Whole-Child Support

Learning services at Green Acres School are offered to Early Childhood, Lower School, and Middle School students. In addition to a team approach that involves collaborating with teachers around students' needs, we help families work with outside diagnosticians and therapists to identify how we can best support a student’s learning profile. This information is then gathered into a learning plan that is shared with each of the child's teachers. The learning coordinator may also be contacted if a student requires tutoring, speech therapy, or occupational therapy on campus, acting as a liaison between these professionals and the Green Acres staff.

Our counseling program supports and pro­motes the social and emotional development of children, helping students to recognize individual strengths and needs, make healthy decisions, develop self-esteem, and contribute to the community in positive ways. The program is based on an understanding of the developmental needs of children and utilizes age-appropriate techniques. Our counselor serves the Lower School and Middle School and provides: (1) short-term support for individuals and small groups, (2) support through classroom observation and collaboration with teachers, and (3) consultation with parents.

The school nurse works as part of a multi-disciplinary team with school administrators, the school counselor, and teachers to bolster students’ wellbeing at Green Acres. With professional input from families’ health professionals, the school nurse coordinates student care plans and manages all medication administration at school. The school nurse is the person responsible for evaluating student injuries, providing first aid, and contacting emergency personnel if necessary. To help promote a healthy community, the school nurse provides information to parents throughout the year concerning school-age health issues.

Academics and social development are expertly blended to form a strong advisory program for our 5th–8th grade students. The overarching goals of the Middle School advisory program are to ensure that each student is known well, feels included as an integral part of the overall community, and finds ways to be academically and socially successful. During the advisory period, students engage in discussion and activities related to important life topics—a list that is generated by both students and advisors. Topics include health and wellness, digital citizenship, social justice, diversity, problem solving, independent thinking, study skills, time management, communication skills, stress management, goal setting, and self-reflection, among others.

The Green Acres School Homework Club is offered to students in 5th–8th grade on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3–4 PM. Homework Club is for students who want:

• A supervised, quiet study time;
• Help with organization of time and materials needed for homework completion;
• To make up class work or tests missed during absences;
• Access to school computers in order to complete school assignments; and/or
• To work collaboratively with peers on assigned class work or projects.