At Friends Select, we work to support “the whole” of every student. As such, a broad program is offered incorporating academics, activities, athletics, service, and other areas. In addition, areas of student support are available covering students’ learning and social-emotional needs. Middle school is a time for many new experiences and expectations in a child’s life. Here a student transitions from being in a self-contained classroom to switching classes, maintaining materials and workload, all while navigating new social dynamics. With this transition and transformation, it is not uncommon for students to need and benefit from services that support their success in different areas.
Learning Support
Our middle school/upper school learning specialist supports students in a variety of ways, such as pushing into the classroom, meeting with students during study help time, connecting students with upper school peer tutors, and providing support to students, families, and faculty in the area of learning differences. Consultation regarding student support is available on an ongoing basis with an effort to help students develop compensatory strategies and assist in implementing necessary accommodations for students with documented learning differences. Professionals from Cora Services provide additional reading and math support. |
Social-Emotional Support
Friends Select’s counseling team attends grade-team meetings to consult and advise about student issues that may arise and to provide details and consideration on supporting individual students in the classroom. Additionally, the guidance team, comprised of learning support, counseling support, and administrative staff, meets two times a week to review student progress and assess areas of need. The counseling support staff at Friends Select are available for conversation and consultation with families of students as well as professionals who may be providing students with outside-of-school support. Additionally, topical groups and discussions are offered to parents and caregivers. In school, Friends Select students receive and have access to a myriad of social-emotional support services, both planned and on an as-needed basis. These services include lessons that are implemented in students’ advisory groups, small group counseling sessions focusing on particular topics, conflict resolution meetings focused on resolving issues that arise between and among students, topical classes delivered during health class, and one-on-one counseling. |
Wellness Program
During the 2023-24 school year, Friends Select offered access to a series of Child Development and Parenting Webinars, sponsored by the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS) and the Independent Schools Association of the Central States (ISACS). Friends Select’s Wellness support team followed these webinars with a series of companion conversations, each one customized to provide parents, caregivers, faculty, and staff an opportunity to gather, discuss, and process the learning from these lectures.
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