With this in mind, the staff and leadership at Rota Elementary School is hosting an event focused on social-emotional wellness, April 19, from 4:45-7 p.m. at the school complex.

“An event promoting social-emotional well-being signifies the school's commitment to caring for students' academic success and their emotional and mental welfare,” said Kenneth Kirk, principal for Rota Elementary School. “Such events foster collaborative relationships among the school, parents, and students, creating a safe and welcoming learning environment that benefits everyone involved."

The event will provide parents, caregivers, and students with strategies, tools and resources to support healthy mental health and social interactions of their young learners.

“At DGF, we know that the whole child approach takes into account not only the academic aspects of learning,” said Marla Echols, coordinator of this event, “but also the social-emotional wellness of our learners and school community as a whole.”

During the planning stage, the team wanted to create an event that focused holistically on the learner – expanding beyond academics – and including the entire family unit. The coordinators looked outside the school walls, and invited service providers from throughout the community to provide additional techniques and resources.

Community partners such as Child & Youth Programs (CYP), Educational and Developmental Intervention Services (EDIS), Fleet and Family Support Center (FFSC), Military Family Life Counselors (MFLCs), School Liaison Office and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) in addition to team members from the school.

“We wanted to provide an opportunity to identify resources, within our community, that allow us to be proactive in support of our learners,” said Echols.

Parents and caregivers will be able to participate in breakout sessions led by experts from the community while the children can enjoy a kids’ game zone. The school is also hosting a free dinner for all participants.

Coordinators hope this event will highlight the “village” here, and how the greater community can support the Rota children in their overall wellbeing, social connections, and relationships.

Echols feels that this event is just the first step, and hopes that the community supports this new initiative.

“We hope that our community will join us and that this could become an annual event to support our learners and families,” she said.