Student Support

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SUPPORT FOR ALL STUDENTS

At SCH Academy, we believe in providing a unique, personalized educational experience for each enrolled student. We challenge our population of creative problem-solvers to develop not only academic skills but also competencies of the mind and self-reliance; yet, we do not expect them to do it alone. Thus we provide a unified and integrated Educational and Counseling Services (ECS) team to support our students’ overall well-being and social, emotional, and educational development in all five divisions of the school.

Educational and Counseling Services faculty and staff bring expertise in education, psychology, and child and adolescent development to all aspects of school life, including individual student needs, school climate, interaction with families, and school policy decisions. We believe that every SCH student deserves to access the curriculum, and we maintain a strengths perspective at all times rather than focusing on perceived deficits.

Our Programs

The McCausland Social Emotional Wellness Center

The McCausland Social Emotional Wellness Center is a multi-tendrilled approach in our Lower School (Pre-K to grade 4) to navigating the challenges of childhood and developing the skills needed for social and emotional health. The Center’s robust programming focuses on each important constituency in the school. Students are provided with SEL instruction in each homeroom on a weekly basis through the Second Step curriculum as well as additional research-based methods and approaches. The SEL Center also provides a dedicated space for students to work with our school support staff.

Responsive Classroom

Our teachers use the Responsive Classroom approach in their work with their students. “The Responsive Classroom approach is a way of teaching that emphasizes social, emotional, and academic growth in a strong and safe school community.”

Social-Emotional Learning

SCH employs the Second Step curriculum as the backbone of our social-emotional curriculum. Through intentional lessons and daily work around social-emotional topics, students build their ability to recognize and name their emotions, navigate peer conflict, and regulate themselves in their environment.

Read M0re about the
Wellness Center

Educational Services

Members of the Educational and Counseling Services team collaborate with division heads to provide direct service and consultation to students, parents, and faculty. ECS faculty conduct group and as-needed individual assessments to be sure that each student is where he or she needs to be and is progressing academically.

Early identification of learning challenges, appropriate intervention, and partnership between school and home are important to academic success at SCH Academy. If any learning differences or disabilities have been identified previously, parents should contact the divisional psychologist prior to a new student’s arrival in the fall.

We also liaise with CORA, which is contracted through the City of Philadelphia, to provide very limited services. We currently use CORA for speech pathology (screening and group therapy), educational groups (such as reading and writing support, executive functioning support, and counseling services), and psychoeducational testing.

Other Upper School educational services at SCH Academy include the Student Resource Center (SRC) and Student Academic Support (SAS). Watch the video for student testimonials about the SRC!

Counseling Services

The school psychologists provide whole grade, whole class, or small group interventions to students in all divisions. Additionally, individual short-term counseling is provided to students who self-identify or who are referred by parents, faculty, or administrators. When a student’s needs are such that it cannot be met within SCH, the school psychologist, division head, or other ECS team member will make a referral to a qualified and vetted outside professional who can provide the service. We then also liaise with these professionals to ensure continuity of care.

The school psychologists and reading specialists provide incidental and ongoing consultation to parents around a variety of questions. Staff also provide resources to parents as needed, including educational workshops, morning coffees, and book discussion groups. Parents who wish to access any type of support for their child should contact the divisional psychologist.

Medical Care

The school nurses provide comprehensive medical care to SCH students and are responsible for the dispensation of all medications during school hours. They provide health instruction in the classroom, health counseling to students, faculty, and staff as needed, and implement and monitor compliance with state immunization laws.

Looking for Sports Medicine?

Our Certified Athletic Trainers at SCH are responsible for all aspects of athletic training services, including the prevention, recognition, evaluation, immediate care, treatment, and rehabilitation of athletic injuries. When an athlete is injured, they must report to the athletic trainer immediately to receive proper treatment and to prevent injuries from becoming more serious.

Sports Medicine Information

Accommodations

SCH Academy recognizes that even within a population of very high-achieving students, there will be the need to accommodate various learning styles and needs. Teachers and administrators work to provide a variety of activities, assignments, and assessments to allow success for a wide range of learners. In addition, students may qualify for and receive specific individual educational accommodations in their classes.

