Learning Services

Counselors

St. Johns’ counselors assist students with personal issues and social concerns in a safe, confidential environment where students experience growth and healing by learning and practicing healthy and appropriate problem-solving skills.  Counselors work with individuals, small groups, and classes to address the specific needs of the students. To promote citizenship and personal development, counselors implement the Character Foundations program to students in all divisions. Our counselors work closely with teachers to ensure students who have identified learning differences receive classroom accommodations as needed. Referrals are made through the counseling office for additional support services such as individual counseling, psychoeducational testing, speech, or specialized tutoring.

 

Learning Specialists

Learning Specialists empower students, teachers, and parents to access resources and strategies that will assist them in achieving their full potential in the classroom and beyond.  Learning Specialists provide enrichment opportunities and remediation for students in a variety of ways. Individualized and small group math and literacy instruction are customized for qualified students using technology resources and research-based programs such as Orton-Gillingham, Read Naturally, and Text Help. Students receiving individualized instruction have been identified with learning differences through a psychoeducational assessment completed by a licensed psychologist or qualified professional. Organizational, time management, and study skills are also services offered. Learning Specialists coordinate faculty and peer tutoring services to foster student success.   

 

Curriculum Support

In collaboration with the School’s  Wellness department, members of the Student Services team facilitate programs that address topics including physical and mental health, equity and inclusion, relationship-building, and values statements.  St. Johns believes that teaching our students age-appropriate interpersonal skills will serve them well when they are on campus, in college, and beyond. 

 

Parent Education

The partnership between home and school is imperative to the success of any educational program.  St. Johns’ Student Services team provides informational workshops for parents, communicates the monthly focus of the Character Foundations program and offers suggestions for parents to partner with the school in promoting character development, and routinely meets with parents and teachers to discuss student progress and plan for student success. 

Resources

• How to Raise Body Positive Kids, with guest speaker McCall Dempsey from the Alliance for Eating Disorders
• Promoting Healthy Relationships, with guest speaker Aida Cruz from Quigley House
• Behavioral Health & Language Development for Early Learners, with Clinical Directors from Cultivate and speech language pathologist Kelli LaClair
• Vaping Education for Parents, from Tobacco Free Clay
  • Vaping Conversation Guide from the American Lung Association
• Strategies for Successful Readers with Learning Specialist Lisa Rosenau
• Managing and Understanding the Digital Lives of Young Adolescents, with Head of Middle School Ben Magidson