Gandy Elementary School uses Second Step: A Violence Prevention Curriculum, Third Edition. It is designed to promote social competence and to reduce children's social-emotional problems. The curriculum teaches students several skills central to healthy social-emotional development: Empathy, impulse control, problem solving and anger management.

In addition, all grades are included in lessons on Career Awareness and Substance Abuse Prevention at various times of the school year.

Some examples of First Grade Classroom Guidance Lessons are:

* Identifying others' feelings

* Identifying our own feelings

* Communicating feelings

* Stop, calm down, and think

* Identifying the problem and generating solutions

* Ignoring distractions

* Anger buttons

* Using positive self-statements

* Dealing with name-calling and teasing