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Social-emotional Learning

Fostering Intrinsic Motivation

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the foundation of our academic approach. Through this process children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions.*

 

* As defined by The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). casel.org.

Lower School

From the very beginning, we utilize the Responsive Classroom model which supports SEL by:

  • Recognizing and valuing the individual in the classroom community 
  • Underscoring the responsibility students have to themselves and to the larger school community 
  • Allowing students to see themselves as having a valuable voice in decisions being made in the class 
  • Demonstrating ways for students to advocate appropriately for themselves 
  • Providing the tools for students to resolve social situations themselves 

 

At the core, a responsive classroom does not underestimate children, but respects how they learn and how they develop. This approach balances success with challenges or even “failures” by not doing for kids what they can do for themselves. Students are able to build independence through repeated exposure to different situations.

 

Students build their skills by:

Engaging in cooperative learning.

Classrooms are set up to enable independence and engagement in all elements of the school day. Everyone participates in learning.

Developing language and skills that allow them to advocate for themselves and others.

Children practice making their feelings and needs known to others in order to create a positive learning environment for all members of the community. 

Building the skills needed to be responsible members of the learning community.

We focus on skills that will help children develop an understanding of their role in the learning process as an individual and a group member.  

Gaining an understanding of emotions.

Children are taught all emotions are okay and they work to develop strategies to recognize them both within themselves and others. As they begin to recognize emotions, they work to develop strategies to help themselves and others respond to their emotions in a productive and empathetic way.

Through cooperative learning, assertiveness, responsibility, and empathy; children develop the skills needed to demonstrate self-control.

This allows them to fully engage in the learning process throughout their school years.

At Harley, we know genuine, deep learning and growth is rooted in intrinsic motivation and the ability to do for yourself. Students expand their learning to satisfy their own curiosity and drive rather than to complete work simply because it has been assigned. Because we allow students to actively engage in the messiness of learning and by engaging children so they drive their own learning and fuel the work of classmates, a stronger, happier community is created.

Middle School

SEL in Middle School can be seen in the drive of students who are inwardly motivated to explore and forward their own education. The attitude “You can go anywhere you want, there is no end line.” encourages students to pursue interests and try new ideas and activities while continuing to build their toolkit of strategies. 

We want our students to have a full palette, not to just define themselves as the “athlete,” “musician” or “theater kid”—everything is considered essential. Our students are provided with opportunities across the spectrum of human experience in the belief if you haven’t been exposed to things or had to grapple with things, you won’t be fully informed and not as well versed as a learner. 

There are no limitations forcing tweens to be “this or that”—at Harley, students are “this AND that.”

We reinforce student connections and support in many ways, including how we begin the day. For example, morning meetings follow a format called “Circle of Power and Respect.” This is a daily, whole-group gathering designed to build community. Using a format of greeting, sharing, activity, and daily news this is a friendly ritual to build social skills and trusting relationships that facilitate learning. 

In the Middle School, one indispensable way we support students is through establishing strong and caring relationships with them. Our main goal is for all students to feel a sense of belonging and to be physically and emotionally safe. When students feel connected, safe, and supported then optimal learning can occur. 

Upper School

As our students enter Upper School, they have been exposed to many ideas, challenges, and opportunities through comprehensive academic, extra-curricular, and social experiences.They are equipped with a strong sense of themselves as complete learners: where their strengths and challenges lie and how to leverage them, no matter the content or situation. These are the skills that will carry them to success in college and adulthood.

They deeply understand:

  • How to reflect, self-evaluate, and maintain a healthy life balance
  • Who they are as a person and how they treat people is as important as what they can do with their brains and their bodies.
  • How to wrestle and grapple with complex interconnected, systemic thinking
  • Conflict and obstacles are part of life and how not to be derailed by difficulties.
  • How to stand up and speak up for themselves, get help when they need it, and how to be a stand by-er instead of a bystander. 
  • There’s a responsibility to helping everybody’s day be better—that’s part of what a community means and there is no opting out.
  • There’s no shame in asking for help.

 

Students gain a strong sense of themselves as complete learners: where their strengths and challenges lie and how to leverage them, no matter the content or situation.

 

The Harley School

1981 Clover Street
Rochester, NY 14618
(585) 442-1770

2024 Niche Best Schools

©2023 The Harley School

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College Counseling

Harley’s Approach to College Counseling is highly individualized and student-centered. Students have direct access to college counselors throughout their Upper School experience, but really, each student is part of a team including faculty, administration, and staff. It’s our job to support each student and we want nothing more than to send students on to the next step of their journey at a right fit school for them. The student centered and driven process is wrapped in care, expertise, and professionalism.

We host college reps during times students are available (no need to miss a class) so they can make connections and learn more about potential schools. We also arrange campus visits for classes as field trips, host an alumni college day (where recent Upper School graduates return to share advice and answer questions), and help connect students with our international alumni network. In fact, representatives from schools all over the world actively seek opportunities to come to Harley and meet with our students!

Our college counselors are accredited and are part of national/global conversations on admission trends. They also attend and present at conferences across the country.

Beginning with our Grade 11 parent night, we offer informational sessions for parents, including one devoted just to financial aid. Our partnership with families is critical, as the college admissions world changes very quickly and having an expert to guide students and families through the process is essential.

View the downloadable College Counseling Guide

Clubs

“Club Rush” is an afternoon every fall in the Upper School when students have the chance to sign up for clubs for the year, and each year it is very different because new clubs are created based on student initiative and enthusiasm.

A few of this year’s choices: Sports Media, Social Action Club, Journalism Club, Feminism Club, Student of Color & Allies (SOCA), Gay-Straight Alliance, Tri M (music honor society), E-Sports Club, Euchre, Key Club (service), Animation Club, Dungeons & Dragons, Sustainability Club, Jewish Cultural Club, Astronomy Club, Biomimicry, and Beyond Soup (social justice/service).

