Social Emotional Learning
At Launch, students’ character development is equally as important as producing high-quality work and mastering knowledge and skills. Throughout their educational journey, students work hard to become effective learners, ethical people, and contributors to a better world. Launch has a responsibility to help our students develop the character skills necessary to succeed in school and beyond.
Classrooms at Launch are respectful, active, collaborative, and growth-oriented. Our classrooms are silent and still when that fits the nature of the work, and at other times are alive with movement and the productive “buzz” of problem solving, critique, and creation when the work demands activity and collaboration.
Crew
Crew, our advisory program, is a key EL Education structure. All EL Education schools place students in crews to support their social-emotional and academic development through the support of an advisor who knows them well. Crews are groups of about 14 students that meet daily with their crew advisor. Crew advisors serve as advocates for their Crew members, communicating regularly with families and serving as the primary liaison between home and school.
Crew is the space where Launch students most explicitly focus on community and character. They learn about Launch’s Habits of Heart and Mind through team building, service-learning, and discussion protocols.
Celebration
We also know that in order for school to be a truly joyful experience for our students, we need to recognize each child for their assets and celebrate their progress, growth, unique talents, abilities and achievements. Students are celebrated and acknowledged for their strengths and progress in all three dimensions of student achievement: Mastery of Knowledge and Skills, Character, and High-Quality Work.
Through structures like grade level community meetings, publishing parties, reading challenges, clubs, and annual traditions we will ensure that every student is recognized and honored for their unique gifts, growth and contributions to the Launch community.
Launch Clubs Showcase: Black is Royal
Launch Clubs
Launch Clubs are a Launch extracurricular program that gives students a broad range of activities to take part in. The goal of clubs is to have fun, learn a new skill and create long lasting relationships. Launch club leaders include teachers, alumni, parents, community leaders and student assistants. Each semester we offer a new selection of clubs including: Step, Majorette Dance, Mindfulness and Meditation, Art, Amazing Athletes, Spanish, Band Lab Beats, Chorus, Social Media, Podcast Club, Nail Art and Financial Literacy.
Big Trips
Each year all of our students go on big trips to support their learning. These trips are free of charge to families and a great opportunities for our students to bond and push themselves out of their comfort zones.
Each year, our 6th graders go camping with NYC Outward Bound, 7th graders go travel to Philadelphia and our 8th graders go to Washington DC.
Student Ambassadors
Students who consistently demonstrate leadership and outstanding Habits of Heart and Mind are celebrated by being nominated for and accepted into our Launch Ambassador program. Current student ambassadors review applications and conduct interviews to select new ambassadors. These students earn the honor of acting as hosts and representatives of our school for guests, recruitment events, and other special events.