Guidance & Support
With us, you’re not on your own. You’ll have your own mentor, a dedicated core team of teachers, and a buddy in your first year. Need more help? You’ll get it. Learning with courage is good for your well-being!
- Your Own Mentor
- A permanent core team
- A buddy in first grade
Your own buddy
We want you to feel comfortable, safe, and welcome here. That’s why, in 7th grade (the first year of high school), you’ll be assigned a buddy from 8th grade. Your buddy is an older student who’ll help you get your bearings at school and whom you can turn to with any questions you have. Where is that classroom? How does a Trivium Week work? What do you do if you lose your ID card? Your buddy knows, because they’ve just been through it themselves.
Together in small groups
In addition to your conversations with your mentor, you’ll work in small groups with students from different grade levels. Together, you’ll complete assignments and exercises. This helps you learn to collaborate, improves your interpersonal skills, and allows you to really get to know one another. As a result, you’ll quickly get to know not only your own class but also students from other grade levels.
You're one of us
With us, you can be yourself and feel seen. We help and look out for one another.
Help When You Need It
Everyone needs help sometimes. Sometimes it’s a small question, sometimes something bigger. With us, you’ll get the help that’s right for you. To do that, we use a five-step process, from PM0 through PM4. At each step, we reassess what kind of help you need. The bigger your question, the more help you’ll get.
PM0: A Good Start
Before you start with us, we’ll talk to your elementary school. That way, we’ll know what works well for you and where you might need some help. This is called a “warm transfer.” It helps ensure you get off to a good start from day one.
PM1: Classroom Assistance
Your mentor and your teachers know you well. If they notice that you’re struggling—whether with your studies, your emotions, or your friends—they’ll talk to you. Often, a conversation or a brief meeting is all it takes. Your mentor is always your first point of contact, including for your parent(s) or guardian(s).
PM2: Extra Help from Your Core Team
Do you need more help? If so, the teachers on your core team will work with you to find a solution. For example, you could go to a quiet study area for a while or have a few conversations with a student counselor. Your parent(s) or guardian(s) are aware of this.
PM3: Help from Specialists
Sometimes more is needed than the core team can provide. In those cases, school specialists—such as the support coordinator—will step in to help. If necessary, we’ll bring in help from outside the school. We’ll work with you and your parent(s)/guardian(s) to develop a plan.
PM4: A Long-Term Plan of Your Own
Do you need extra support for an extended period of time? If so, we’ll work with you and your parent(s)/guardian(s) to create a personalized plan: the Developmental Prospects Plan (OPP). It outlines your goals, the support you’ll receive, and how we’ll work together to track your progress. Sometimes we work with the partnership in this process. This is a collaboration among schools in the region that provides extra support for students who need it.
The Spotlight
Are you having a hard time in class for a while? Then you can go to the Spotlight temporarily. It’s a quiet place with dedicated staff. There, you’ll work on your schoolwork and on whatever you need to do to get back on track. The goal is always for you to be able to return to your own class step by step. The Spotlight can be used if the support provided in the classroom and by the core team isn’t enough. So you don’t need to have an Individual Education Plan (IEP) first. We’ll always discuss whether the Spotlight is the right fit with you and your parent(s) or guardian(s).
Questions?
Do you have a question, or are you a parent or guardian with concerns? If so, please contact the mentor. They will be happy to help you.