We are fortunate to have such a strong Learning Support Services (LSS) team at our School. LSS partners with classroom teachers and families to support children with learning or developmental profiles, coordinate standardized and diagnostics tests, do one-on-one interventions, and serve as a “gatekeeper” to help families partner with any needed outside services. In this world of remote learning, sometimes you might not know what you need to support your child, but a phone call or Video Check-In with one of our LSS team members might help bring clarity to a situation. Even if you have not used LSS in the past, both Sidney McGinnis and JoAnn Currie are available to any of our families and would welcome a conversation with you. While Sidney works with students of all ages, she specializes in supporting kindergarten students and older. JoAnn specializes in early childhood development in Toddler and Primary.

We have temporarily hired a licensed school counselor to offer counseling sessions to any of our students and their families. We are fortunate Robin Smelzer, a long-time Greensboro Montessori School parent, and part-time counselor at another local independent school, has joined our team for the spring. Robin can provide phone or video school counseling sessions that work with your schedule, be it just one session or several sessions. She will typically first gather information from a parent, then talk with a student, and then report back to the parent. Robin reports to the head of school, Kevin Navarro, and the content of all sessions remain confidential. There is no charge for sessions with Robin. Just contact her directly at schoolcounselor@gms.org to arrange a time that works for you.

Joyce Ann Starks received her parent educator certification from the International Network of Children and Families (INCAF) in 2002. She teaches classes based on the principles of Redirecting Children’s Behavior (RCB) and Positive Discipline. Joyce Ann will host three parent coaching sessions for our community in the coming weeks. Each session will feature time for questions and answers, with optional open chat time following each session. Joyce Ann will also offer 30-minute follow-up telephone calls with attendees who would like coaching related specifically to their family.

Center for Creative Leadership senior faculty member and Greensboro Montessori School Toddler parent, Jessica Glazer, will offer an evening conversation about resiliency and how this important attribute can serve us during challenging times. She will present five specific practices (sleep, exercise, gratitude, mindfulness, and making meaning for others) that might be helpful to us in our COVID-19 landscape. The practices are designed to be easy to implement and helpful to participants as people, parents, professionals, and partners. Family members of currently enrolled students are invited to join.