Student Behavior
Understanding that negative behaviors are often a manifestation of trauma, the staff at RISE is committed to a full trauma-informed, restorative-based approach to student behavior support. From the time a student is enrolled, the staff collaborates heavily with the student, family, and other stakeholders to implement proactive and preventative practices such as community circles, a focus on socioemotional skills, Advisory communities, counseling, and a school-wide positive behavior incentive system.
When breaches do take place, RISE admin, behavior interventionists, counselors, and case managers work to support students through a restorative process that provides alternatives to suspension that are more targeted to address the root cause of the negative behavior. Through tools such as student mediations, in-school reflection, leadership courses, and more, students work with staff to successfully reintegrated and continue to build trust with staff and with their peers.
School-Based Mental Health Counseling Services
RISE has a full in-house Mental Health Team that consists of a School Psychologist, a counselor, two case managers, two behavior interventionists, and one Coordinator of Services & Partnerships who focuses on school-wide support services for students.
The Mental Health Team offers a variety of services for students, including counseling, case management, connection to resources, groups, college counseling, internship and career readiness, and more. We believe that a more comprehensive approach to school best positions students to make the holistic growth necessary to heal from past trauma, overcome current challenges, and prepare to be healthy, happy, and successful in their post-secondary endeavors.
Parent & Stakeholder Partnerships
We believe that the stronger the support networks students have, the more likely they are to succeed. To this end, we work closely with parents/guardians, families, and other stakeholders such as social workers, case managers, education attorneys, probation officers, CASAs, and other student supporters to ensure everyone is on the same page.
There are various ways for families & stakeholders to get involved, including:
- Student-Led Conferences (SLCs), which are held twice per year
- STAC Meetings (Student-Teacher-Adult-Counselor/Case Manager), which are held as needed during the year for progress monitoring and support plan implementation
- Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) meetings
- School Site Council (SSC) meetings
- Parent & Stakeholder Workshop Series
Click here to learn more about how to get involved!
Social-Emotional Support
All RISE staff receive extensive training in trauma-informed care to ensure the creation of a school environment that supports student safety, well-being, and socio-emotional growth.
Through all classes and Advisories, students continually engage with and pursue the 4Cs: RISE’s socio-emotional framework that encourages growth in how one relates to self, others, and the world around them.
Basic Needs
In keeping with our philosophy of a whole-child approach, RISE pursues holistic care by addressing a variety of basic needs for students. All students at RISE receive breakfast and lunch each day, transportation is available via TAP cards and (when eligible) HopSkipDrive, school supplies such as notebooks and writing utensils are provided free of charge by request, professional dress closets are open to students at both sites, and hygiene products are available as needed.
RISE also partners with organizations such as A Place Called Home to link students to medical and dental care, resources for pregnant and parenting teens, meals for families over weekends, and more.