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Social and emotional well-being

Children learn best when they know how to manage their feelings and personal relationships. Gordon addresses this reality head-on with a social curriculum that begins on day one of a Nursery student’s Gordon journey, a physical education program that prioritizes smart responses to emotional situations, and health classes that begin in third grade. 

Social and emotional strategies, like any skill, take practice. Gordon students do this work in the classroom, using curricula like little spots of emotion in Early Childhood, Changemakers from kindergarten through 5th grade. Additionally, restorative justice practices is a focus of our advisory program in Middle School, health classed in grades 3-8 and is incorporated as general curriculum across the school. These strategies ask students to know themselves well and to consider the perspectives and experiences of others. The result of which is students who are empowered to advocate for themselves, to have open and honest discussions, and to make choices that are right for them.

School counselor

Hallie Riggs is Gordon's full-time counselor, collaborating with students, families, faculty and staff, as well as a consulting psychologist, to support the social and emotional wellbeing of students across all grades.

Ages and Stages

These informal, discussion-based meetings are led by the school counselor and division director with a focus on the developmental stages that children experience at each grade level. Meetings are held by grade level, and they are an opportunity for families to strengthen their connection with the division directors and with the families of their child’s peers.

Canine comfort

Denver the therapy dog provides daily on-campus support: easing anxiety, helping students learn to read, and making hard conversations easier simply with his presence. 

Denver’s career began with eighteen months of training in Colorado and Tennessee before being matched with his owner, a rising Gordon third grader, in 2019. After two years as a diabetes alert dog, Denver expanded his services to all students and staff as an on-campus support animal. In his free time, Denver loves to play fetch and is always up for a good game of tug-of-war. 

See Denver’s moment in the spotlight on the local news.

Prioritizing social and emotional wellness