Welcome to the web page for Greg Roberts. I am the .5 Behavioral Specialist/.5 Evaluation Team Chairperson at the J.R. Lowell Elementary School.  I have been working in the Watertown Public Schools for the past 14 years.  Previously, I worked at the Walker Home & School, a private therapeutic day & residential program in Needham, MA for children with severe special needs. 

As the evaluation team chair, I am responsible for coordinating special education services for students at the J.R. Lowell Elementary.  Once a student has been recommended for formal testing then I would schedule a team meeting, facilitate the team review of the test findings and determine eligibility for special education services.  The team determines eligibility based on the criteria set forth by the DESE eligibility flow chart.  Using this flow chart, the team determines if the student has a disability and whether or not the student is making effective progress and is functioning within the average range of his/her chronological peer group.  Based on this criteria, a student may be found eligible. 

As the behavioral specialist, I work as a member of the student services team to provide support to students who have been identified and need behavioral intervention beyond the general ed. classroom management system.  Over the past two years, I have been a member of a team including Veronica Knight (Guidance Counselor), Brian Connors (Guidance Instructional Assistant), Stacy Vachon (Behavioral Instructional Assistant), Craig Keefe (Part time Social Worker from Academy of Physical & Social Development) and two part time social work interns from the Academy.  We try to meet weekly for a "Wrap-Around Meeting" to discuss student issues, identify students for lunch groups as well as develop and implement other intervention plans for students.

Below is a description of the Opportunity Room and Academy services offered at the J.R. Lowell Elementary School.

Opportunity Room – This is a therapeutic space designated to provide ongoing behavioral and emotional support to students.  The space is staffed by the Behavioral Specialist and the Behavioral Instructional Assistant.  Students are able to access the space for breaks, time out space, adapted lunch/recess groups, and as a quiet work space.  A school-wide behavioral rubric is used when needing to deal with disciplinary issues.  Students sent for time out will fill out a process form with adult assistance to document any behavioral issues, help the student take accountability and develop behavioral alternatives that are safe and appropriate.

Academy – The Academy of Physical and Social Development has provided two graduate level mental health interns and one licensed mental health professional at the Lowell for a total of 11 service hours per week throughout the school year.

 

The graduate level interns have been providing direct service to students to assist in their overall social and emotional development with the goals being centered around school success, increased self-esteem and social skill development.  The format for the direct service from the interns has been through co-leading social skill groups, facilitating social lunch groups and supporting students on an individual basis for short term and long term support.  The graduate level interns have also filled several roles throughout the school on an as needed basis supporting classroom behaviors, providing detailed observations of student behavior and also assisting when appropriate in crisis interventions.

 

The licensed mental health professional has provided direct service and consultation while in the building on a weekly basis.  The mental health professional has lead groups focused on leadership and social skill development while providing direct consultation to the teachers who are working with the students in the classroom environment.  Through the role of consultant, the professional has attended IEP and team meetings to assist in the assessment, intervention development and support for the students and families being serviced along with supporting the teachers.  The consultant is also available to be contacted when not in the building on an as needed basis.