Programs

Seem Middle School

 

25 William Street ~ Stoneham, MA. 02180

Phone: (781) 224-3780

Fax: (781) 224-3785

Principal: Stephanie Arzigian M.Ed

 

The SEEM Collaborative Middle School program is a therapeutic public day school program whose students range from grades 5-8.   Students enrolled in the program have not been able to meet the day-to-day demands of a traditional school setting, despite significant local special educational programming and supports.  Additionally, they do not possess the necessary skills to manage the emotional, social, physical, academic and behavioral demands of such institutions and therefore an out of district placement is warranted.

Students enrolled at SEEM Middle School have average or above average cognitive abilities.  All students have demonstrated difficulty progressing in a regular educational setting due to significant learning disabilities, organizational issues, social, emotional and/or behavioral issues.  All curricula taught at the Middle School follows the standards specified in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks while at the same time provides individual students with the support, adaptations and accommodations they need in order to learn their potential.  Our students receive small group instruction, math and reading groups based on individual needs and abilities and clear and consistent routines and expectations.  Teachers use graphic organizers, writing templates, hands on projects, written assignments, a master notebook system, journals, technology, audio-visual equipment, alpha-smarts and various other activities to reinforce learning.  Teachers consult regularly with the occupational therapist in order to monitor individual student’s skills in the area of fine-motor development, keyboarding and handwriting and consult with the speech and language pathologist in order to monitor individual student’s skills in terms of sequencing, vocabulary, receptive and expressive language and grammar.  Teachers also work closely with a reading and math consultant and a reading and math coach due to the complex learning needs of our students. 

The reading program utilizes a developmental multi-sensory approach to reading instruction.  The focus of the reading program is to improve the student’s word analysis skills and sight word vocabulary and apply these skills to read connected text at an appropriate reading level.  For students working at or above grade level in reading, the focus of their reading program is on improving reading fluency, comprehension, vocabulary skills and discussion skills.

In math, students at all levels develop concepts through the use of manipulatives and visual aids before transferring to paper and pencil tasks.  Students are encouraged to be problem solvers through opportunities to formulate questions, understand mathematical relationships and solve problems in both mathematical and everyday contexts.  Students are exposed to daily problem solving activities that help develop their mathematical thinking skills and teach specific strategies and steps to follow when solving one-step or multi-step word problems. 

Students participate in daily lessons in the content areas (social studies and science) at the actual grade level with adaptations for individual students whose skills may be below or above grade level. Students are required and encouraged to share their knowledge through discussions, hands-on projects, experiments, written assignments and various other activities. Again, students are taught how to use graphic organizers, such as webs, in order to organize learned information and aid in retention of the material.

In addition to the strong academic program, students are offered several elective choices each quarter.  These electives allow students to explore additional hands-on activities and become involved in the community.  Our electives include: adventure club, performing arts, culinary arts, newspaper, sports, art, community service and strategic games.

The Middle School is designed to provide each student with opportunities that support their learning and allow them to make academic progress. We believe that all students are capable of learning and behaving in ways that promote respect for individuals and the community.  The goal is to empower students to make choices that support behavior changes and will lead to a positive, productive future. Consequences to behaviors that are unsafe or that compromise the learning environment are not viewed as punishments, but rather opportunities for students to take responsibility for their actions; demonstrate self-control; and be reflective about the choices they make. The staff greatly values a team approach to education and understands that a student’s success in school is strongly tied to their support systems outside of the school setting. The school community values the potential for growth of each student. In order to personally grow, students need to make a commitment to the process of change.  The process of change begins with the Full Value Commitment. As a part of the Full Value philosophy, we believe that every experience is an opportunity for growth. The Full Value Contract establishes an atmosphere in which learning and growth in the community can take place.