In the spring of 2023, we interviewed students in K-3 to have them respond to the following questions.  Here were some of their answers:

1) When you feel frustrated or upset at school, how can you help your body?

• "Trying to calm down by isolating myself"
• "By drawing"
• "Go to the bench and do breathing strategies"
• "Tell someone about my feelings and maybe they can help me be feel happy"
• "I can breathe in and out slowly because it calms my brain down"
• "I can take a deep breath"
• "Tell the teacher, walk away, and breathe"

2) Do you belong (in Talmey)? How do you know you belong?

• "Because we do a lot of things at Talmey and play with friends"
• "When friends tell me I can play with them"
• "I feel welcome at the school because I have lots of friends and the teachers care about me"
• "I feel like I belong at Talmey because I help people up and I try to be a S.T.A.R and I help others when they need help sounding out words"
• "When my friends say hi to me"
• "When people have fun with you and enjoy having you around"

3) Why are feelings important?

• "So you can calm down and be kind to others"
• "Because you can show how you are feeling"
• "Feelings are important because we need them to express ourselves"
• "They give emotions to people so people know what you're feeling and they could probably help you"
• "Because they are important. They are a part of life"