Canutillo school hosts event tonight for elementary health & mindfulness
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — Today, elementary students of Canutillo ISD will get more than a free homework pass if they attend the Second Annual SEL Family Night and Dinner — they'll also learn about their minds.
SEL stands for Social Emotional Learning — a form of instruction and programming that Canutillo schools provide to students focused on emotional and mental wellbeing.
Starting at 4 p.m. at the Jose H. Damian Elementary Cafeteria, students from kindergarten to fifth grade will be shown tips about mindful breathing, positive affirmations, music, reading, school safety, water coloring and stretching.
While mental health is often thought of as an adult topic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it's important for people of all ages.
"Being mentally healthy during childhood means reaching developmental and emotional milestones and learning healthy social skills and how to cope when there are problems," the CDC says. Their research shows that children with positive mental health have a good quality of life, function well at home and in school.
Food trucks, presentations and social-emotional learning booths will operate until about 5:30 p.m.
The event starts around 4 p.m. at Jose H. Damian Elementary, 6300 Strahan Road.
Avery Martinez covers mental health in the Borderland as part of ABC-7’s Be Mindful initiative. He is also a Report for America corps member. RFA places talented, emerging journalists in newsrooms like ABC-7’s to report on under-covered issues and communities. Report for America is an initiative of The GroundTruth Project, an award-winning nonprofit journalism organization dedicated to rebuilding journalism from the ground up.
