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by Strugglingteens, LLC |
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Paid Advertisement
Extended Insights
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Posted:
Jul 5, 2011
10:34
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MONTCALM SCHOOL FOR BOYS & GIRLS
Paid Advertisement |
by Kelley Jones
Executive Director
866-244-4321
jonesk@starr.org
www.montcalmschool.org
At Montcalm School, we look for what's possible, not what's wrong. Our strength-based approach allows us to see every student's unique abilities and create positive environments that encourage dignity, respect, support, growth, and learning.
At Montcalm School, we specialize in working with boys ages 12-21 and girls ages 12-18 through four different programs. Our programs include a therapeutic boarding school for boys and girls, the Outside In program, a specialized track for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and a structured transitional living program for young men who are transitioning from high school to college. The boys and girls therapeutic boarding school, although housed on the same campus, are two separate programs, not coed. Our school is licensed by the Michigan Department of Education, Accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), and is a member of the National Association of Therapeutic Schools (NATSAP).
At Montcalm, the classroom is an opportunity, not an obstacle. Our students present with an I.Q. of 70 or higher, and many have faced learning difficulties in traditional classrooms and at other placements. We help students to get back on track academically, and do so by taking time to understand each child's individual learning style. A Woodcock Johnson III achievement test is administered to each student to help assess the different aspects of academic achievement.
Personalized instruction and small classrooms, with no more than 15 students, are led by licensed and highly qualified and certified teachers. Teachers are active members of the treatment team, are up-to-date on treatment issues and progress as well as academics. This allows seamless treatment for youth from cottage to school. Montcalm School also provides specialized services to meet the needs of special education students. Additionally, parents can track their student's progress using Centre, an Internet-based software.
Montcalm School offers a curriculum that allows students to fulfill the general credit requirements required for graduation, as well as advanced, interdisciplinary, college prep courses in a variety of subjects. Montcalm also has established a partnership with the local nearby community college where students can earn college credits. Students can also participate in Michigan Virtual High School for online learning classes. Coordination with the student's local school district provides a seamless process for returning to high school and/or continuing on to post-secondary options.
Students can graduate with a diploma from Montcalm Schools. Or, if appropriate and desired, arrangements can be made for a graduating student to receive a student from his/her home high school. Post-testing is completed to determine academic gains and improvements with an average of two to four years of growth in each assessed area. Post-educational plans are developed with home school districts, vocational schools, and/or colleges and universities. Academic and behavioral success to re-enter home and community with renewed self-worth is the goal for all students.
All of our students are connected with Master's-level clinicians to help them through their emotional and behavioral difficulties. Group therapy is conducted daily and individual therapy and psychiatric services are available. Our treatment philosophy uses several modalities to assist students in setting goals and achieving success. We provide a comprehensive individualized treatment and academic plan for each student, and include families in the treatment planning process.
Services include group counseling, family sessions, fine arts, and therapeutic recreational activities. Our 24-hour treatment milieu means problems are solved around the clock, not just in a counseling session. Treatment teams utilize different techniques to assist our students in learning new problem solving, decision making, and coping skills.
Recently, with the addition of the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children (TLC) to our parent organization Starr Commonwealth, all of our clinicians are Certified Trauma Specialists. This certification enables them to facilitate therapeutic tools and interventions specifically centered on assisting students with behavioral issues and diagnoses related to past traumatic experiences such as death in the family, adoption, and victimization.
Scholarships are available to provide assistance with post-secondary educational opportunities for all who successfully complete the program. Last year, we awarded more than 40 gifts to students to attend approximately 40 universities and colleges.
New to Montcalm School is the addition of a Sensory Integration Room and a full-time Occupational Therapist. This room will assist students who are hyper- or hypo- responsive to environmental stimuli to benefit from therapies that enable them to self-regulate emotions and maintain a level of alertness when their brains do not receive the sensory information needed to do their job. It is especially helpful and important to the youth we work with through Outside In, our specialized program for youth on the spectrum, but the room is beneficial to all students working through developmental and sensory issues.
We teach the student to function in school and achieve adequate social skills. Sensory integrative techniques are used in collaboration with the student to identify what activities they find alerting, relaxing, self-soothing and grounding. The room is designed to provide a variety of sensory experiences for all sensory systems.
In the past year, Montcalm School has witnessed dramatic growth and the demand continues to increase. We recently renovated a second cottage to expand our ability to serve more girls, and are currently remodeling one of our boy's cottages.
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