SOAR

Therapy Dogs at SOAR Elementary School

09/26/23, 9:32 AM

Therapy Dogs at SOAR Elementary School

Hello SOAR Families!

We are so excited to kick-off our SOAR Attendance Matters Week on October 2nd! We have been working hard to prepare for different ways for our students to connect and learn together.

On October 4th, SOAR will welcome three therapy dogs and their owners to come and learn with our students! There is a growing amount of research that tells us that the use of animals to engage students in their academic learning improves their social-emotional well being and academic success.

Animals can help: 

• Reduce anxiety, anger, and depression

• Create a feeling of safety

• Increase positive expectations of both self and others
  
  

Certifications and Allergenic information:

Our students will have the opportunity to read to the animals, ask questions, pet, and engage inside their classroom. Each dog and their owners are trained, evaluated, and licensed through “GO TEAM Therapy Dogs” or “Alliance of Therapy Dogs”. All three animals are identified as hypoallergenic to decrease the chance of an allergic reaction. 

Other important notes: 

• All students will wash their hands before and after the visit in their classroom. 

• All students will receive a lesson on how to appropriately and safely engage with a therapy dog. 

If you have any questions or wish to have your child OPT-OUT of this opportunity, please do not hesitate to reach out to Megan Marulli at mmarulli@soardenver.org.