Gavin Central Elementary School is a Leader in Me school. Leader in Me is a whole-school transformation model and process developed in partnership with educators that empowers students with the leadership and life skills they need to thrive in the 21st century. It is based on principles and practices of personal, interpersonal and organizational effectiveness, and upon the powerful premise that every child possesses unique strengths and has the ability to be a leader. Leader in Me helps students learn how to:

become self-reliant, take initiative, plan ahead, set and track goals, do their homework, prioritize their time, manage their emotions, be considerate of others, express their viewpoint persuasively, resolve conflicts, find creative solutions, value differences, and live a balanced life.

The process helps students develop the skills and self-confidence they need to lead their lives and succeed in school and beyond.

Leader in Me (LIM) has been recognized by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) as a SELect program. This recognition supports The Leader in Me as an evidence-based social-emotional learning program. TLIM was developed with educators and seeks to give students the self-leadership and life skills they need to thrive in the 21st century. It is based on five key paradigms. 

Gavin South Middle School utilizes the Second Step Curriculum. Second Step is a holistic approach to building supportive communities for every child through social-emotional learning. There are 4 units, where:

Unit 1 - Mindsets & Goals: Students learn how to develop a growth mindset and apply research-based goal-setting strategies to their social and academic lives. This unit’s content helps create classrooms that are connected and encouraging by helping students set and achieve collective and personal goals, learn from challenges, recognize their personal strengths, and explore the unique aspects of their identities.

Unit 2 - Recognizing Bullying and Harassment: Students learn how to recognize bullying and harassment, stand up safely to bullying, and respond appropriately to harassment. This unit’s content helps students develop empathy, understand the impact of bullying and harassment on individuals and their communities, and examine social and environmental factors that contribute to negative behaviors as well as identify solutions for preventing those behaviors.

Unit 3 - Thoughts, Emotions, and Decisions: Students learn how to recognize strong emotions and unhelpful thoughts, and they learn to apply strategies for managing their emotions and reducing stress. This unit’s content helps students understand that all emotions are valuable because they provide us with information about our environment. Students learn to respond to their emotions in ways that help meet their wants and needs.

Unit 4: Managing Relationships and Social Conflict: Students learn strategies for developing and maintaining healthy relationships, perspective-taking, and dealing with conflict. This unit’s content helps students learn to honor and understand differences based on varied personal, familial, and cultural backgrounds.

Leader in Me perpetuates a “whole-child” mindset with a belief that all students have genius and everyone can be a leader. Leader in Me provides elementary schools with a model and process that addresses common challenges that are unique to students during these formative years. 

All teachers and staff are trained to create a learning environment that addresses the whole-child through the five (5) Core Paradigms and the following habits, adapted for students from the Best Selling book by Stephen Covey - 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. 

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People are:

• Habit 1: Be Proactive (You’re in Charge)
• Habit 2: Begin With the End in Mind (Have a Plan)
• Habit 3: Put First Things First (Work First, Then Play)
• Habit 4: Think Win-Win (Everyone Can Win)
• Habit 5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood (Listen Before You Talk)
• Habit 6: Synergize (Together Is Better)
• Habit 7: Sharpen the Saw (Balance Feels Best)

Over the course of the school year, students are exposed to up to 40 lessons that are dedicated to these principles. 

LIM Guide for Parents/Guardians

As a part of your community for over 40 years, Youth and Family Services is committed to programming that supports the emotional and mental health of children, parents and families. We provide parent education, after-school programs and high quality counseling services.

Therapy can be provided both virtually and in-person. Other services, such as parent education, therapy groups, professional continuing education and experiential therapies are open to non-residents. 

Adult Workshops and Services

 

To start the intake process click here.

Child and Adolescent Workshops and Services

 

To start the intake process click here.

Kids Above All is a Chicago non-profit with licensed therapists and social workers dedicated to the safety, well-being and education of our children. Our therapists specialize in trauma-informed therapy, behavioral therapy, and cognitive therapy. Visit www.kidsaboveall.org or contact Gavin 37 Psychologist, Chris Siegel, csiegel@gavin37.org for more information.

KAA Referral form 2025 - Email form directly to CounselingSolutionsReferrals@kidsaboveall.org

or call (773) 904-0348 to begin the registration process. 

Mother’s Trust Fund can assist with grants (see flyer for additional information) and the following support;

• Clothing/uniform/shoes, eyeglasses, education-related expenses (NOT school supplies), such as summer school, athletic assistance, music rentals, etc. and after-school or park district programs to name a few.
• Child safety needs such as car seats, cribs; psychological or medical emergencies; transportation.
• Funds are provided for emergency situations, not for open-ended or long-term needs.
• Housing expenses including rent, utilities and security deposit assistance require phone contact with our office for additional information that is required for this type of request.
• Grants are not made for food, diapers, wipes, formula and personal hygiene items. (However, KAA may get families these items in a different capacity, depending on need. Just not from this grant.)

Mother's Trust Fund Information

Mother's Trust Fund Service Request Form

Mother's Trust Fund Service Request Guidelines

Looking for Mental Health Assistance for Yourself or a Loved One?

The wellbeing of students, parents, staff and community remains Gavin 37’s highest priority. 

Gavin 37 is thrilled to partner with an organization called Referral GPS that makes it easier for families, staff and community members to find the right help for them.

If you, your child, or another loved one are looking for mental health assistance, you are invited to use the interactive tool by CLICKING HERE to find a list of nearby providers that specialize in what you are looking for. You can quickly and easily filter by mental health concern, clinician gender and specialty, your best time of day to meet, online or in-person care, location, insurance acceptance and more. The service is available for all types of private and public insurance options including PPO, HMO, Medicaid, and families that are underinsured or uninsured. 

It’s free and confidential for Gavin 37 families, staff and community members to use this comprehensive search tool. Once you find a provider you like, you can even use their “Request Care Navigation” tool to have a ReferralGPS official reach out to the provider to schedule on your behalf if you wish. Or, if you’d rather, you can call a member of our social-emotional team, who can walk through the entire process with you:

Mr. Chris Siegel, School Psychologist, csiegel@gavin37.org

Mr. Trace McKenna, South Social Worker, tmckenna@gavin37.org

Ms. Maggie McKinnon, Central Social Worker, mmckinnon@gavin37.org

Ms. Marilese Devereux, District Social Worker, mdevereux@gavin37.org

If you’ve considered seeking help for anxiety, depression, mood disorders, substance abuse, grief, eating disorders, or any other reason for yourself or for a loved one, please do not hesitate to utilize this resource.

Safe2Help IL is a program with a multifaceted approach to help prevent suicides, bullying, school violence, or other threats to school safety. The program offers a website with self-help resources and videos, a classroom resource kit to help change the culture in Illinois schools, and a 24/7 confidential way to share information regarding safety issues impacting Illinois students. The goal of the program is to get students to “Seek Help Before Harm.”

Click here to complete a Tip Line document that will be seen by your building principal(s).