In today’s classrooms, academic success begins with emotional and social connection. Positive Classroom Communities: Activities to Support Students’ Emotional and Social Growth is your practical guide to fostering an environment where every child feels ready to learn. Rooted in the trusted CASEL framework, this book provides easy-to-implement strategies, flexible activities, and compassionate guidance to help students build self-awareness, manage emotions, navigate relationships, and make responsible decisions. Whether you’re new to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) or looking to deepen your practice, this resource empowers you to support each student’s unique journey―while nurturing a positive, inclusive classroom culture. Inside you’ll find: A wide range of responsive and proactive SEL activities - Clear explanations of how each activity supports emotional and social growth - Tools to assess social and emotional skill development across the year with rubrics and checklists - Practical strategies for compassionate classroom management - Insightful guidance on building a cohesive, respectful classroom community Thoughtfully designed for real classrooms, Positive Classroom Communities bridges SEL and everyday teaching―making it easier than ever to meet the whole child and help them thrive. Dr. Stacy Simonyi holds multiple degrees in education with specializations in literacy instruction. She is currently an assistant professor at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont, where she teaches child development and trauma-informed educational practices, topics that align with and include social and emotional development and learning. Before her employment at the college, Stacy worked as a teacher in various positions and settings since 2005, using SEL as part of her teaching practices. Tania Campanelli was born and raised in Montreal, Canada. She received a Bachelor of Education from McGill University and taught in Montreal before moving to Burlington, Vermont in the United States. She completed a Master of Education with a specialty in Trauma-Informed Education and Mindfulness for Educators, in which she created and implemented an SEL curriculum. She has spent many summers teaching French and English in Switzerland and is currently teaching at The Carol Morgan School in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.