Lunch Bunch: Building Skills for Learning and Life

At The Academy for God, we know that learning involves more than academics. Students are continually developing the social and emotional skills they need to navigate relationships, manage emotions, make thoughtful choices, and engage well in the classroom.

As the Academy’s School Social Worker, Ms. Liz Kagay partners with teachers to support students’ social, emotional, and academic learning. This year, all of our third-grade students participate in Lunch Bunch once a week. During Lunch Bunch, students eat lunch with her in a small group of about five or six classmates while they practice skills that can help them both in and out of the classroom.

Learning to Recognize All-or-Nothing Thinking

One of the first concepts explored is all-or-nothing thinking—the tendency to see situations in extremes.

For example, a student might receive a disappointing grade and think, “I’ll always do poorly.” While that thought may feel true in the moment, it doesn't tell the whole story.

Instead, they practiced the Power of Yet:

“I haven’t learned this yet. What’s one step I can take to improve?”

The goal is to help students recognize that a difficult moment does not define their ability or their future. There is room to learn, grow, and try again.

Check In and Choose (or, as We Call It, “Check In and Cheese!”)

Students are also practicing a strategy called Check In and Choose. This helps them identify how they are feeling and then choose a helpful way to respond.

The strategy is simple:

Check In: What am I feeling right now?
Choose: What is a helpful response to that feeling?

And, thanks to a little slip of the tongue, one group affectionately renamed the strategy “Check In and Cheese.” The name stuck!

For example, a student may feel excited and full of energy during a lesson. Instead of allowing that energy to turn into getting up and running around the classroom, the student might choose a quieter way to move—such as gently moving their feet under their desk while continuing to work.

The goal isn't to tell students that their feelings are wrong. All feelings are okay. We want students to learn that while they cannot always control what they feel, they can practice choosing how they respond.

Helping Students Be Present for Learning

These skills may seem simple, but they can have a meaningful impact on a student's ability to learn.

When students can recognize their emotions, challenge unhelpful thoughts, and choose appropriate responses, they are better equipped to focus their attention, work through frustration, interact positively with others, and remain present in the classroom.

Throughout the year, students will continue learning and practicing strategies during Lunch Bunch. They will also bring home worksheets that reinforce the concepts we have discussed, beginning with All-or-Nothing Thinking and Check In and Choose (Cheese!).

Families are welcome to use these resources as conversation starters at home. You might ask:

• “Have you ever caught yourself thinking in all-or-nothing terms?”

• “What is something you haven't learned yet?”

• “How are you feeling right now?”

• “What is one helpful choice you could make?”

Our hope is that these small, practical tools become skills students can carry with them—not only through third grade, but throughout their education and beyond.

At The Academy for God, we want to help students grow as learners, but also as people who understand themselves, care for others, and know how to make wise choices.