In the spring of 2019, the Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Department invited interested representatives from Santa Clara County school districts to visit our Unconditional Education (UE) partnership at Verde Elementary in Richmond. Fremont Union High School District was among those districts who attended the tour and applied for a UE partnership. Beginning in the fall of 2019, All-In has been proud to be in partnership with Fremont High School in Sunnyvale.
Fremont High has an enrollment of approximately 2,100 students who reflect the diversity of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara County. 61% of their students speak a language other than English at home, with over 60 languages represented. While FHS has a team of talented mental health providers on campus, the school identified a clear need to provide more support for students in need, particularly students in the general education program. In September 2019, our Seneca team, composed of Clinical Intervention Specialist Kayla Antes and Bilingual Student Support Assistant Abraham Munoz Godino, began working to serve the school community. In supporting the students on their caseload, Kayla and Abraham work closely with families and teachers, to create as much consistency and cohesion as possible in the treatment teams.
One of our missions in providing mental and behavioral health to students on campus as opposed to an outside clinic is accessibility and flexibility. There is a great benefit to students having consistent scheduled weekly sessions at school to practice tools of communication, reflection, and self-regulation. In addition to the scheduled weekly sessions, our students at FHS know that the Seneca Center hub on campus is a place where they can go if they’re experiencing stress or challenge on a given day and could use some support. If neither of our staff are available at that moment of need, students can leave a note for our team and/or send a text message to our staff requesting support at the staff’s next opportunity. In this way, our team can be responsive to the needs of our student caseload and provide a Wellness Center-type space for them, which is something our team and the school would like to expand upon as we move into the 2020-21 school year.
Fremont High has an enrollment of approximately 2,100 students who reflect the diversity of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara County. 61% of their students speak a language other than English at home, with over 60 languages represented. While FHS has a team of talented mental health providers on campus, the school identified a clear need to provide more support for students in need, particularly students in the general education program. In September 2019, our Seneca team, composed of Clinical Intervention Specialist Kayla Antes and Bilingual Student Support Assistant Abraham Munoz Godino, began working to serve the school community. In supporting the students on their caseload, Kayla and Abraham work closely with families and teachers, to create as much consistency and cohesion as possible in the treatment teams.
One of our missions in providing mental and behavioral health to students on campus as opposed to an outside clinic is accessibility and flexibility. There is a great benefit to students having consistent scheduled weekly sessions at school to practice tools of communication, reflection, and self-regulation. In addition to the scheduled weekly sessions, our students at FHS know that the Seneca Center hub on campus is a place where they can go if they’re experiencing stress or challenge on a given day and could use some support. If neither of our staff are available at that moment of need, students can leave a note for our team and/or send a text message to our staff requesting support at the staff’s next opportunity. In this way, our team can be responsive to the needs of our student caseload and provide a Wellness Center-type space for them, which is something our team and the school would like to expand upon as we move into the 2020-21 school year.
“It is very nice having another adult in the room to support students both academically and social-emotionally. Students are feeling a lot more supported and have been better able to engage in learning in the classroom.”
- FHS Teacher (Mid-Year Survey)
Extending the secondary benefit of the services we provide is a key priority area. In addition to support provided in our Seneca Center hub, Kayla and Abraham provide push-in support in the classroom as needed, which is a great support for our focal student and also for the teacher and classroom as a whole.
We are excited to continue our partnership with Fremont High into the 2020-21 school year and to expand our support to more students in need. A significant number of newcomers have joined the school community this year after their journeys of immigration, and we want to partner with the school in broadening and deepening the range of supports those students and their families can access. We are also looking at ways we can provide capacity building and support for more teachers and staff. We’re grateful for the partnership with FHS and Santa Clara Behavioral Health and are excited for what the future holds in this collaboration.
We are excited to continue our partnership with Fremont High into the 2020-21 school year and to expand our support to more students in need. A significant number of newcomers have joined the school community this year after their journeys of immigration, and we want to partner with the school in broadening and deepening the range of supports those students and their families can access. We are also looking at ways we can provide capacity building and support for more teachers and staff. We’re grateful for the partnership with FHS and Santa Clara Behavioral Health and are excited for what the future holds in this collaboration.
Blog Post Written By: Jason Keppe, Director of School Partnerships and Training Director
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