Reach your potential.
Student Support
At MICDS, the social-emotional and academic lives of our students are supported in each division by a passionate counselor, learning specialist, and nurse who work closely with each other along with faculty members, administration, and parents. Together, we strive to help all students reach their true potential in intellectual character and responsibility.
Current MICDS parents can refer to the Student Support resource page on the portal for further information and resources available from all student services areas.
Counselor FAQs
- How do counselors provide support within the School?
By forming a team with parents, MICDS faculty, and administration, counselors provide a support system for addressing issues that affect the emotional well-being and academic success of the students in our community. They are committed to promoting positive personal growth in all students and serving as an effective catalyst for each student realizing their fullest potential, thus positively impacting the entire MICDS community.
- What is the counselor's role?
Our counselors are committed to the promotion of positive personal growth, emotional wellness and healthy development among students, families and faculty in the MICDS community. Each division has a school counselor. At the Upper School, this person is in addition to the college counselor. If you have any concerns about your child’s social, emotional or psychological development, your divisional counselor is an appropriate person to contact.
- How do counselors support our School?
Our school counselors:
- Implement developmentally appropriate counseling programs to educate all students about emotional health and wellness
- Meet individually with students to address concerns or challenges in their personal, social or academic lives
- Respond to school concerns or crises affecting the psychological well-being of students
- Refer to resources on campus and in the community for specialized support of students’ developmental or mental health needs
- Consult with teachers, parents and school staff on topics related to the emotional development and mental health of youth
- Develop nurturing, trusting relationships with students which provide a basis for support, advocacy and guidance
Learning Specialists
Specialized learning to maximize your progress.
Our learning specialists use their specialized training in psychology, assessment, and education to support a student’s entire learning process, which includes collaboration with faculty, academic leadership teams, parents, students, and outside service providers.
Learning Specialist FAQs
- What do our Learning Specialists do?
Our Learning Specialists:
- Support and train our faculty as they strive to differentiate their curricula to meet the needs of all students
- Are part of the academic leadership teams—providing consultation, updated research, and understanding of best practices for student support/intervention
- Help students better understand themselves as learners by identifying and addressing their areas of cognitive and academic strength and weakness
- Provide feedback on learning strategies, developing strong organizational habits and effective ways in which to seek teacher support
- Serve as resources for parents as they explore how to better support their child at home
- When do you contact your Learning Specialist?
If, as a parent, you have a concern about your child’s academic progress, the learning specialist is an appropriate person to contact. If your child needs specialized support, the learning specialist may provide an appropriate referral to an outside professional, service provider or evaluator. Often, support can be provided at School in the Wetterau Learning Center or other areas in each division.
- What other resources are available through the learning specialist?
The learning specialist can serve as a resource for parents—to answer questions about supporting learning at home and recommend books/articles that can help support all levels of learners. As a resource to faculty, the learning specialist keeps teachers aware of the most up-to-date research-based information to address their students’ needs and learning, consults about learning concerns, and develops support strategies when needed. In addition, the learning specialist provides referral information for support so that students can receive one-on-one help from a professional who specializes in a specific area of concern, including tutoring, advisory and community time activities, or other outside specialists. Often, support can be provided at School in the Wetterau Learning Center or other areas in each division.
Health Services
Happy, healthy students.
Professional school nurses at MICDS provide a comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and collaborative approach to promoting wellness within the school community, with the primary goal of maintaining optimal student health, attendance, and learning ability.
Health Services FAQ
- What do our school nurses believe in?
- Ensuring all students have access to medical care and treatment.
- Supporting students to become independent advocates for their own health care.
- Coordinating nursing care for students with family, school staff, and outside agencies.
- Providing health counseling and education for individual and group/classroom settings.
- Maintaining state-mandated school health records on every student at MICDS.
- Advocating for student health needs within the school environment.
- Supporting teachers by interpreting the impact of a student’s health condition on learning.
- Delivering public health nursing services through the maintenance of immunizations records, communicable disease prevention, and monitoring.
- Providing collaborative assessments of mental health needs.
- Collaborating with health resources in the community for referrals and public health issues.
- Collaborating with special services to provide nursing services and support.
- Promoting staff wellness through health education, counseling, and wellness activities.
- Collaborating with administration and building and grounds personnel to maintain a safe and healthy school environment.
- Utilizing appropriate and current technology to enhance school health services.
- Enhancing professional development through professional school nurse organizations and continuing education opportunities.
Student Support Team
Meet our support team.
