’s 7th grade Technology class, students put their engineering skills to the test during the annual Race Car Derby. Students designed and built their own CO₂-powered race cars, culminating in an exciting cafeteria showdown featuring the top 12 racers. Congratulations to Marwin Cajamarca, who won the grade-level championship — even beating a few teacher cars!

To mark P.S. I Love You Day, students in Mrs. Duryea’s family and consumer sciences class sewed purple heart garlands. The project tied in with the students’ sewing unit of study, where they are working on threading a needle, the running stitch, tying off a stitch line, pinning fabric and working with a pattern.

February was truly a month filled with compassion, celebration, creativity, and connection. Thank you for your continued support in helping us build a positive school community.

Students of the Month

Students were also nominated for Student of the Month by staff members for demonstrating compassion toward staff and peers. Their actions truly reflected the power of empathy and kindness in our school community. Congrats to our nominees!

Cisne Barros

Teachers say that Cisne has been instrumental in helping other students with communication because she can speak two languages fluently. Where others may not help or even criticize, Cisne jumps at the chance to help out.

Harris Holohan

Harris is kind and compassionate. When he sees a student sitting alone for lunch, he takes the time to sit with them and make connections. Harris helps friends that do not always know how to advocate for themselves and he makes sure they feel included.

Mia Valencia Rangel

Mia is a kind and compassionate student everyday. During the month of February, there were several times during After School Academy when Mia offered peer academic support to other students. For example, when a student was struggling to adjust and manipulate a 3D model assignment, Mia's compassionate approach enabled the student to solve the problem and complete the project.

Evaliz Perez Morales

Evaliz shows compassion for peers and adults. She demonstrates care and concern when she realizes that someone may be struggling with something. She cares about others and is always respectful and inclusive of everyone.

JT Ingram

JT displays compassion for others on a daily basis through his actions in the classroom and his interactions with staff and students. During the month of February he demonstrated true compassion and care for others when a friend was injured. JT offered support, comfort, patience, and calming words when a friend was in need.

Julia Sisakova

Julia is extremely compassionate to both her peers and her teachers. She cares about others and is a very caring friend.

Jhosua Mateo Ordonez Barahona

Mateo always comes into class asking how the teachers are. He also leaves class everyday telling the teachers to have a good day. Mateo is a very kind and nice person.

Vilma Benitez Rodriguez

In the month of February, Vilma was seen standing up for a student who others were not being nice to. She always shows compassion to everyone and is a good friend.

Cameryn Mambrino

Cameryn's teachers say that she is always tracking, always respectful and always wanting to learn. She is always kind and compassionate to her classmates and all adults in the building.

Maximiliano Pulgarin Buritica

One staff member recently had an injury and Maximiliano often checks in on that staff member to see how they are doing and healing. Staff members also say that he is always someone who stops by classrooms to say hello and ask how they are doing.

Kyre Goree-Ward

Kyre has been nominated for Student of the Month for consistently showing compassion toward classmates and teachers. He is always willing to lend a helping hand, whether it’s assisting a peer with schoolwork or offering kind words when someone is having a tough day. His caring attitude and positive example make our school community stronger.

Jayce Ward

Jayce has earned a nomination for Student of the Month because of his thoughtful and compassionate nature. He goes out of his way to include others, show empathy, and make sure everyone feels valued and supported. His kindness and respect for others truly set him apart.