February 2018

Dear Woodside Families,

As the Coordinator of the Student Services team, I would like to share some of the changes in our department this school year.

Some of the new faces in the Department are Ms. Allison Brunner, our new school psychologist, and Mr. Scott Shaffer, our school counselor. Both have been a great addition to our program.

Ms. Brunner works closely with our Student Services' Intervention Team in conducting psychoeducational evaluations for students that present with learning differences. Our Intervention Team consists of all our Specialists, some focusing exclusively on Special Education, others on General Education and the rest on a combination of both. Ms. Brunner, along with Ms. Beth Hoss, conducts the Advisory program for Middle School and provides counseling support to some students with IEPs.

Mr. Shaffer provides counseling support for any student on campus who requires social-emotional intervention. He uses a variety of counseling techniques such as play-based, cognitive-behavioral, and collaborative problem solving strategies. In addition to the individual or group counseling sessions, Mr. Shaffer facilitates clubs during lunch recess three days a week. These lunch clubs aim to provide alternative activities for students during lunch recess.  During this time, Mr. Shaffer works to promote friendship building, social skills, and problem-solving strategies.

A key part of the Intervention Team includes our paraeducators. They support students with individualized education plans and collaborate closely with all specialists as well as classroom teachers. Two of the new faces this year include Ms. Irena Kvam and Mr. Cristian Costantino.  Our paraeducators also supervise students during morning and lunch recess. They are an immensely valuable part of the school.

The Intervention Team empowers students to understand their learning differences. Integrity, confidentiality, and excellence are our gold standards. We foster resilience and support our students’ growth with compassion, dedication, and the best research-based specialized programs.

Please email me or schedule an individual appointment if you have any questions, comments or suggestions.

Sincerely,

Marta G. Batlle, Ph.D Candidate
Student Services Coordinator
mbatlle@woodsideschool.us
(650) 851-1571 Ext. 4007