Support Services

Optimal Learning

The Optimal Learning Program (OLP) offers students with learning differences an opportunity to fully participate, contribute and excel in the classroom. Students who receive Optimal Learning (OL) services are provided with the necessary accommodations to be empowered and reach their fullest academic potential. OLP realizes the importance of addressing each student's needs in the classroom and supports faculty with Differentiated Instruction strategies and content delivery.

The process begins with a student's referral by a classroom teacher or parent. The Child Study Team (CST), consisting of the school’s Principal, the K-12 Counseling-Psychologist, the Counselor(s), the OLP Specialist and the OLP Coordinator, determines which programs offered by the school will most effectively meet the student’s needs and provide opportunities for him/her to reach his/her potential. The OLP Specialist works closely with teachers to differentiate the student’s curriculum and adjust his/her learning experience to suit his/her individual needs.

A full battery of psycho-educational assessments, which are administered by in-house, or non- ACS Athens based psychologists, must be completed prior to enrollment in OL. Based on their findings and subsequent report, standards are set according to the individual needs of the referred student. Effective strategies are developed by the OLP Specialist and are then shared with all teachers working with each student. Small group instruction and cooperative learning activities are incorporated within the student’s curriculum to complement various learning abilities.

The Optimal Learning Program provides three levels of support:

1. OLP Classroom

2. OLP Consultation

3. OLP Individual Support Plan (ISP) 

 For new students: enrollment in OLP Classroom, OLP Consultation or OLP ISP is determined by the OLP Coordinator and OLP Specialist and recommended through the Admissions letter. 

For returning students: enrollment in OLP Classroom, OLP Consultation or OLP ISP is determined by CST and recommended to parents.

OLP Consultation

The Optimal Learning Program Consultation is a support service for students who need support as well as testing accommodations to help them succeed in the regular class; however, these students have achieved higher levels of independence and do not require OLP Classroom time.  The consultation lasts between 15 and 20 minutes and takes place once a week.

1. The Optimal Learning Program specialist meets with the student on a brief pull-out basis during a scheduled and convenient time for both. The OLP Specialist is responsible for contacting the student at the beginning of the school year and arranging the regular weekly meeting. 

2. OLP Consultation students receive an ILP, as described above, and are entitled to accommodations, which are specific to each student's needs and stem from the psycho-educational report. Accommodations are stated within the ILP as guidelines for teachers to follow so that individual student needs are met.

3. The OLP Specialist communicates regularly with members of the faculty to monitor each student’s progress.

4. Formal communication with parents takes place at the end of the school year, when the ILP is reviewed, progress is discussed and new goals for the following school year are set. The parents of the newly enrolled students meet with the OLP team at the beginning of the school year. The OLP Specialists also participate in the Parent-Teacher Conferences that take place across all schools (Elementary, Middle and Academy). In addition, communication between the professionals of the Optimal Learning Program and parents is continuous and ongoing throughout the year via phone calls or emails as often as necessary.

Counseling/Advisory Services

The School Psychologist, Dr. Manos Kougioumzoglou, and the Elementary School Counselor, Mr. Demetri Pelidis and Ms. Michela Martines, work with students individually and/or in groups to assist them in the development of skills for optimizing their strengths. Approaching students holistically will help them overcome emotional, social, and cognitive challenges.  The school psychologist and the counselor work closely with parents and teachers to resolve student issues and are involved in the Child Study Team in order to suggest interventions for any special needs students may have.  Parent consent for counseling must be provided in writing. 

Child Study Team (CST)

Consent Form- Child Study Team

"By enrolling your child in our school, you agree to adhere to our Child Safety and Trust guidelines as recommended by the Child Study Team (CST), which are critical for your child's safety and success. Non-compliance with these guidelines may lead to the withdrawal of your child's admission or suspension from the school. We emphasize the importance of these rules in maintaining a secure and positive learning environment for all."

The Child Study Team monitors and analyzes a full range of student performance, including academic, social-emotional, behavioral and overall well-being. The team determines which programs offered by the school will most effectively meet the student’s needs and provide opportunities for them to reach their potential. CST supports students by creating intervention plans and recommending the next steps for student support and growth.

The Child Study Team (CST) is made up of the Principal, Assistant Principal, Counselors, K-12 Licensed Clinical Psychologist, the Optimal Learning Specialists, and the OLP Coordinator. CST carefully considers input from faculty, staff, and parents on a regular basis. This team meets weekly for continued collaboration about student needs.

For each case, the process begins with a student's referral by a classroom teacher or parent.

In order to design and determine the best possible learning experience for each student, informal observations may involve administrators, educators, and specialists throughout the day as needed, inside and outside the classroom.

Process of Referrals to the School’s Licensed Clinical Psychologist

According to APA (American Psychological Association) Clinical psychology is the psychological specialty that provides continuing and comprehensive mental and behavioral health care for individuals, couples, families, and groups; consultation with agencies and communities; training, education, and supervision; and research-based practice. It is a specialty in breadth — one that addresses a wide range of mental and behavioral health problems— and marked by comprehensiveness and integration of knowledge and skill from a broad array of disciplines within and outside of psychology proper. The scope of clinical psychology encompasses all ages, multiple diversities, and varied systems. 

