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Academics

Skills and Academic Strategies

Discussion On Skills and Academic Strategies Program



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Students who take SAS will develop into skilled, confident learners who can independently advocate for themselves as they successfully complete high school and move on to college.

Skills & Academic Strategies (SAS)

The Skills and Academic Strategies Department (SAS) provides an individualized program of support and strategies so that students can successfully meet the challenges of work in high school and beyond. The SAS curriculum focuses on the specific academic skills and strategies needed for success in high school and college. SAS learning specialists work with students so they:

  • Strengthen executive function skills
  • Adapt well to varied educational environments
  • Implement academic strategies
  • Develop self-advocacy skills
  • Understand himself/herself as a learner

SAS is taken as a scheduled class which meets during the academic day, three times a week as part of a student’s normal schedule. Each class includes group discussion of study strategies and skills, such as note taking, textbook reading, test preparation, computer literacy, and problem-solving, with ample time reserved for students to work on their individual class assignments. With a student-teacher ratio never greater than 4:1, SAS learning specialists are able to address individual student needs in a personal and friendly setting.

What to Expect in SAS

Individual Learning Profiles: SAS develops in-depth Individual Learning Profiles for all students at CH-CH. These documents are shared with faculty and promote creative lessons that engage students’ strengths. 

Executive Function Development: Executive function development work at CH-CH includes work on planning, prioritizing, organizing, cognitive shifting, and self-monitoring skills that allow intellectually capable adolescents to mature into effective independent learners.

Integrated Support: SAS coordinates its work with the work classroom teachers are doing, providing layers of support for students. 

Monitoring Their Progress: A student’s classroom progress is monitored by SAS teachers, and the student’s work in the SAS classroom is adjusted accordingly.

Real-Time Practice: SAS overlays executive functioning skill development on top of the core curriculum, so that students have real-time practice with real skills. 

Evolution and Progress: The SAS program evolves to meet the skills development of students as they progress from grade to grade.

Skills and Academic Strategies at CH-CH

Meet the SAS Faculty

List of 4 members.

  • Photo of Marissa Terrasi

    Marissa Terrasi 

    Skills and Academic Strategies Teacher
    Framingham State University - B.A., Liberal Arts
    Regis College - M.A., Education
  • Photo of Elizabeth Rosen

    Elizabeth Rosen 

    Skills and Academic Strategies Chair
    781-314-0838
    Roger Williams University - B.A., Communications
    Northeastern University - M.S., Education
    West Virginia University - M.Ed., Multicategorical Special Education
    Bio
  • Photo of Bekah LaCoste

    Bekah LaCoste 

    Skills and Academic Strategies Teacher; Theater Teacher
    New York University - B.S., Educational Theatre
    Bio
  • Photo of Ericka Berman

    Ericka Berman 

    10th Grade Dean; Skills and Academic Strategies Teacher
    Endicott College - B.S., Communication
    Mercyhurst University - Graduate Certificate, Organizational Leadership
Located 10 miles from Boston, Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall (CH-CH) is a private, college preparatory day and boarding school for grades 7-12/PG. CH-CH cultivates intellectual courage, creative ambition, and unwavering empathy that drives students to achieve their best.
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