Academic & Educational Testing Accommodations

Official Accommodation Plans (OAP) FAQ

Where is the psychoeducational evaluation report and OAP stored?

The privacy of students and their families is very important to SCH Academy. Once an evaluation report is received, it is kept in a locked, confidential file separate from the student’s academic file. Only one copy of the evaluation will be kept in the files located in the office of the school psychologist; evaluation reports may not be removed from the office where the files are kept. SCH Academy staff members do not make copies of the report for their own student files.

A summary of the OAP as well as one copy of the OAP is kept in the student’s locked, confidential file. A second copy of the OAP is kept in the student’s regular file.

How often is the OAP reviewed?

What accommodations can be provided at SCH through an OAP?

Lower School:
The Lower Schools can provide some flexibility regarding curricular demands, on a grade-by-grade and assignment-by-assignment basis. While the materials and/or approach may be altered, it is still expected that the curricular requirements of the student’s grade level will be met.

Middle & Upper School:

Extended time for quizzes, tests, and exams
Use of laptop computers for note-taking and/or test-taking
Sensitivity to spelling difficulty for in-class writing
Preferential seating
Distraction-reduced testing environment
Extra breaks during extended examination times
Provision of audiobooks to support learning
Use of a cut-out to reduce the visual field

Are there any learning provisions provided to students without psychoeducational testing?

SCH understands that students have different developmental needs at different ages. The following learning provisions may be offered to students in response to individual learning needs and do not require psycho-educational testing:

Lower School:

Assistance with organizational and study skills
Reading and/or math support in small groups delivered by SCH teachers
Reading support in small groups delivered by Elwyn Inc. teachers

Middle School:

Assistance with organizational and study skills
Small group reading and/or writing skills support delivered by Elwyn Inc. teachers

Upper School:

Assistance with organizational and study skills
Additional academic support services in reading and writing are offered by teachers and the Elwyn counselor in the Student Resource Center (SRC).

Are there any accommodations recommended in a psychoeducational evaluation that are NOT provided by SCH?

The following psychoeducational testing recommendations are not accommodated by SCH:

Modification of curriculum
Unlimited time for all school assignments and assessments
Alternative assessment formats
Sharing of teacher lecture notes or offering outlines for class, if not already provided for all students
Use of calculator for all math coursework
Alteration of graduation requirements
Audio/videotaping classes
Upper School foreign language waiver, except in cases of a documented language-based learning disability.

How often is testing needed to maintain an OAP?

What do these emotions tell me I need? How can I take care of myself? These skills are especially important during an age of transition, when bodies are changing, brains are developing, and new experiences are around every corner. By teaching and reinforcing these skills early, our students develop resilience and confidence in their abilities to cope with the hard stuff.

Dr. Sandra Tecosky, Middle School Psychologist

Therapy Dog Enrichment

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OUR STUDENT SUPPORT STAFF

All of our academic and social/emotional programs are designed to deliver strong instruction in the classroom. When students need additional support acquiring skills, we have a wealth of resources. On the academic side of each division, our teachers work with reading specialists and learning specialists depending on the student's need. On the social/emotional side, we have psychologists, counselors, and student support specialists throughout the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools. These specialists provide targeted, small-group instruction in order to help all students be successful.

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SUE CLEMENTS
P'27

Lower School Psychologist

215-754-1606
sclements@sch.org

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Holly harris
P'31, P'36

Lower School counselor

215-261-6969
hharris@sch.org

A smiling woman with blonde hair and a patterned shirt is in the foreground, with lush green foliage in the background.

SANDRA TECOSKY

Middle School Psychologist

215-261-6908
stecosky@sch.org

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LAUREN WEBb Ph.D.
P'37, P'39

upper School Psychologist

215-754-0283
lwebb@sch.org

A smiling woman with long blonde hair is in the foreground, with lush green foliage in the background.

JESS OWENS
P'29, P'30

upper School counselor

215-261-6954
j owens@sch.org

Alison Rosansky '09 P'37, MSN, RN, CPN

Director of Nursing

215-247-7247
arosansky@sch.org

Kim Elgart, R.N.

upper school & ecc nurse

215-754-1621
arosansky@sch.org

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