Prep School - Student Support

Columbia Prep School prides itself on offering students and their families a warm, caring, and supportive setting. We aim to nurture our students' growth so that they become productive, healthy members of our community and of society as a whole. In order to facilitate the students' experiences and help them reach their potential, we have a multifaceted counseling team. Our counselors are especially skilled at individualizing their approach based on each student's needs and are dedicated to making a positive difference in the quality of each student's education. In addition, we welcome and encourage appropriate parental collaboration in helping students attain their goals.

Students entering ninth grade are scheduled into a full program of academic courses, plus art, music and physical education. Course placement is determined in consultation with teachers from the previous year, or, for incoming students, in consultation with teachers from their previous school. Placement tests are given in math and foreign language when necessary. Ninth graders may add electives (for example in the areas of arts or computer) as their individual schedules permit, with the permission of their dean.

For each year beyond ninth grade, an increasing range of options opens up for each student in academic and non-academic areas. Students are guided in building their programs by their deans in consultation with parents and the relevant teachers and department heads.

The dean's goal is to make sure each student is appropriately challenged and on track to meet graduation requirements and college expectations. At the same time, they encourage students to pursue their interests and passions.

It is the primary responsibility of the deans to monitor students' progress in all areas of school life. Ongoing contacts with teachers, monthly meetings between the dean and the teachers of each grade level, and regular meetings between the dean and the school counselors facilitate this monitoring. Where a student's work or behavior warrants concern, parents will be called by the teacher or the dean and will often be asked to join in addressing the problem.

Teachers write progress reports on students whose work warrants concern; these are reviewed by the dean and mailed home. Deans discuss these progress reports with students and parents. When a progress report or a discussion with teachers reveals that a student is having difficulties with the demands of a course, the dean will help the student to examine his or her work strategies and to get extra help if necessary.

Grade reports are sent home to parents at the end of the first and third quarters; at these two points in the year we hold conference days for students and parents. At the end of each semester, narrative reports accompany the grades. In these reports, teachers make commendations and recommendations and comment on the quality of each student's overall work.

The appropriate dean reviews all the semester reports for each student. If it becomes clear that a student cannot meet the demands of our program, the dean will help the student and his/her family to appreciate the situation and facilitate the student's application to another school.

In matters of enforcing rules and setting standards of behavior, all adults in the school play a full part. The rules that we have are few and simple, and we believe that example is the best teacher in fostering polite and respectful behavior.

Teachers take responsibility for discipline in their classes and around the school. The appropriate dean, in conjunction with the director, deals with patterns of misbehavior and violations of rules. Parents are notified of the problem and may be asked to meet with the director and the dean. In the disciplinary process the emphasis is on leading the student to understand the offense, to address his or her motivation, and to make a commitment to change the behavior. In this context the student may be referred to one of the school social workers or to an outside counselor. In extreme cases, he or she may be suspended for a period of time or expelled from school.

We have two college counselors who work with students to help them learn about the choices available in higher education and to help them understand what they will need in the colleges they attend. Counselors hold general meetings for students and parents in the spring of tenth grade. In the middle of the eleventh grade, they take all the students on a tour of several colleges, and then begin individual counseling sessions that continue throughout the second term and into the senior year. These sessions often include parents.

Counseling covers every phase of the college application process, from finding out about colleges to filling out applications and mailing them, and finally to making the choice of a college in April and a smooth transition to that college later in the year.

A college counseling assistant is responsible for all aspects of a college applicant's paperwork (maintaining and mailing correct transcripts, activity sheets, the school profile, recommendations, etc.), is familiar with all aspects of the college application process, and advises students about them. The college office also works with other school staff, such as deans, department heads, and teachers, to ensure that our program prepares students for standardized tests and other college entrance requirements and that students are well informed about these matters.

The Learning Resource Center at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School provides comprehensive support for students in grades 1-12 with identified learning disabilities. This support allows these students to succeed in a mainstream academic environment while teaching them the study and self-advocacy skills they need in order to ultimately function independently.

Each student who is enrolled in the LRC is seen individually by a learning specialist. LRC students are mainstreamed, which means that outside of their sessions with their learning specialist, they are fully integrated into the regular school program. Students are seen at least once a day if they are full-time LRC students, or two to three times a week if they are part-time LRC students. Each student's specialist works with the classroom teachers to coordinate efforts on the student's behalf.

Enrollment is limited to a small percentage (about 4%) of the student body. First consideration is always given to students already enrolled at CGPS. There are currently no openings. There is an additional tuition for students in the LRC program.

In prior years, seeking psychological counseling was geared toward outside professionals. It also fell upon the administration to suggest these outside referrals. Currently, we have two full-time social workers, one male and one female, available to the students on a daily basis. The counselors' offices are conveniently located off the lobby of the school to encourage students to drop by informally. In addition, the counselors lead psycho-educational groups, also referred to as Issues Groups, that are designed to support the emotional needs of students as they navigate their high school years. Our seventh and eighth grade students meet with the counselors once every six-day cycle throughout the school year. In grades nine through twelve, students meet with the counselors for one quarter of each year (six sessions).

Our Issues Groups are age appropriate and support the developmental level the students are experiencing. Topics center around the consequences of substance use with alcohol, tobacco and other drugs; ways to remain healthy and drug free; managing interpersonal relationships with family and friends; promoting adult sexual health with education about sexually transmitted diseases including HIV and AIDS; sexual orientation; and school climate, tolerance, and appreciation for cultural and racial diversity. While the curriculum for these groups encompasses a variety of topics, flexibility is maintained in order to be responsive to immediate concerns. Our aim is to encourage the students to express their concerns, to interact and support their peers, and to respect others' feelings and experiences. Over time, the Issues Group experience fosters a more trusting, comfortable connection with the counselors.

Many students voluntarily speak with a counselor as needed. In other cases, a teacher, a dean, or even another student informs the counselors about a particular student about whom they are concerned. Depending on the severity of the case, and using discretion and confidentiality, the student and the counselor arrange to meet regularly for a period of time. The deans and the director can also require regular meetings with counselors.

If a student needs more support outside the school, the counselors, dean, and director work with the family to find the appropriate outside referral/intervention. With permission from the family, the counselors remain in contact with the outside referral to support the student's healthy participation in the school community.