Student Support

Student Support at Charles Wright is designed to connect students with the support they need to thrive within our community. When students have social-emotional or academic needs, CWA partners with families to uncover what difficulties might be getting in their way, offering resources, support, and intervention.

At CWA, our Learning Support and Counseling teams work together as the Student Support Services Department, along with each Division Director, Director of Auxiliary Programming, and Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging.

CWA monitors student progress in many ways to determine student growth and need for additional support. Each division has a Student Support Team, a multidisciplinary team that enables us to view and respond to student concerns through a holistic lens. Whether a concern is social-emotional or academic, our team reviews concerns and partners with classroom teachers and families to center the student’s needs when determining next steps.

Student Support by Division

Beginning School

Children in our Beginning School are beginning their learning journey and are exploring the world through play, movement, and relationships. The Beginning School program is designed to meet a wide variety of ways young learners will show up in the school environment. Social-emotional learning is woven into the fabric of the program by design and is not a stand-alone subject for students.

No formal learning support is indicated at the Beginning School level, but our teachers collect data about student progress towards early learning milestones and collaborate with families on building these skills.

Lower School

The following are offered to all Lower School students:

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) through the 7 Mindsets curriculum, taught weekly.
Bullying Prevention Unit through Committee for Children
All Lower School students have access to school counseling programming as needed, including:
- Small groups to target SEL skills
- Limited one-on-one skill-based counseling

All Lower School students have access to small group instruction through classroom programming. Early intervention for students displaying differences in their learning profiles is a priority for our Learning Support team.

For students with documented learning differences and Student Support Plans, accommodations are available to support curricular differentiation and additional small group intervention with our Learning Support team.

Middle School

The following are offered to all Middle School students:

Advisory Program, which promotes Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in small groups.
Access to our Middle and Upper School Counselor
Access to school counseling programming as needed:
- Small groups to target SEL skills
- Limited one-on-one skill-based coaching

Upper School

The following are offered to all Upper School students:

Advisory Program, which promotes Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) in small groups.
Access to our Middle and Upper School Counselor
Access to school counseling programming as needed:
- Small groups to target SEL skills
- Limited one-on-one skill-based coaching

Student Support FAQs

What does CWA provide in terms of student support?

Social-Emotional Learning through SEL curriculum (Lower School) and Advisory (Middle and Upper School) for all students.

CWA's Student Support team provides Student Support Plans for students with documented social, emotional, or learning needs that require accommodations to access the CWA curriculum. Supports for students may include small group intervention, groups, or limited one-on-one support.

What does CWA not provide in terms of student support?

CWA’s counseling team offers supportive, responsive, and skill-building connections with students, but we do not provide therapy. When students would benefit from additional support outside of the school environment, the counseling team will provide appropriate referrals for support services.

Student Support provides accommodations to assist students with accessing the CWA curriculum as designed. However, we do not provide tutoring or remediation and altering the curriculum design. When additional academic supports are indicated beyond in-class or small group support, our team can support families with connecting with targeted tutoring outside of school to explore lagging skills or gaps. Additionally, our team will help to identify areas of concern that may require additional evaluation or support in partnership with the student's family.

What do counselors provide for students?

Our School Counselors are experts in supporting the whole child, with academics being one piece of the equation. Students are also learning how to exist in relationship to others, navigate friendships, navigate changing and sometimes uncomfortable emotions, and persevere through challenges. Our School Counselors support whole-school social-emotional learning and wellness initiatives in addition to providing limited small group and one-on-one skill-based counseling supports for students.