student support services

how we support your students

Wasatch Charter School offers student support services through a variety of avenues that address social, emotional, behavioral and academic challenges at all levels of need.  

Students are met with universal support in Tier I of this multi-tier system of support. 

The Waldorf pedagogy, which is linked to child development, offers a constant source of support for the head, heart and hands of all students in the general classroom. 

  • Stories - in each grade students hear and learn from stories told by their teachers geared specifically to their age range that relate to social emotional and behavioral skills while also teaching academic content.

  • Class Social Circles - each class holds social circles that are similar to restorative practice circles in which the health and well being of the entire class is addressed both preventatively and in response to rising issues.  Teachers typically hold their circle weekly and in an appropriate manner to the students’ ages.  

  • Specialty Classes that foster physical, social and emotional development. 

    • Handwork

    • Eurythmy

    • Games

    • Gardening/Farming

    • Music - Singing and Strings

  • Rhythm and Routine - a major emphasis in any classroom in a Waldorf school is to maintain a consistent and structured rhythm which benefits all of the students and helps them to feel safe and calm at school.

  • No Blame Meetings - restorative justice meetings where older buddies and their younger peers hold a staff facilitated meeting to come up with solutions to conflict.

  • Prevention and public health programs are intertwined into the general education curriculum in developmentally appropriate ways and in alignment with the Waldorf curriculum. 

  • Buddy Classes

  • Peer Tutors 

  • Support Circle Meetings - parents, teachers and Three Streams staff facilitator meet to discuss challenges and come up with intervention plans to help students

  • Parent Nights

  • Friday Assemblies - opportunities for classes to perform for peers

student support executive group (SSEG)

A committee of staff from the Three Streams and other areas of the school that meets weekly to discuss supports needed for students.


  • Classroom teachers join this meeting on a rotating basis to address their concerns with specific students in their class.

  • RTI is reviewed prior to special education referrals

  • Three Streams Request Forms are addressed and resolved

3 streams

As you move away from Tier I supports, Wasatch Charter School has Three Streams of Student Support and within each stream are more intensive strategies, tools, resources and dedicated staff who bring those varied supports to the students, their teachers and parents as the needs arise:

Wasatch Charter School addresses the fact that there is a need for more than just academic support in school; any child may need other types of support as they navigate days filled with social interactions.  The Three Streams includes academic support but also exists in order to address other student needs and challenges as they are identified. 

Tier II supports: These supports will likely develop as accommodations or instruction in small groups, in the classroom with the teacher or an assistant 

Tier III supports:  These supports may be more frequent, last for a longer period of instructional time, usually with a specialist, very small groups whenever possible and at times 1:1 with staff, and may be require more intensive accommodations

Tier IV supports: Support is given through an IEP after a student has qualified for special education.

team members and positions

Spencer Dirats
Coordinator

Sarah windes
Therapist

Susan Bollow
Social Work
supervisor

Marta Gradlione Rodriguez
team member

Samantha Nielsen
Team Member

Vivian Gayol
SPED TEACHER / 3 STREAMS DISCIPLINE & GUIDANCE
SOCIAL INCLUSION:

  • No Blame Meetings

  • 1:1 meetings with students for Social Emotional and Emotional Regulation coaching

  • Social Skills groups and Lunch Bunches

  • Class Social Circles

  • Support Circle Meetings (for social / emotional needs)

  • Parent Classes and Coaching

  • Student Action Committee 

  • Peer Buddy Training

Discipline and Guidance

  • Support Circle Meetings for students with discipline / guidance concerns

  • Involved in documentation, notification and follow-up for suspensions, expulsions, restraints, bullying and harassment allegations

  • 1:1 meetings with students for Social-Emotional and Emotional Regulation coaching 

  • Implementation of individual student change plans

  • Re-entry meetings for students who have been suspended / disciplined

  • Weekly check-ins with interns and LCSW

  • Recess Supervision, including Check-in and Go/Stay

  • Individual Transition Plans

  • Behavior Intervention Plans and Functional Behavior Assessments

  • Restorative Conferences

Learning and remedial

  • Movement and remedial support

  • Academic support and instruction in special education and interventions

  • Special Education Coordination from Child Find through to IEP implementation

  • 504 plan coordination 

  • Response to Intervention - RTI - processes

  • Curative Education 

  • Therapeutic Eurythmy

  • Child Study

The heart of the Waldorf method is the conviction that education is an art – it must speak to the child’s experience. To educate the whole child, their heart and will must be reached as well as their mind.

