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Tree top trekking in autumn
close-up of student tree top trekking with autumn colours in the background
Wellbeing Program
An appreciation for the importance of supporting the whole child is central to The York School’s approach to education. Academic success is intrinsically tied to social and emotional wellbeing. In addition to our social work support, our robust homeroom and advisor program in all three divisions, students have the opportunity to nurture meaningful relationships with teachers and peers, and engage in explicit social/emotional learning.
Homeroom Program
The homeroom program is an important feature of the Middle School. Each student is assigned a homeroom class and a homeroom teacher who is the primary contact for students and parents. The homeroom program is guided by the RULER program from the Yale Centre for Emotional Intelligence, which explicitly teaches students social-emotional learning skills (SEL) including fostering positive relationships, managing emotions and making responsible decisions. Homeroom time is also used to hone students’ executive functioning skills including time and material management.
Middle School Social Worker
Upon entering the Middle School, students face a range of exciting new opportunities as well as new challenges. These challenges include adapting to significant academic and psycho-social changes. The first line of support for these challenges is the homeroom teacher. Social work support is available to students as an additional individual resource for those in need of additional support for their social and emotional wellbeing. Students can be connected to the Middle School Social Worker through their teachers, their parents and/or can self-refer. Additionally, parents are encouraged to reach out to the Social Worker if they wish to share any additional information regarding their child about which the school should be aware in order to access additional psycho-social support or academic accommodation.
Learning Strategies
Learning support for all students begins in our inclusive classrooms where teachers differentiate instruction to meet the needs of a variety of learning styles. Our Middle School Learning Strategists support and advocate for exceptional students to help them access the curriculum and implement appropriate accommodations.
Student Learning Plans (SLPs) are written for students with identified exceptionalities so that teachers know how to appropriately support their identified needs. These plans include the exceptional identification, the student’s learning strengths, needs and the accommodations that are necessary to support the student’s learning.
SLPs are reviewed and updated annually. Our Learning Strategists work as co-teachers in classes and offer one-to-one and small group support outside of the classroom. The Learning Strategists are enlisted for support by the teaching faculty and/or the student’s family.
School Nurse
The school nurse provides direct health assessment and intervention to students experiencing health issues during the school day, collaborates with school staff around health promotion and education and liaises with public health as required. Parents are encouraged to reach out to the school nurse to ensure home /school partnership on student health issues.
