Expanded TMS Student Support Services Department Thriving

The Meadows School campus with green trees and paved sidewalks in Las Vegas, Nevada
Expanded TMS Student Support Services Department Thriving

The Meadows School has pursued excellence in education for nearly forty years. This pursuit has been captured in the school’s mission and is defined by its core values: scholarship, discovery, community, inclusion, and character.

This excellence in education has also recently been expanded to recognize Student Support Services as a department. This team currently consists of the Student Support Director (SSD), the two Deans of Counseling, and the three academic coaches in the Lower, Middle, and Upper School levels.

The SSD collaborates regularly with administrators, teachers, students, and families to ensure that all students receive what they need to achieve their highest potential. This collaboration includes three tiers of support across the social-emotional and academic branches. The top tier consists of the development of a Student Success Plan and potentially a recommendation for and collaboration with an outside provider. The second tier of support includes offering strategic consultation with teachers and working with students individually and in small groups to build targeted skills. Finally, at the third universal tier, the SSD consults with teachers to provide pedagogical strategies to best meet the needs of all learners and provides a social-emotional or life skills curriculum to every student. This curriculum has been shaped by the CASEL framework and Character Strong resources.

The Meadows School has also elected to engage with Dr. Michele Borba's work in faculty training and family reading groups this year. In her book Thrivers, Dr. Borba interviewed more than one hundred students to identify seven teachable character traits that set them up for happiness and accomplishment. Fittingly, these seven traits (self-confidence, empathy, self-control, integrity, curiosity, perseverance, and optimism) align with The Meadows School’s mission, our core values, our adopted social-emotional learning standards, and our curricular materials. A detailed alignment is in the table below:

TMS Core Values Thrivers Character Traits CASEL Competencies Character Strong Traits
Scholarship and Discovery  Self-confidence, perseverance, curiosity, and integrity    Perseverance and creativity
Character Self-control and  optimism Self-management, self-awareness, and responsible decision making Honesty, respect, gratitude, and kindness
Community and Inclusion Empathy Social awareness and relationship skills Empathy, cooperation, and responsibility

 

As evidenced by this departmental recognition and multi-faceted exploration of Dr. Borba’s work this year, The Meadows School continues to demonstrate its commitment to developing young people who are true THRIVERS.

If you would like to further engage with our Meadows community or learn more about the Student Support department, please join the parent book club or contact Dr. Kristin Withey at kwithey@themeadowsschool.org.

Dr. Kristin Withey

Student Support Director

  • All School
  • Core Values
  • Student Support Services