The referral to the clinical psychologist can be made:

1.      Through CST’s request (consent needed)

2.      Through Designated Safeguarding Lead / Officer (no consent needed)

3.      Parent’s request (consent needed)

4.      Student’s request (informing the parents after the first session of the student’s request, consent

          needed)

5.      Psychological emergencies (no consent needed)

1.      Child Study Team CST

CST can request the clinical psychologist to support a student if the case is to be managed within the school. The decision of whether the student needs further support comes from the clinician is based on assessment, observation, and/or clinical interview. The clinician needs to update CST to a level of confidentiality and parents of his findings. Recommendations may be given. If the case is only managed internally by the school’s psychologist, nine (9) sessions is the limit of the sessions that can be delivered. If there is a need to continue following the student’s request, referrals for external therapists can be provided. The school’s clinician and external therapist must communicate in the student's best interests, and parents will be asked to sign the relevant consent form.

2.      Designated Safeguarding Lead /Officer

Whenever ACS Athens staff members have reasonable cause to believe that a student is suffering or is at significant risk of suffering abuse or neglect, they must report the suspected incidents of child abuse or neglect to appropriate school personnel. The Designated Safeguarding Lead and Officer are responsible for the procedures that ACS Athens follows, which may include physical examination and psychological evaluation. In such a case, consent to examine or evaluate the student is not a requirement, and the newly updated local laws will be strictly followed. The liaisons are responsible for reporting the incident to the authorities.  

3.      Parent’s request

Parents can also place a request (via e-mail kougioumzogloue@acs.gr) for their children to book an appointment with the clinical psychologist. At first, the parent(s) will have to book an appointment themselves with the clinician to address the request and to receive the developmental history before the clinical psychologist sees the student, with the condition that the student is willing to receive such services. Parents are guided when addressing their concerns and volition to make this appointment.

 As soon as the first one or two sessions are conducted with the student, the clinician should call the parents for another meeting to explain his findings and recommendations.  If the case is only managed internally by the school’s psychologist, nine (9) sessions is the limit of the sessions that can be delivered. If there is a need to continue due to the student’s request, referrals for external therapists can be provided. The school’s clinician and external therapist must communicate in the student's best interests, and parents will be asked to sign the relevant consent form.

4.      Student’s request

A student at any level can request to see the school’s clinical psychologist. During the first meeting and after having a first clinical impression of the student’s request, the student is required to have parental consent. The distinction between parental consent and confidentiality is to be clear. After comprehensively assessing a student's need(s), a referral for external therapy might be made if the difficulty is more perplexing.

5.      Psychological Emergency

A psychological emergency is an acute disturbance of a student's behavior, thought, or mood, which, if untreated, may lead to harm, either to the individual or to others in the environment. Under the umbrella term “psychological emergency,” you can have both majors, where there is a danger to life either of the student or to others in his/her environment, or minor, where there is no threat to life but causes significant difficulty (Sudarsanan et al., 2004).

Suicide, Parasuicide, Non-Suicidal Self Harm (NNHS): these conditions are major psychological emergencies, and consent won’t be requested before the intervention. Instead, an assessment will be conducted once such a case is reported. If the student is not willing to follow the school’s procedure, parents will be asked to come and pick the student up. During this time, students will not be left without supervision.

As parents, you might be requested to follow very specific recommendations relevant to the outcome of the assessment, such as visiting an external public or private professional. If the case is identified as critical according to the outcome of the assessment, the student may return to campus only with a medical note stating that there is no immediate danger towards himself/herself and others.   

Indicatively, other major and minor psychological emergencies are as follows:

Lastly, the school's clinical psychologist can visit classes and observe with or without CST’s request. He can also participate in parent meetings to consult if and when needed. 

Child Safety Statement

Greek law: Child safety

Article 23 Ν 3500/2006

According to Greek law, article 23N 3500/2006, any school staff member (teachers, staff, specialists, counselors, nurses) who is informed or confirms in any way that minors are subjected to family violence/abuse, is obliged to report it immediately to the respective authorities. 

Those described above who have reported family crimes are not legally involved, disciplined, or dismissed from their jobs or suffer any other consequences for reporting the incident while on the job unless their report is not true. 

ACS Athens is a student-centered international school, embracing American educational philosophy, principles, and values.  Through excellence in teaching and diverse educational experiences, ACS Athens challenges all students to realize their unique potential academically, intellectually, socially, and ethically – to thrive as responsible global citizens.  ACS Athens works diligently to provide a place of belonging, trust, and care for all its students.  Staff members are committed to educating students and the community about child safety and responsible personal and social behaviors. 

Child abuse and neglect are violations of children’s human rights and are obstacles to the child’s education as well as to their physical, emotional, and spiritual development. Whenever ACS Athens staff members have reasonable cause to believe that a child is suffering or is at significant risk of suffering abuse or neglect, they must report the suspected incidents of child abuse or neglect to appropriate school personnel.  Authorized personnel, within the parameters of best educational practices, school regulations, and local law, will follow up on all referrals.

Elementary Math Studio

The Elementary Math Studio offers students best practices approaches to learning mathematics in an environment that guides and encourages elementary students to develop and achieve their academic potential. During sessions, small groups will be guided to reach conceptual understanding of numeracy skills and will be exposed to mathematical literacy. Students will also have access to various resources to help build confidence, understanding of number sense and foundational math skills. The Math Studio also challenges and engages students who demonstrate exceptional mathematician abilities.

ESL Foundation Program

Students who are at beginning and intermediate levels of English are enrolled in the ESL program to further develop their English language proficiency. The ESL team works with students during their language learning time on reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills in the English language. Additional support throughout the day is provided during core classes. The ESL teacher collaborates with each student’s homeroom teacher to ensure alignment of learning, skill building, and consolidation of knowledge. There is an additional fee for this program due to the small size and individualized attention that students receive attending this service.