Athletics

​Each and every year, students at The Harley School participate in HAC Athletics, and their success continues to be impressive, both as students and athletes. Our athletic program is an integral part of Harley, teaching student-athletes invaluable lessons about teamwork, time management, persistence, and competition.  Our program allows them to develop physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally as they represent their school on and off the field. They grow, mature, and work hard to be the best teammate they can, while creating lifelong memories with teammates who often remain friends for life. 

Helping our athletes to reach their potential are some of HAC’s best assets: our coaches. More often than not, they are drawn from the ranks of our faculty and  have a deep understanding of the personalities and abilities of the student-athletes on their teams.  

We strive to find the right balance of academics, exercise, and personal growth for everyone.  By offering a variety of sports at many different levels, all student-athletes find a sport they can be successful in. It is with great pride and pleasure that my team and I work to enrich the athletic lives of all our HAC student-athletes. Go Wolves! 

To learn more check out our athletics page.

Student Leadership

Our Upper School is filled with formal and informal opportunities for students to take on leadership roles. Whether following passions or learning new skills, student-driven opportunities take many shapes.

– Independent study: one trimester, full year, and multi-year projects have included automating our solar chimneys, coding handmade musical instruments, or developing a class on financial literacy for underserved high school students.

– Serving on student council

– STEM: Climate curriculum program, biomimicry program, NASA Hunch program

Clubs

“Club Rush” is an afternoon every fall in the Upper School when students have the chance to sign up for clubs for the year, and each year it is very different because new clubs are created based on student initiative and enthusiasm.

A few of this year’s choices: Sports Media, Social Action Club, Journalism Club, Feminism Club, Student of Color & Allies (SOCA), Gay-Straight Alliance, Tri M (music honor society), E-Sports Club, Euchre, Key Club (service), Animation Club, Dungeons & Dragons, Sustainability Club, Jewish Cultural Club, Astronomy Club, Biomimicry, and Beyond Soup (social justice/service).

Hospice

Unlike this class, death is not an elective. Although it is one of two universal human experiences, our culture often ignores, denies, or misconstrues the true nature of death and dying. What happens when we bear witness to this natural process in the cycle of life and develop our ability to be fully present with others when they need us more than ever? It has the potential to change us deeply and fundamentally while shining a brilliant light on the path of our own lives.

With the support of their classmates, teacher, and comfort care home communities, senior students are offered the chance to care for others who truly need their purposeful, non-judgmental attention. In the home-like setting of a comfort care home, opportunities for learning extend beyond a traditional classroom rubric and conventional methods of evaluation. In this course, students will certainly find tangible “learning outcomes” by studying the medical/physical processes associated with dying and the basic nursing assistant skills of comfort care. The ultimate goal, however, will always be rooted in true relationships and connection, which occurs only through empathy and compassion.

Learn more about the Hospice Program at Harley HERE.

Capstone/Independent Studies

This program utilizes environmentally-focused approaches to education and hands-on learning in order to foster the next generation of leaders through a lens of sustainability and problem-solving.

Food & Farm: These year-long and trimester-long classes are held outside as much as possible, allowing students to become leaders in our various growing spaces. They cover environmental justice issues as well as hands-on work such as planning and overseeing planting, harvesting, and preparation of the gardens.

Past year-long focus projects have included: Creating a native plant shade garden in the Wild Wood area, redesigning our hydroponic system, overhauling Harley’s high tunnel, and improving the irrigation system for the MicroFarm.

Culinary Arts: These classes have a two-fold purpose: to give students practical skills in cooking and the science behind different techniques in the kitchen, learning about food justice, food sourcing, labor topics, and sustainability.

Past topics have included: Examining a plant-based diet, looking at the carbon footprint of different meals and food preparation methods, proposing a low carbon footprint menu to the dining hall, links between food labeling and environmental issues of food production.

Beekeeping: This one trimester class provides hands-on training in beekeeping, how to be a beekeeper, and safety and other techniques for working with bees. Once trained students help with all aspects of Harley beekeeping such as hive inspections, honey collection and extraction, and teaching students in Lower School about our hives.

Students pick a research topic addressing honeybee health and the larger environmental picture.

Social Justice

At Harley, our students learn how to evaluate social systems in order to identify complex problems in society through a lens of social justice. They take a hands-on approach to working for a fair, equitable society by researching, exploring and evaluating different perspectives, and offering solutions—both theoretical and practical.

Our faculty integrate social justice into our broader curriculum to assist students in gaining a foundational knowledge about what makes a democracy function. By gaining skills in ideating supportive pathways they become more exposed and experienced to how communities can undergo healing and restorative actions.

 

Capstone/Independent Studies

Students may create independent studies with supervising teachers throughout their Upper School experience or, during Grade 12, they can design Capstone projects—intensive collaborations with Harley faculty and off-campus mentors—involving rigorous academic study and culminating in public presentations. They are empowered to create their own curriculum, set goals, and work on time management skills in order to accomplish their objectives.

Independent Studies run the gamut from The Psychology of Sports to Furniture Design to The Neuroimaging of Alzheimer’s Disease. Capstones, meanwhile, are as diverse as the students who pursue them: Fictional Rochester, Autobiographical Art, Biomimicry Education, Organic Fuel, and Rochester Refugees. 

Indicative of Upper School curiosity and creativity, pursuits such as these distinguish our graduates in college. Through deep dives of this sort, Harley students master more than speaking, writing, and computing: they learn to communicate, advocate, collaborate, organize, listen, and empathize. 

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