Student Services

What is Student Services and how can they help?

Student Services is a school support for students, parents, and teachers.  The Student Services department can help parents by scheduling meetings to discuss student needs, providing resources to help with parenting and discipline, connecting to community resources, and more.  Student Services can also help students by meeting with them individually, as a group, or as a class.  Students can learn study skills, improve social skills, and find ways to manage the tough things life may throw their way.  Teachers can find support through classroom lessons on specific topics, working as a team to help students, and connection to resources.  This department exists to work with students, parents, and teachers to enhance and improve school success and life skills. 

How can I help my child academically?

• Communicate any concerns with the classroom teacher
• Utilize tutoring opportunities at school or in the community
• Set aside time during the week to go over skills with your student
• Create a quiet, calm, distraction free environment for homework and studying
• Assist your child in creating a weekly at-home schedule and incorporate school tasks
• Check if your child is tired or hungry.  Be sure they are getting enough sleep and eating well
• Changes at home (busy schedules, marital issues among parents, death and loss, etc) can all contribute to a drop in academic scores
• Be aware of stress, anxiety, depression, acting out, etc. This can make learning difficult at home and school.  Some ideas to try are talk with your child, communicate with the teacher, reach out to your pediatrician, talk with student services, call a professional counselor
• Provide a structured, safe, loving environment at home with clear boundaries and expectations
• Speak positively about your child’s abilities, about school work, and about the school

How can I help my child with social or emotional issues?

• Talk with the teacher and other school resources to help make a plan to address struggles
• Practice skills that are lacking by talking about them, teaching them, modeling them
• Find and use good resources like social/emotional learning books and activities
• Schedule times for your child to work with Student services
• Connect with community resources like community agencies, pediatricians, or professional counselors- these offer individual and group settings to help students learn and practice skills, or discuss concerns at-hand
• Remember that students are still learning these skills and each student varies in their social and emotional growth
• Be aware of what is being modeled and taught at home and make adjustments as needed
• Be intentional about listening to your child and help them problem solve their struggles and think of other options For example: For younger students- “We must use our hands to help and not hurt. Hitting is not how we tell our friends we want that toy.  What other ways can we tell someone we want to share the toy?” Or for older students- “I hear you saying your friends are not being kind. I’m so sorry it has been so hard with them. What can I do to help? And what can you do to help the situation?”

Where do I learn more about parenting skills?

• FBCA and FBCO wants to be a support for you at school and home. Please reach out if we can discuss and help you as you parent your child. It can be tough!
• Find and use resources like online tools, books, and connect with parents who have experience in this area. 
• Attend parenting classes and trainings through community agencies such as counseling agencies, the library, online courses.

How do I address awkward or tough subjects with my child?

• The best place for your child to hear about awkward or tough subjects is from you, the parent.
• Be as honest and open as you can, keeping in mind your child’s age and developmental stage.  How a parent would discuss a topic with a 6 year old will look different than if they were discussing the same topic with a 16 year old. 
• It’s okay to say, “This is an awkward subject for me too, but it is an important one that we need to talk about. We can talk about tough/awkward things”
• Allow time for questions or for your child to share their thoughts.
• Utilize online resources, books, activities to help in your discussion. One online resource written in a Christian perspective is Axis.org. This site has a section on addressing tough subjects from a Christian worldview and can be found at this link https://axis.org/resource-category/parent-guide/.

What are resources in our community to help with academics, behavioral struggles, social development, tutoring, etc?

(Not all resources share the Christian values of FBCA)

• Academics and Tutoring:
  • Sylvan Learning
  • Varsity Tutors
  • Club Z!
  • Kumon Math and Reading Center
  • BJU Curriculum Help in Language and Math for 4th-8th graders: https://afterschoolhelp.com/
    This resource directly aligns with the curriculum your student is learning in these two subjects. There are short videos to explain concepts, links for practicing skills, and more!

• Behavioral and Social Development:
  • YMCA before and after school programs
  • Pediatrician, Psychiatrist, or Family Doctor can provide referrals and discuss concerns
  • Professional Counselors- you can google search or go to PsychologyToday.com
  • CenterPointe Hospital
  • Christian Counseling Connection in Missouri
  • Unlimited Potential Counseling and Education Center
  • Sandhill Counseling and Consultation
  • Compass Health Network in Missouri
  • Sign up for a community activity or team like soccer, tae-kwon-do, fishing, etc.
  • Be involved in your local church
  • Occupational Therapy – The Center for Exceptional Learning, Leaps and Bounds, STL Children’s – Children’s Therapy at Progress Point

What do I do if I am concerned about my child’s health or safety?

• Talk with your pediatrician or family doctor
• Talk with the school nurse, student services, teacher, and/or principal to help create a plan at school
• Call 911 in emergency situations
• Call the non-emergency police line if it is not an emergency but you need assistance from law enforcement
• Create a safety plan with your child and educate them on what to do in various situations (Examples: when there is a stranger who comes to talk to them, what to do in a fire, what to do if they are bullied, if they are abused, what to do if they were in a physical altercation, if they aren’t feeling well, what to do if they don’t feel safe or someone else isn’t safe, etc).
• Monitor them closely and talk with them about concerns if you are able
• Remove them from situations or remove items from the home that may create safety concerns

How can I help my child spiritually?

• Parents are designed to be the lead disciple-maker in their home.
• Discuss God and spiritual topics in relation to every day things (look at creation, discuss how God worked in your life today, etc).
• Schedule intentional time to be in the Word with your child(ren).
• Model Christ-like behavior and choices and set a good example. Admit when you have made mistakes. Model asking for forgiveness and true repentance.
• Utilize resources such as the Bible, Family devotions, Christ-centered activities and lessons.
• Serve together as a family.
• Offer grace and forgiveness to your child when needed, but also discipline when needed as well.
• Ask your child what he or she is learning about the Lord and how He is working in his or her life.
• Be involved in the local church and make it a priority.
• Connect your child to adults who can help support their spiritual growth such as an AWANA leader, a life group leader, a family friend, a pastor, etc.  Seek out age appropriate leaders and mentors for your child. 
• Deal with sin- talk about it, pray about it, and don’t ignore or “sweep it under the rug”.
• Answer tough questions as honestly and developmentally appropriate as possible.
• FBCO Pastoral staff is available to discuss any questions you or your child may have.

How do I know if my child is on track developmentally?

• Consider their physical development, social/emotional development, and academic development. It is not uncommon to have one category more on track than another (example- kids who do great academically but have had slow physical growth, kids who struggle socially/emotionally, but are inches taller than their peers)
• Talk with your teachers and FBCA resources about academic and social/emotional development
• If you have physical development concerns, talk with your pediatrician or family doctor
• If there are any concerns, early intervention is better to help improve long-term outcomes
• Utilize books, community resources, online tools to help track, monitor, and work toward reaching developmental goals

For middle school students, what electives do they need to take?

• Each student will be assigned a homeroom
• Each student can opt to have study hall classes

Resources for Careers and Career Exploration:

O*NET has a lot of resources to help learn more about thousands of careers.  Students can also complete an Interest Profiler (recommended for middle school aged) to help them learn more about careers in their areas of interest.
O*NET Link- https://www.onetonline.org/
Interest Profiler Link-https://www.mynextmove.org/explore/ip
Our Middle School also teaches a “Careers” elective class in which we will explore careers and career paths.

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Confidentiality in Student Services: