Health & Wellness

Lower School: In Lower School, the Counselor serves on the LSST (Lower School Student Support Team) with the Division Director, Assistant Division Director, Learning Specialist, Literacy Specialist and Math Specialist. This team works together to support the academic, social/emotional and behavioral needs of our students. The LSST meets weekly to wrap around our students and support students, teachers and parents. Additionally, this team meets with each grade level weekly and collaborates with grade level team teachers to support our students in proactive and preventative ways in addition to responding to situations as they come up. The team also partners with parents and additional teachers to support students as needed. When there is a concern about a student’s immediate health and safety, parents are contacted immediately. 

Middle School:  In the Middle School, the Counselor is on the Student Support Team (made up of the Division Director, Learning Specialist and Counselor).  They work together to support the academic, social/emotional, and behavioral needs of students.  Student concerns are brought to the attention of the team by teachers, advisors, coaches, parents, or the students themselves.  In addition, the team runs weekly student support meetings where individual students are discussed.  The team is also in communication with the student’s family by sharing observations, outlining ways the school is supporting the student, and making suggestions for possible outside support. When there is a concern about a student’s immediate health and safety, parents are contacted immediately.

Upper School: In Upper School the School Psychologist/Upper School Counselor works closely with the Division Director, Dean of Students, Grade Dean and Learning Specialist to support the academic and social-emotional needs of students. This team meets weekly to discuss student needs and to make a plan to support students both academically and emotionally.  Student concerns may be brought to any member of the team by any Holton adult and parents. Upper School students often advocate for themselves by seeking support from one or more members of this team. Parents are contacted when a student may require outside support in addition to in-school supports that are offered by the team. When a student has outside support (i.e. therapists, tutors, etc.) communication between the outside provider and the members of the team serves to improve the support that the student receives. When there is a concern about a student’s immediate health and safety, parents are contacted immediately.

In each Division we use our Student Support meetings or grade-level meetings to collect grade-level data as well as individual student concerns.  These meetings are made up of Division Directors, Learning Specialists, Advisors, Deans, teachers, and Counselors (depending on the Division).  

If we see that individual students are struggling we implement a student support plan that outlines interventions that we can offer.  Intervention may include, but is not limited to, individual teacher/student meetings, 1:1 meetings with the Learning Specialists or Counselor, parent meetings, or provisional accommodations depending on the situation or concern.   

If we see that an issue is more systemic, the Divisional support team would consider holding a Divisional meeting, Class meeting, an assembly addressing a topic which might include a guest speaker, or we may incorporate lessons and discussions in advisory and/or Seminar classes.

As mentioned above, the three Divisional Counselors play active roles in the Advisory and Seminar programming. They help to build lessons around character development and relationships by using social/emotional based learning (SEL).  Additionally, when counselors meet with students, either 1:1 or in small groups, they can refer to lessons and concepts that students have experienced in their Seminar classes and Advisory discussions.   

The Advisory program is a way to strengthen connectedness with the student, a small group of peers, and a trusted adult. In Advisory, students meet with an adult advisor regularly, during the school day, to provide a safe space for academic and social-emotional mentorship and support. Advisory is intended to create personalization within the school, and to facilitate a small peer community of learners.

4th Grade:

• Relational Aggression/Unhealthy Conflict 
• Friendship Dynamics, Healthy Conflict Concepts 
• Bulldozers, Doormats, & Pillars- Scenarios and Comic Strip 

5th Grade:

• Healthy Conflict 
• Healthy Communication, Bulldozer, Doormats & Pillars 
• Healthy Conflict Scenarios, Glitter and Gossip
• Healthy Conflict through Open Sessions
• Digital Wellbeing 
• Healthy Conflict in the Social Media 
• Open Session- Digital Concerns, Struggles, Advice 

6th Grade:

• Constellation of connection, conflict case studies
• Effective strategies in online communication 

7th Grade:

• Intent and Impact & Microaggressions 

8th Grade:

• Communication and Advocacy
• Healthy Relationships and Consent

9th Grade:

• Decision Making Scenarios
• Mental and Emotional Health
• Healthy Relationships
• Identity

10th Grade:

• Drugs and Alcohol
• Identity
• Social Media and Social Justice

11th Grade:

• Effective communication
• Sexual relationships and Sexuality

In general, it is best to let your child deal with their peer conflicts on their own; however, depending on the age of the student and the severity of the conflict you may need to step in.  In some circumstances it may be helpful to reach out directly to the Counselor or Division Director as they can help you to navigate the situation. Allowing the school to know there is a conflict lets trusted adults in the building know what is going on and can be helpful in supporting the students at school.  

