Student Support

ESD Advisories: The Cornerstone of Middle and Upper School Life

More than four decades ago, as Father Swann was formulating the kind of school ESD would become, he believed strongly that children feel assured that they would not be anonymous – that they would not “fall through the cracks.” He believed that within a larger community, there should be small, intimate groups where everyone felt accepted; where the power of cliques is minimized; where an adult could shepherd and guide. Thus, the ESD advisory system was born.

Through the years, the concept has evolved. Today, our advisory system is a cornerstone of the day-to-day life of the Middle and Upper School students at ESD. It is a continuation of the warmth and care found in homerooms at the Lower School. Every morning, each advisory, comprised of eight to ten same-grade students, attends Chapel together. During lunch, every day in the Middle School and twice a week in Upper School, the advisory sits together at the round tables in the Daryl Johnston Family Dining Commons. Advisory also includes community service projects, special programming, one-on-one meetings between the advisor and the advisee, and group activities at Wolf Run. These experiences allow the advisor to get to know these young people in a way that transcends academics.

ESD incorporates a variety of emotional wellness programming into the curriculum.

We are fortunate to have licensed psychologists and counselors on staff and available to our students, parents, and faculty/staff. The primary responsibility of our counselors is to provide emotional and social guidance and support for the school community in an effort to promote an exceptional environment for learning, social responsibility, and childhood development.

Developmental differences among students help to define the roles and responsibilities of counselors at each division level, but the primary responsibilities of the school counselor include (1) provision of direct, short-term counseling services, (2) consultation with administration and faculty, (3) wellness education for students, faculty/staff, and parents, (4) serving as chairperson of the ABC (Addressing Behaviors of Concern) team, a multi-disciplinary team whose efforts focus on assisting and supporting students with specific challenges, and (5) serving as a liaison amongst the school, students, parents, and outside professionals in order to help each student achieve his or her full potential at ESD. 

Support by a Team of Professionals: Learning Specialists, Psychologists, and Certified Language Therapists

To develop the unique potential in each student, we provide support services to address the individual learning needs of students to help them successfully meet the demands of the school’s rigorous curriculum. A team of professionals (e.g., learning specialists, psychologists, and certified academic language therapists) works with students, teachers, parents, administrators, and outside professionals to identify and address the specific learning needs of each student. Each division has a designated Learning Specialist who works to enable students to reach their full potential and participate as fully as possible in the intellectual opportunities of the school community as they strive to become independent learners.

Any student experiencing academic difficulty is eligible to receive support, consultation, screening, and referral services.  Students with diagnosed learning disorders, in particular, are encouraged to seek services and may qualify for specific academic accommodations. These students will have a formal written plan on file outlining eligible accommodations; this plan is implemented and monitored by the Learning Specialist for each division. As an academically rigorous, college preparatory school, the School has determined which accommodations best fit the academic mission of the School. Please see the Guidelines for Psychoeducational Assessment for information regarding specific accommodations as well as the documentation requirements for consideration of such accommodations.  

Lower School Language Lab: The Lower School Language Lab program is a specialized two-year program for second and third-grade students identified with dyslexia. The Lab program utilizes the Take Flight curriculum, an empirically-based intervention program developed at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. This program addresses the essential components of effective reading instruction including phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, and reading vocabulary. Spelling and cursive handwriting are also integral aspects of the Language Lab program. Lab, instructed by our specially trained certified academic language therapists, is offered as a daily, small group experience during a student’s regular Language Arts time. A student must have a psychoeducational evaluation on file that indicates a learning difference or a functional limitation that warrants placement in Language Lab.

Middle School Learning Lab: In Middle School, fifth and sixth grade students who are identified as needing additional academic support are placed into “Learning Lab” in lieu of a world language class. This two-year course supports students with executive functioning skills and self-regulation, guides students in their academic functioning, helps students to understand their own learning profiles, and utilizes a strengths-based approach to provide intervention. A student must have a psychoeducational evaluation on file that indicates a learning difference or a functional limitation that warrants this curriculum exemption.    

ESD intentionally creates a climate of care through:

• Our advisory program
• School-based chaplains and counselors
• Daily Chapel
• Special Programming Days
  • Counselors or invited speakers address topics including stress reduction, relaxation/mindfulness, and anxiety 
• Service to others and outdoor education as integral components of an ESD education
• Balanced nature of our curriculum so that students can pursue athletics and/or the arts alongside rigorous academics

“Sitting around the campfire, being able to see and converse with everyone on equal footing ... inclusivity is what I want for everyone.”The Reverend Canon Stephen B. Swann, ESD Founding Rector and Headmaster