Student Services

The Student Services team works collaboratively to best help students in the areas of academic achievement, personal/social development and career services, as well as providing responsive services.

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Student Services is comprised of:

school counselors

School Counselors

Sun Prairie middle school counselors are committed to maximizing the success of all students through:

Academic Development
Social/Emotional Development
Career Development

School counselors promote and support:

Equity and access to rigorous educational experiences for all students
A safe learning environment
A culturally relevant prevention and intervention programs

What does a School Counselor Do?

School counselors work with students by providing classroom lessons, meeting in small groups, and interacting individually with students.
- Topics include social and emotional awareness and growth, peer interaction skills, harassment and discrimination awareness, career exploration.
- Small groups are formed as needed and might include topics such as social skills, anxiety, depression, family change, grief, anger management, study skills, etc.
School counselors help to provide prevention and intervention activities, assist with restorative justice measures, and help track student's academic growth by monitoring behavior and attendance.
School counselors help students establish personal goals and develop future plans.
School counselors communicate with parents, teachers, administrators, and community members, and provide referrals to community organizations for additional assistance.
The Role of the School Counselor (as established by the American School Counselor Association)
School Counselor Performance Standards (as determined by the American School Counselor Association)

How do I talk to the School Counselor?
If you would like to make an appointment with your counselor, please stop by the Student Services office and schedule a time before or after school or during study hall. Lunch hour appointments are also available if necessary. If a student need is more urgent, please request a pass from your teacher to the Student Services office.

Si un estudiante, padre ó guardian prefiere tener esta información traducida en Español, por favor contactenos en el 834-6620.

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School Psychologists

Who Are School Psychologists?

School psychologists help children and youth succeed academically, socially, and emotionally. They collaborate with educators, parents, and other professionals to create safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments for all students that strengthen connections between home and school.
School psychologists are highly trained in both psychology and education.
School psychologists must be certified and/or licensed by the state in which they work. They also may be nationally certified by the National School Psychology Certification Board (NSPCB).

What Do School Psychologists Do?

School psychologists work to find the best solution for each student and situation; they use different strategies to address student needs and to improve school and district-wide support systems.
School psychologists work with students individually and in groups. They also develop programs to train teachers and parents about effective teaching and learning strategies, techniques to manage behavior at home and in the classroom, working with students with disabilities or with special talents, addressing abuse of drugs and other substances, and preventing and managing crises.

In addition, most school psychologists provide the following services:

Consultation

Collaborate with teachers, parents, and administrators to find effective solutions to learning and behavior problems
Help others understand child development and how it affects learning and behavior
Strengthen working relationships between teachers, parents, and service providers in the community

Evaluation

Evaluate eligibility for special services
Assess academic skills and aptitude for learning
Determine social-emotional development and mental health status
Evaluate learning environments.

Intervention

Provide psychological counseling to help resolve interpersonal or family problems that interfere with school performance
Work directly with children and their families to help resolve problems in adjustment and learning
Provide training in social skills and anger management
Help families and schools manage crises such as death, illness, or community trauma

Prevention

Design programs for children at risk of failing at school
Promote tolerance,understanding, and appreciation of diversity within the school community
Develop programs to make schools safer and more effective learning environments
Collaborate with school staff and community agencies to provide services directed at improving psychological and physical health
Develop partnerships with parents and teachers to promote healthy school environments

Research and Planning

Evaluate the effectiveness of academic and behavior management programs
Identify and implements programs and strategies to improve schools
Use evidence-based research to develop and/or recommend effective interventions

Growing Up Is Not Easy

All children and adolescents face problems from time to time. They may:

Feel afraid to go to school
Have difficulty organizing their time efficiently
Lack effective study skills
Fall behind in their school work
Lack self-discipline
Worry about family matters such as divorce and death
Feel depressed or anxious
Experiment with drugs and alcohol
Think about suicide
Worry about their sexuality
Face difficult situations, such as applying to college, getting a job, or quitting school
Question their aptitudes and abilities

School psychologists help children, parents, teachers, and members of the community understand and resolve these concerns.

