Student Support & Wellness
Welcome to the Office of Student Support & Wellness!
At SF Day, we are committed to nurturing the whole child — both academically and emotionally. I'm Naomi Rudolph, the Director of Student Support and Wellness. Our team includes learning specialists who provide academic support and counselors who focus on emotional well-being. Together, we work with students and families to address the complex needs of learning differences and social-emotional development.
From kindergarten through 8th grade, our department is dedicated to guiding students and families through the various stages of childhood. We offer the latest information, services (pushing into the classroom and pulling out small groups), and resources based on current research and best practices to support our community effectively.
Our dedicated team is here to ensure that each student thrives in a nurturing and inclusive environment. Together, we can create a meaningful and supportive educational experience for every child.
Meet the Office
Naomi Rudolph, Director of Student Support & Wellness
Nicole Sanders, Kindergarten Learning Specialist
Alli Yamasaki, 1st Grade Learning Specialist
Donna Hamilton, 2nd Grade Learning Specialist
Noam Scott, 3rd/4th Grade Learning Specialist
Katie Hammond, 5th/6th Grade Learning Specialist
Kristen Coleman, 7th/8th Grade Learning Specialist
Roxy Tehrani, Counselor
Student Counseling
Intent on nurturing and supporting the emotional health of each child, San Francisco Day School employs counselors to support our students and families. Our counselors are experienced in working with children grades K-8, and they understand the breadth of developmental, cognitive, social-emotional, and behavioral needs. A collaborative approach involving students, teachers, and families is the cornerstone of the counselors’ work. The counselors attend grade-level coffees to share information on social and emotional development and have offered parent education events around topics such as substance use, transition to high school, and friendship issues. The counselors are qualified and experienced in addressing issues around crisis intervention, protective services, and critical medical and family situations.
Testing & Evaluations
Informal and formal assessment are administered by classroom teachers and, when appropriate, by learning specialists. Standardized tests provide information on individual student achievement and help us to discover overall trends and patterns that we can use in evaluating the effectiveness of our curriculum. Screenings provide individual benchmarks for children’s growth and progress.
The following screenings and tests are administered yearly:
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Kindergarten screening measures readiness for beginning reading, writing, and spelling instruction.
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Speech and language screening is an assessment conducted by a school consultant for students in K-8 who show they could benefit from that support.
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First grade screening measures progress in beginning reading and written language skills.
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Educational Records Bureau Standardized Tests (ERBs) are mandated for all third through eighth graders by the California Association of Independent Schools. Results provide helpful information to the School and to parents concerning student progress—individually, as a class, and in comparison with students in other public and independent schools across the country.
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SSAT, the Secondary School Admission Test, taken in the spring of seventh grade and again in the fall of eighth grade, is part of the high school admissions process.
Advisories
“Bonding” is a word frequently used by students to describe the advisory experience at SF Day, which indicates the climate of respect, trust, and support which the advisory setting provides. Students meet in advisories five times a week, for twenty minutes each day. In 6th through 8th grade, groups of seven to twelve students meet with an advisor, who is a member of the teaching team for that grade. Advisory is a safe time and place for students to formulate academic and personal goals, discuss issues, and form relationships with their peers. Through these interactions, the advisor is able to form an overall picture of each advisee’s academic strengths and weaknesses, extracurricular activities, hobbies, and personal qualities. By virtue of having these insights and daily interactions, the advisor acts as a liaison between the student, the rest of the school, and the family.
Buddy Program
The Buddy Program links students in different grade levels and provides each student with a younger or older "buddy." Buddy classes meet throughout the year during the weekly afternoon assembly period. On any given buddy day, you may see a kindergartner working with an eighth grader on an art project or reading a book together. Other buddy day activities include math games, team building games, service projects, and banners for graduation. The buddy system is one way to strengthen ties across grade levels to build a stronger school community and a lasting connection for our children. Our students often remember their buddy fondly, whether younger or older. In fifth grade, students write a letter to their former kindergarten-eighth grade buddies to wish them luck in their first year of college.
Learning Specialists
Our learning specialists partner with classroom teachers to support curriculum that optimizes learning for all students at SF Day, and provide direct instruction to students. Our specialists also provide expertise and guidance to help teachers develop effective strategies, and act as liaisons between the school, tutors or outside specialists, and parents/guardians, as needed.