—Rudolf Steiner

section 504 plan process


If your child has a disability impacting one of their major life functions and you would like to create a 504 plan with the school:
1.  Contact the school’s 504 Coordinator:  Kara Salisbury at info@wasatchwaldorf.org 
2.  A meeting will be set with the 504 Coordinator, the parent, and the classroom teacher.
3.  The 504 plan will be written in the meeting, and signed by those in attendance before leaving the meeting.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Americans with Disabilities Act

Notice of Nondiscrimination
Applicants for admission and employment, students, parents, persons with disabilities, employees, and all unions or professional organizations holding collective bargaining or professional agreements with the Wasatch Charter School are hereby notified that this district does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, age, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities.

Any person having inquiries concerning the school district’s compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title IX, The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Section 504 is directed to contact the following individual who has been designated by the school to coordinate efforts to comply with the regulations regarding nondiscrimination:

Name: Heather Campbell
Title: Student Support Services Director

Programs for Students with Disabilities under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibit discrimination against persons with a disability in any program receiving federal financial assistance. Section 504 defines a person with a disability as anyone who . . .
Has a mental or physical impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, sleeping, standing, lifting, reading, concentrating, thinking, communicating, helping, eating, bending, or operation of a bodily function. (This is not an exhaustive list of major life activities, which means even if an activity or function is not listed it can nonetheless be a major life activity.)

The Wasatch Charter School has the responsibility to provide accommodations and services to eligible individuals with disabilities. The Wasatch Charter School acknowledges its responsibility under Section 504 to avoid discrimination in policies and practices regarding its personnel and students. No discrimination against any person with a disability shall knowingly be permitted in any program or practice in the school.

Parent and/or Student Rights under Section 504
The following is a description of some student and parent rights under Section 504 and other federal laws. The intent of the law is to keep you fully informed concerning decisions about your child and to inform you of your rights if you disagree with any of these decisions.

• Have your child take part in and receive benefits from public education programs without discrimination based on a disability.
• Receive notice with respect to identification, evaluation, program, or placement of your child.
• Have your child receive a free appropriate public education. This includes the right to be educated with other students to the maximum extent appropriate. It also includes the right to have the school make reasonable accommodations to allow your child an equal opportunity to participate in school and school-related activities.
• Have your child educated in facilities and receive services comparable to those provided for students without disabilities.
• Have evaluation, educational, and placement decisions made based upon a variety of information sources and by individuals who know the student, disability, evaluation data, and placement options.
• Give your child an equal opportunity to participate in nonacademic and extracurricular activities offered by the school.
• Examine all relevant records relating to decisions regarding your child’s identification, evaluation, educational program, and placement.
• File a local grievance with your school if you feel your child is being discriminated against because of their disability.
• Request a due process hearing to help resolve issues with the school.
• Contact the Section 504 Monitor at Utah State Office of Education, Educational Equity Section (801-538-7647).
• File a formal complaint with the regional Office for Civil Rights. The office is part of the U.S. Department of Education. The regional office is located at 1244 Speer Boulevard, Denver, Colorado 80204-3582.

individual health plan IHP process

If your child has a medical condition that requires support, administration of medications, or care during the school day, an Individual Health Plan (IHP) should be drafted with the school nurse.  In order to draft a health plan that includes the administration of medications, a form with a qualified healthcare professional’s signature must be provided by the parents to the school nurse.  Forms are available in the front office.  To request a meeting with the school nurse to discuss health concerns, please contact our school nurses at nurses@wasatchwaldorf.org.

english language learners identification and placement

The following is the process for identifying and placing ELL students in an appropriate language program that assures them of an equitable, quality education:

  • At the time of student registration, parents are given a home language survey that asks, among other things, if there is a language other than English spoken in the home. If the answer to this question is No, the student is not referred for ELL services. If the answer to this question is Yes, a copy of the registration form is forwarded to the ELL Coordinator, who initiates an evaluation process as follows:
    • The ELL Coordinator administers a Screener placement test to assess the student’s English language proficiency. The ELL Coordinator then notifies parents of the student’s placement in an appropriate English language development program. Included in the notification is an option for parents to approve of the student’s participation in the program, or to opt out of ELL services.
    • Students whose parents have approved their participation in an appropriate English language development program will receive alternative services or embedded services using an approved ELL instruction program. Services are in effect for one school year. Each year, the student is assessed to evaluate progress and to determine if the student should continue in the ELL program. The assessment used is WIDA. When the ELL student has reached proficiency level 5 (Bridging) that determines that services are no longer necessary, the student is exited from the ELL program.

A student who has been exited from the ELL program continues to be monitored for two years. If the student shows signs of struggle, appropriate interventions are implemented. If the student does not show signs of struggle, services are discontinued and the student is considered fluent.