Bridge Program - What is Bridge?

What is BRIDGE?

The Bridge program is a tier 3 re-entry program working with students to help them transition back from a hospital and/or treatment center due to emotional or medical reasons. Bridge may also support students that have not been hospitalized but are regularly missing school and class time due to school anxiety. We use a strengths based model and work hard to build trust and communication with students. We help students and their families manage the reentry and reintegration to school by supporting their academic, social and emotional needs.

Bridge students returning from a partial program or hospitalization, this program is short-term and students typically participate for 5- 12 weeks.

Bridge students working on addressing their school avoidance behaviors due to school anxiety can typically be in our program for a longer period, 3-5 months give or take the student's circumstances.

Bridge is housed in room 229 on the second floor of WMS.

Word collage of words describing Bridge.

Silhouette image showing two students at a desk engaged in conversation.

What might a TYPICAL DAY in BRIDGE look like?

A typical day or block in Bridge may include:

A check in and/or activity at the start of a block
Checking in with Bridge staff
Making a plan to catch up with make up work
Doing schoolwork
Seeing teachers for 1:1 meetings with Bridge staff
Meeting and talking with other students
Doing exposure work such as walking around the halls; entering classrooms or café while they are empty; attending classes for short period of time; etc.
Working on healthy coping strategies and challenging unhealthy behaviors or thought patterns.

Use of the BRIDGE space

Students can use the Bridge room to work on class assignments when they are capable of doing so.
Students can use the Bridge room to talk with staff and other students.
Students can use the Bridge room to make up quizzes and tests, pending the approval of their teachers.
Students may listen to music on their phones for focus purposes with staff permission.
Students may eat lunch in the Bridge space.

How can Bridge help?

Bridge staff can provide a variety of services, including:

Clinical support to teens and their families
Academic assistance and tutoring in a supportive, in-school environment
Collaboration with teachers to ensure that the student can maintain coursework to the extent possible
Communication between the student and school personnel, therapists, and other service providers

Bridge Program Alumni Services

Stepping Stones Program

Post graduating from the Bridge program, alums automatically get enrolled into our new tier 2 program called Stepping Stones.
Students have the ability to...
- Check in with staff 1x cycle until the student feels more secure and needs less frequent check ins.
- Get help with a quick schoolwork question.
- Get help communicating with teachers.
- Get help on problem solving a social/emotional challenge.
- Drop in if they need support accessing guidance or administration about an issue.

Image of a bridge with the words, the only journey is the one within by Rainer Maria Rilke.

Where is BRIDGE?

Bridge Program, WMS Room 229

301 Brook Street

Framingham, MA 01701

Phone: 508-782-7385 or

508-782-7354

Email:

rconlin@framingham.k12.ma.us or

kdykeman@framingham.k12.ma.us

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