Student Support | Kehillah Jewish High School

Student Support

ADVISORY PROGRAM

The Kehillah Advisory Program is designed to foster academic development and character education in a genuinely caring and supportive environment. Each advisory group is composed of a small number of students of the same grade and one faculty member. As much as possible these groups stay together for all four years to strengthen bonds and build a strong support system for each other. These groups connect students to the extra-curricular and social programming at Kehillah as they serve to enhance life skills, build social-emotional skills and resiliency, develop communication skills, and discover particular affinities and passions that are unique to each student.

Advisors serve as the “go to” adult for student support. Each advisor maintains regular communication with his or her advisees as well as checks in on their academic performance to best guide and advocate for their advisees. Teachers make sure advisors are aware of significant successes as well as challenges in the classroom that may require additional support. Advisors then take the lead in guiding their advisee’s growth plan. The advisor is also the parents’ first point of contact with Kehillah.

Advisory Program Contact:

Dr. Josh Krug
Director of Jewish Life & Learning
jkrug@kehillah.org

CENTER FOR LEARNING SUCCESS

The CLS supports students to realize their strengths and embrace their challenges. The Center supports and encourages students to access the resources they need in a safe, warm, and caring environment so that they are able to thrive and develop strategies that enhance their learning.

The Center is staffed by full-time Learning Specialist, Rachel Paley, who:

Empowers students by directly instructing academic and learning strategies to access the curriculum

Collaborates with teachers to understand the instructional needs of students with specific learning profiles

Teams with parents to: provide resources to support students, coordinate Student Success Team Meetings, and provide consultation meetings

Support for All Students

Train students on study strategies and model learning strategies

Provide a safe, welcoming space for students to plan, organize, and complete homework

Supervise and monitor Study Hall periods

Monitor the Student Success Plans (SSP) for students with diagnosed learning differences

Meet with students about accommodations and monitor academic progress

Develop learning goals and plans in collaboration with students

Support for Parents

Host Parent Education Evenings to provide resources to better understand their child as learners

Help parents find resources for testing and educational evaluation

Communicate periodically with parents whose student has an SSP

Consult with parents regarding the ACT and SAT process

Maintain current documentation for the provision of reasonable classroom accommodations

Support for Teachers/Advisors

Collaborate with teachers on teaching strategies that are effective for all kinds of learners

Observe and provide instructional support inside the classrooms

Proctor tests for students with extended time accommodations

Available Resources

Assistive technology

Audio, video, and digital library

Study rooms

Rachel Paley
Learning Services Coordinator
rpaley@kehillah.org

The Center for Learning Success (CLS) Program at Kehillah works to empower all Kehillah students to achieve their full potential both academically and socially in alignment with the Four Commitments:

Everyone Counts

We embrace the diversity of our student community by ensuring that every member knows that they count. Kehillah’s Center staff work to educate each student about their learning strengths and challenges. They meet with students to create their learning profile and identify the areas of focus to meet their academic goals. Through Study Hall and Seminar classes, students learn how to learn.

Everyone has equal access to great learning

Embracing the diversity of our student body, we educate to each student and recognize that each student has a unique learning style. Kehillah’s Center staff are a wealth of resource for strategies and tools to enable learning. They directly instruct learning and study strategies and help each student build and expand their toolkit so that they feel confident to engage in a rigorous curriculum.

Everyone’s unique talents are valued equally

Some students are strong in math, others great writers. Some students have a great jump-shot while others produce breathtaking art. Some students are gregarious, while others choose quietude. We recognize this diversity and affirm that we are the better for it. The Center Staff mentor each student to identify their interests and recognize their accomplishments. The Seminar Program is designed to teach students the metacognitive skills of goal setting, planning and organization. The comprehensive program also involves projects that highlight their talents and strengths in other areas. Overall, the process leads to increased self-efficacy, a skill that is critical to life-long learning.

We take responsibility for ourselves, our learning, and our community.

We look to our diverse community and ask each member to step up and take ownership of their learning, of their school, and of their community. The CLS Program focuses on building self-awareness, self-advocacy, and self-determination. As students grow in these areas, they learn to accept how others may differ in how they take-in and process information. Gradual realization of this process leads students to the greater understanding that different perspectives may deepen their learning. To this end, the CLS program provides the guidance, resources, and tools so that students become independent learners.

SCHOOL COUNSELING SERVICES

Our school counselor:

Provides a safe and confidential space for students to talk about personal challenges that impact their well-being at school

Works collaboratively with parents, teachers, and advisors to identify the optimal ways to support students

Offers short-term counseling

Provides referrals and resources to families whose students are in need of long-term support

Confidentiality is the cornerstone of trust between the school counselor and students. What a student shares in the school counseling office stays in the school counseling office. The only three exceptions are required by law and include:

1) Harm to self or others

2) Abuse or neglect or

3) Court or other legal proceedings.

If information needs to be shared outside the counseling office, we will let students know in advance and will work with you to handle the situation with the utmost respect and consideration for your feelings and needs.

Our school counselor is also dedicated to infusing the Kehillah culture and curriculum with the social and emotional skills (SEL) that our students need to be successful at school and in life. These skills include: respectful communication with friends and teachers, active listening, conflict negotiation, and tools for relationship repair after problems are resolved. We also strongly encourage healthy adolescent development in the areas of independent problem solving and self-advocacy with peers and teachers.

Sarah Lesser
School Counseling & Wellness
slesser@kehillah.org

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