Student Support Team (SST)

The Student Support Team (SST) consists of the school social worker (chairperson), Assistant Principal, classroom teacher, school psychologist, school counselor, mental health clinician, nurse and other school staff as appropriate. The parent is an important member of this team as well.

The Student Support Team:

  • Provides teachers and staff members with ideas, interventions and techniques to promote academic success.
  • Addresses social, emotional and academic problems that interfere with school success.
  • Educates parents regarding strategies which will help their child meet their goals.
  • Collaborates with the Special Education Team

Special Education/Intervention

Sometimes children need extra help with academics, speech, as well as social or emotional issues. Any parent or guardian who would like help for his/her child should discuss these concerns with the classroom teacher who can make specific recommendations or referrals. Ideally, students should always be referred to the Student Support Team (SST) first, before being referred for special education services. It is preferred that the SST makes all referrals to the IEP Team. In cases where a referral for special education services may be necessary, parents, guardians, teachers or other individuals who are concerned about a child will meet with the IEP Team. The team is responsible for ensuring that each child who qualifies will receive a free and appropriate public education in their least restrictive environment. Parents who have a child with or without an IEP can request a meeting at any time. The request is logged, and there is a time limit from the date of the request until the meeting is held. In other words, the meeting has to be held within a certain period of time. They can ask their child’s teacher, Ms. Shaffer or an administrator. 504/SST are structured meetings that can result in accommodations and detailed interventions. Parents can also request these meetings at any time. IEP/504/SST meetings can be held in person, virtually or over the phone.  HHA utilizes a full inclusion model. We have a special education teacher who goes into the classrooms to monitor student progress and assist the regular educator in the implementation of the Individual Education Plan goals, objectives and accommodations. Special educators also instruct students in a small group setting outside of the classroom when the need is present. We have related service providers who provide speech and language, psychological, adapted physical education, physical therapy and occupational therapy services. Our IEP Team is available on a daily basis to maintain compliance and to assist general educators, special educators, related services providers and parents of special education students with needs and concerns.  The IEP Team is made up of teachers, a psychologist, speech and language pathologist, social worker, special educator and IEP Chair and parents. The team is responsible for admitting qualifying students by performing assessments.

ESOL

Hampstead Hill Academy’s diverse population includes a variety of languages spoken at home. While the majority of our English Language Learners speak Spanish at home, we also have students who speak Arabic, Mandarin Chinese and Russian. With over 140 English Language Learners currently enrolled at HHA, we offer an ESOL program that is based on building English language proficiency in the areas of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Our ultimate goal is for our students to feel empowered and have the tools they need to be successful in both social and academic settings. In order to do so, our ESOL teachers offer services to students both in and out of the classroom, collaborating with teachers and parents to best address the students’ language needs.

Additional Classroom Support

All PreK, kindergarten and first grade classrooms have a teacher and tutor to teach and assist with students.