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When asked what a typical session looks like, DePra emphasized the flexible and individualized nature of her work. Certified in the Orton-Gillingham approach, she weaves this multisensory instruction into all her interventions. She also uses resources like Wilson Language Training ®, a structured literacy intervention curriculum.
Where the Wilson method typically pushes one full lesson per day, DePra says she has the flexibility to go at each student’ s pace and incorporate additional activities based on individual needs.“ I have all these other tools that I can take from my repertoire and integrate with [ the program ], so kids are getting even deeper of an intervention.”
Many of the tools DePra uses— sand trays, Magna Doodle ®, and popsicle sticks, to name a few— align with the Orton-Gillingham approach, which emphasizes hands-on learning alongside systematic instruction. DePra says she loves to pull these tactile tools out as an additional way to activate learners’ brains and solidify skills.
She also says her time with a student typically consists of 90 % mastered skills review and 10 % new skills work, creating an atmosphere of encouragement and success for students who may feel self-conscious about their progress compared to their peers.
Social-Emotional Support
In addition to academic support, Student Services offers counseling and behavioral services facilitated by Kali Stull( K – 5 counselor), Sarah Faulx( Middle School counselor), and Venesky. During the 2024 – 25 school year, Falk also hosted a Master of Social Work( MSW) intern working toward a Mental Health Certificate.
“ The counseling department is one way that we’ re trying to show up for the whole child,” Stull says,
“ knowing that their social-emotional and mental wellbeing are as important as the academics, and they’ re inextricably linked.” Stull views the counselor role as a“ weaver of different people who care about the child,” working collaboratively with students, families, classroom teachers, and administrators to nurture healthy friendships, emotional literacy, coping and regulation skills, and school and classroom culture.
TIER 1
Throughout the year, Stull and Faulx visit classrooms as often as once a week to present lessons on gradelevel-specific topics. As with academic services, these large group lessons fall under the Tier 1 support category.
In the past, lessons for Falk’ s youngest students have included body boundaries, identifying and expressing emotions, and“ I feel” statements, while fifth graders learn about navigating crushes, personal strengths and values, and different ways of being smart. At the Middle School level, Faulx teaches lessons like“ How to be a Middle Schooler” and“ Happiness Lab: the Science of Mental Well-Being.” She also provides guidance for Middle School students and their families as they navigate the high school application process.
While the backbone of the social-emotional curriculum is planned out ahead of time, Stull says it’ s also important to be responsive. If third-grade students are having issues with teasing, for instance, that’ s something that will be addressed even if it wasn’ t part of their original curriculum.
TIER 2
One example of Tier 2 counseling support at Falk is small groups with themes like friendship or conflict resolution. One such group, facilitated by Stull for fifth graders, includes neurodiverse students and their allies. At meetings, Stull says,“ our three goals are connection, focusing on strengths, and building strategies for advocacy and thriving, even when things feel tough.”
Starting this year, Venesky says she hopes to facilitate a group for social skill development in kids exhibiting extreme behaviors. Following a simple six-step checklist, students could role-play difficult situations with their classmates and model healthy responses for one another. Having peer models, she adds, is important because“ they can see what that skill looks like with someone who looks like them instead of just two adults.”
Kali Stull, K – 5 counselor, catches up with students in the Falk lobby.
TIER 3
“ Students are really good at advocating for themselves and asking to spend time with us,” Stull says,“ and we want to honor that, so we do spend a lot of time one-on-
EN AVANT | 2025 ISSUE