School Social Worker

School Social Workers

Are employed by the school district to enhance the academic mission by providing services which strengthen home/school/community partnerships
Actively address barriers within the child, home, school, and community that interfere with student achievement
Serve as catalysts to bring people together and to create an environment that is conducive to effective problem solving and learning
Practice includes: assessment, crisis intervention, home visits, conflict resolution, individual and group counseling, consultation, program development, and coordination of school and community services

School Social Work Services

Helping students to:

cope in times of crisis
access mental health services
become resilient, successful learners
gain personal and social competencies

Working with administrators to:

1. Implement effective prevention programs and policies which address:

school attendance
alcohol and other drug abuse
teen pregnancy
violence
suicide and sudden death
child abuse and neglect
school safety

2. Ensure compliance with special education laws

Supporting parents to:

effectively participate in their child's education
understand their child's developmental and educational needs
access school and community resources
understand special education services
strengthen parenting skills

Linking schools and communities to:

coordinate the delivery of educational and mental health services
develop resources to adequately meet the needs of students and families

Assisting educators to:

work effectively with parents
discover new resources
participate in the special education process
understand family, cultural, and community factors affecting students
meet education outcomes for students of diverse backgrounds

Special Education

Special Education

SPECIAL EDUCATION CHILD FIND

Upon request, the Sun Prairie Area School District is required to evaluate a child for eligibility for special education services. A request for evaluation is known as a referral. When the district receives a referral, the district will appoint an Individualized Education Program (IEP) team to determine if the child has a disability, and if the child needs special education services. The District locates, identifies, and evaluates all children with disabilities who are enrolled by their parents in private (including religious) schools, elementary schools and secondary schools located in the school district.

A physician, nurse, psychologist, social worker, or administrator of a social agency who reasonably believes a child brought to him or her for services is a child with a disability has a legal duty to refer the child, including a homeless child, to the school district in which the child resides. Before referring the child, the person making the referral must inform the child's parent that the referral will be made.

Others, including parents, who reasonably believe a child is a child with a disability, may also refer the child, including a homeless child, to the school district in which the child resides.

Referrals must be in writing and include the reason why the person believes the child is a child with a disability. A referral may be made by contacting Jennifer Apodaca, Director of Student Services, at 608.834.6520, or by writing her at 501 South Bird St. Sun Prairie, WI 53590.

The Sun Prairie Area School District is required to locate, identify, and evaluate all children, with disabilities, including children with disabilities attending private schools in the school district, and homeless children. The process of locating, identifying, and evaluating children with disabilities is known as child find. This agency conducts the following child find activities each year: The school district has a special education screening program to locate and screen all children with suspected disabilities who are residents of the district and who have not graduated from high school. Upon request the school district will screen any resident child who has not graduated high school to determine whether a special education referral is appropriate. A request may be made by contacting Jennifer Apodaca, Director of Student Services, at 608.834.6520, or by writing her at 501 South Bird St. Sun Prairie, WI 53590.

Child Find Notice English, Hmong, Spanish

BULLY PREVENTION

The Sun Prairie Area School District is committed to providing a safe positive learning environment for all students. The expectation is that everyone will treat each other with respect and consideration. Actions such as bulling, cyber-bulling, or hazing create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation, detract from the safe environment necessary for students learning, and may lead to more serious violence. Therefore, all types of bullying and hazing are prohibited.

The Sun Prairie Area School District takes allegations of bullying seriously and will respond promptly to complaints and allegations of bullying.

Policy JBA - Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Hazing
Procedure JBA-R - Bullying, Cyberbullying, and Hazing Complaint Procedures
Policy JB - Student Discrimination and Harassment
Policy JB (Spanish) - Discriminacion y Acoso de Estudiantes
Procedure JB-R - Student Discrimination and Harassment Complaint Procedures
Procedure JB-R (Spanish) - Procedimiento Para La Denuncia De Acoso O Discriminacion De Estudiantes

If you believe your child has either been bullied or witnessed bullying you can do the following:

Fill out the Bullying Report Form
Request a Bullying Report Form from your school. They can be found with every principal, student services staff member and teacher.
Contact school personnel who can provide and/or assist with completion of the Bullying Report Form. Best people to contact are your school principals or your school counselor.

What is Bullying?

“Bullying” is defined as systematically or persistently inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress on one or more students. It is intentional written, spoken, nonverbal, or physical behavior, including but not limited to any threatening, insulting, or dehumanizing gesture or communication that has the effect of doing any of the following:

Substantially interfering with any student’s education.
Creating a threatening or fearful environment in a school setting for any student or group of students.
Substantially disrupting the orderly operation of the school.

Successful enforcement of anti-bullying policy and bullying prevention requires a collaborative effort among the school, students, and parents.