Student Support and Well-Being

The Lower School Learning Support Team includes our Learning Support Coordinator along with Literacy and Mathematics Specialists  who collaborate regularly with teachers to monitor student progress. The Literacy and Mathematics Specialists provide tailored support directly in the classroom (“push-ins”) as well as small-group instruction in the Learning Lab (“pull-outs”). Through flexible in-class assistance and small-group work in the Learning Lab, our Learning Specialists deliver targeted instruction to help students master essential skills and build lasting confidence. In addition to serving as a resource for teachers, the team provides both extra support and extension work in the classroom as well as before and after school. 

To support our students further, the Learning Support Coordinator creates formalized learning plans, called Individual Support Plans (ISPs), when needed for students in the Lower School and helps families arrange on-site access to external specialists, including Occupational Therapists, Speech-Language Pathologists, and independent providers such as tutors. 

In Middle School, learning support emphasizes building foundational habits, routines, and self-awareness as students transition into greater academic independence.

• Executive Functioning Curriculum: Direct instruction delivered across grades 5 through 8 focused on organization, time management, and study strategies.
• Skill-Building Groups: Small-group sessions designed to target specific academic, organizational, and executive functioning skills.
• Guided Self-Advocacy: Learning Specialists and advisors actively encourage students to recognize their learning needs and utilize office hours and study halls effectively.
• Family & Team Collaboration: Close alignment between specialists, teachers, and families to ensure consistent routines and support structures between school and home.
• Individual Support Plans: Supporting students by creating formalized learning plan, called Individual Support Plans (ISPs).

In Upper School, learning support centers on student autonomy, self-advocacy, and preparing students to independently manage their academic workload.

• 9th Grade Onboarding in Ninth Grade Program: Direct class instruction to support rising 9th graders in transitioning smoothly to the academic expectations of Upper School.
• Peer Tutoring Program: Co-facilitation and management of student-led peer tutoring opportunities.
• Individual Strategy Meetings: One-on-one appointments during study halls or office hours to refine personalized approaches to complex workloads, long-term planning, and exam preparation.
• Family & Team Collaboration: Close alignment between specialists, teachers, and families to ensure consistent routines and support structures between school and home.
• Independent ISP Management: Direct outreach to students with Individual Support Plans, empowering them to take the lead in utilizing their accommodations and communicating with faculty.

In the Lower School, we focus on creating a strong social-emotional foundation for our youngest learners. Through close partnership with families and teachers, we support students in understanding their emotions, developing social skills, and building resilience. 

Our approach includes:

• Individual and small-group support for students navigating social challenges, behavioral concerns, or emotional regulation difficulties (‘big feelings’ as we call them in the Lower School) by supporting self-awareness and reflection.  
• Ongoing consultation with families on parenting, child development, and strategies for fostering emotional well-being at home. We partner with families to reinforce core values like integrity and stewardship through daily routines and conversations.
• Close collaboration with teachers through regular Student Support Team meetings to support emotional well-being in the classrooms. 
• Regular social-emotional learning (SEL) lessons embedded in the curriculum, teaching emotional awareness, self-awareness and regulation, coping, empathy, friendship skills, conflict resolution, etc. in age-appropriate ways.

As students transition into adolescence, we focus on helping them to become more active in understanding and managing their emotional and mental health and wellbeing. We help them develop tools to navigate peer relationships, build resilience, boost coping, and manage stress. Through close partnership with families and teachers, we support students in managing emotions, forming healthy friendships, and strengthening their sense of self.

Our approach includes:

• Individual and small-group support for students focused on emotional identification/regulation, stress management, and navigating friendships and peer relationships. This includes further supporting growth in their ability to self-reflect on their inner experience and use empathy to understand others' experiences.
• Creating space for middle school students to learn, grow, explore, and develop confidence as they explore their identities and relationships. 
• Close collaboration with teachers through regular Student Support Team meetings to support emotional well-being in the classrooms. 
• Built-in social-emotional learning (SEL) lessons (e.g., through mLab in 5th and 6th grades, regular SEL lessons in 7th, and through 8th Grade Program) focused on self-awareness, thoughts and feelings, self-talk, coping (e.g., mindfulness practices, breathing techniques), friendships, conflict resolution, self-advocacy, and problem-solving skills, for example. 

In the Upper School, our counseling work emphasizes self-reflection and discovery, developing community, and fostering independence as students prepare for life beyond high school. We partner with students, families, and faculty to help students understand and manage their mental health and foster a deeper appreciation for how their internal life ties in with their values, community, and sense of purpose.

Our approach includes:

• Individual and small-group support for students facing academic stress, social challenges, mental health needs, and/or personal concerns. 
• Lessons and programs focused on progressive skill development throughout a student’s time at Upper School. Areas for skill building include emotional identification, self-regulation, stress management, effective communication, mental health safety, perspective taking,  navigating relationships, and developing self-advocacy skills.
• Close collaboration with faculty, college counseling, learning specialists, nursing, athletics and arts teams, and head of Upper School through regular Student Support Team meetings to ensure support for emotional well-being in the classrooms as well as on the courts, fields, and stages. 
• Partnership with students, families, and outside providers to enhance wrap-around care and skill development while broadening independence and maintaining high support with strong values-based expectations. 

In the Lower School, Health Services provides a welcoming and reassuring space where students can receive care, ask for help, and learn to recognize and communicate their own health needs. We work closely with families, teachers, and healthcare providers to understand each child’s individual needs, coordinate care, and help students participate safely and successfully in their school day. Our goal is for every child to feel known, supported, and cared for while building the confidence and skills to understand and advocate for their own health and well-being.

 In the Middle and Upper School, Health Services provides a safe, welcoming space where students can receive care, ask questions, and learn to manage their health needs. We collaborate with families, faculty, and healthcare providers to support each student's unique well-being so they can stay fully engaged in their school day. Our goal is for every student to feel known, supported, and cared for while gaining the confidence and independence to advocate for their own health. 

Stay tuned for more details about Athletic Training coming soon!