Psychologist
As school psychologist for Pine Run, I will be here every Thursday and Friday, as well as alternating Mondays. I will also be working at Kutz Elementary School.
My role as school psychologist is varied and involves many things, but the foundation of what I do concerns the well being of children. School psychologists are advocates for children, insuring that they receive an appropriate educational program. This involves children in the regular curriculum setting as well as those requiring special education services. Much of my time is spent working with the Instructional Support Team (IST) in reviewing students who are having difficulties within the regular classroom setting. Action plans are developed for these students which map out how they will be helped. I offer suggestions for what may be helpful for struggling students along with the other team members (parents, teachers, principal, counselor, reading specialist, etc.). After these action plans are implemented they are reviewed in order to determine whether they were effective in helping to resolve the difficulty involved and, if more in depth information is needed, a psycho-educational evaluation may be suggested.
Psycho-educational evaluations are conducted by the school psychologist and seek to discover various kinds of information. Parents must always first give permission for the psychologist to evaluate their children by signing a Permission to Evaluate form before any initial evaluation can begin. In general, two answers are sought through these types of evaluations: 1) is there some type of handicapping condition present? (such as a learning disability, emotional disturbance, other health impairment, etc.) and 2) if there is such a condition present, does the student require special education services in order to meet their educational needs? Parents' input is a key component of this evaluation and your insights will be sought. The findings of the evaluation will be presented to the team in an Evaluation Report (ER). This report is kept strictly confidential.
Other tasks that I am involved with include the following: observing students in class, consulting with teachers, completing ADHD behavioral screenings, completing Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA) for students having behavioral difficulties, counseling students and/or parents regarding learning or behavioral problems, etc. I am also be a member of the core team responsible for implementing Response to Intervention (RTI) at Pine Run in kindergarten through second grade.
As a school psychologist, I am devoted to promoting positive mental health in our school communities, advocating for a safe and effective learning environment for all children, and I avidly support youth, families and educators to help children realize their fullest potential.