Student Advocacy
Guidance
The Wentworth Intermediate School guidance program is based on the Maine Comprehensive School Counseling Program Model (MCSCPM). The goal of this program is to promote and enhance student achievement through three interrelated areas of student development: academic, career, and personal/social. Wentworth guidance counselors work to support and maximize each student’s ability to learn as well as provide a foundation for personal and social growth as they progress through school.
Belief Statements
- We believe schools and families are partners in the education of children.
- We believe learning is a life-long process.
- We believe each individual is ultimately responsible for his/her own choices, including words, actions, and learning.
- We believe in a guidance curriculum that stresses content and methods to promote personal growth, cooperation, tolerance, problem solving, adaptability, decision making, and effective communication.
Guidance Program Functions
- Student registration, orientation and transition
- Consultation with teachers and parents
- Guidance lessons for classroom
- Individual short term counseling
- Small group counseling
- Crisis intervention
- Planning and oversight of standardized testing
Literacy Support
The Title I program provides services as part of a federal program for children who are having difficulty with reading. The students are provided small group instruction as a supplement to their regular classroom reading program. Qualifying students will be notified annually.
Math Support
The Math Support Team offers assistance to students qualifying for supplemental instruction at the remedial level with focus on the youngest population. Student qualification is an annual process.
Multi Disciplinary Team
Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT) is composed of a social worker, guidance counselor, special education consulting teacher, nurse and administrator. MDT addresses the challenges and concerns, which may impact students academically, socially and/or emotionally. Social workers meet with students individually and in groups to promote self-esteem and positive interaction as well as the climate of the school as a whole. Guidance offers preventive services relating to personal development, developing friendships and stress management in addition to the management of testing services. The clinic offers health care, which includes monitoring student health, screening third and fifth graders for hearing and vision and health education.
Response to Intervention
Response to Intervention is a systemic approach to helping students achieve. RTI is a process of intense, personalized instruction implemented for at risk students who demonstrate academic or behavior concerns. RTI is required before a student can be referred to Special Services for specialized instruction.
Social Work
Wentworth School has two social workers serving children in both special education and regular education programs. We explain our job to the children as helping people be together and helping to solve problems. We work to support children’s relationships not only with other children but also with their teachers, and try to help both students and teachers conquer a child’s social, emotional and/or behavioral barriers to learning. We see children individually and in small groups and work with a whole class at the teacher’s request. We are available for crisis and short term and long term services.
The social workers have also been studying and using the work of Michelle Garcia Winner whose Social Thinking and Superflex curricula are gaining wide acceptance for their success with people of all ages with “social cognition” challenges.
Student of Concern (SOC)
The Student of Concern (SOC) Team consists of a lead teacher, classroom teachers and other school personnel who are assigned to your child’s team. The team assists teachers in developing instructional and/or behavioral interventions to help students experience greater success in the school setting. SOC serves as a resource for teachers.
Student Advocate Modules (SAM)
Wentworth's S.A.M. Program represents a series of Student Advocate Modules.
S.A.M. classes provide our third, fourth and fifth graders with a variety of lessons designed to support the developmental, physical and social/emotional growth of the Intermediate student. These classes are scheduled once a week and include opportunities to learn and practice skills in the areas of; problem solving, study habits, nutrition, internet safety, career awareness and friendship related skill development.