As you support your child through the experience, you want to practice active listening, use open-ended questions, and check-in with them by asking them what they need or want from you.  Sometimes all they want is for you to listen, while other times they want your advice.  Help your child focus on what they can control and not on what others are or are not doing.  It is also important to refrain from outright criticizing other students and/or friends.  Please keep the focus on your own child as much as possible.

 

Social Media has benefits just as much as it has its negative impacts. Communicating with your children about their social media use is most beneficial. Asking them some of these following questions can get the conversations started, making sure you are actively listening to their responses:

• What apps are you using?

• Who are you following/watching on social media?

• Why do you take/or want to take part in social media?

• Could I see who you like to follow or what you post?

• What are the benefits of being on social media?

• How does your participation on these apps/sites make you feel?

After you have listened to their responses to some of the above questions, help your child/adolescent maximize the good and minimize the bad.

• Depending on the age, set up boundaries that respect their privacy, support your family’s values, while also setting up expectations of use. This is when a social media contract might be particularly helpful.

• As a parent, model appropriate social media use and screen time yourself. 

• Discuss how they manage their emotions around the negative influences of social media.  Do they get off when it makes them feel bad or is it difficult to stop?  

• Ask them how you as a parent can help limit their social media use if they are not able to find a healthy balance of use.

• Establish screen-free zones or times (e.g. dinner time). Talk to your children about why you are establishing routines and boundaries.

• Keep devices out of children’s bedrooms as much as possible. 

• Establish bedtime routines that do not involve screens.

• Emphasize the importance of sleep. 

Holton’s Seminar Curriculum discusses social media use, screentime, media influences, desensitization, and teaching students how to advocate for themselves on-line.  The Middle School organizes a “Screenagers:  Next Chapter” program where students and parents watch the movie followed by a mandatory discussion between adults and students.

Yes.  The school will reach out to parents if we see changes in a student's emotional, social, physical, or academic behavior.  If there are immediate concerns for a child/teen’s health or safety parents are informed immediately and recommendations for outside evaluation will be given.  

All three Counselors are part of their respective Divisional Student Support Teams, Advisory programs, and Seminar courses (either in curriculum planning or teaching Seminar sections). Many social-emotional concerns, (including friendships, mental health, nutrition, academic pressure, etc.) are addressed in both Seminar classes and Advisory meetings. This involvement allows the Counselors to not only hear from teachers/advisors as to what they are seeing from individual students, but it also offers support to teachers/advisors as they work directly with individual students. Counselors also work with the teachers/advisors with a goal of guiding students to work directly with the counselors.

• Educate yourself on signs of child/adolescent mental health issues

• Communicate with your child

  • Ask open-ended questions

  • Listen!

  • Acknowledge and support what they are saying

  • Apologize when necessary

  • Do not criticize or judgment

• Slow down! Try not to over schedule your child or yourself

• Carve out family time- our kids like it more than we realize

• Allow for down time

• Encourage exercise- movement is medicine 

• Get outside with your kids- the fresh air often helps

• Take breaks when needed and have your children do the same

• Encourage your children to eat the rainbow and try to find some balance. Food is fuel. 

• Have open lines of communication and establish boundaries

• Be mindful of age restrictions on apps, shows and games-they tend to be there for a reason

• Help your child get more sleep 

• Try to stay calm- our children know when the adults in their lives are stressed

• Be mindful of the conversations you are having at home even when you think your children are not listening--they often are. 

• Take care of your own mental health- not only does it help to model it, but you cannot pour from an empty cup.

• Help them set realistic goals and expectations

• Ask for help

  • Call the counselor in your division for in-school support or just reach out for a conversation

  • Refer to outside mental health professionals if needed

  • Seek consultation with your pediatrician or a therapist