Marygrove Services

Marygrove provides an approved private agency special education school on campus for children (ages six to twenty-one) who are diagnosed as severely emotionally disturbed. It is certified through the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Special School District of St. Louis County. Individualized educational programs are offered along with therapy during the school day.

This school provides education to the residents of Marygrove and also to members of the surrounding communities who attend the Day Treatment Program. For students who need extra assistance in the classroom, speech, language, occupational, physical, art and recreation therapy are offered. In addition to the daytime school, tutoring services are offered to all residents. To further ensure the success of Marygrove residents, independent living classes are provided to those who are recommended to attend. These classes teach budgeting and occupational skills. The school curriculum also includes real world application that allows the student to learn similar concepts. All of these services contribute to the success of the students in the on-campus school.

The goal of the on-campus school is to transition the students from the Marygrove classroom to a Special School District classroom. For students outside of Marygrove, referrals are made by the referring district sending the student's school records, current IEP, current evaluation, and psychological information (if available) to Marygrove.

The written materials are reviewed by the Director of Education, the Special Education Teacher and the Therapist. They then consult with the Chief Operating Officer about whether to schedule an intake interview based on the needs of the referred student and the current population of the school. An admission interview and school tour is held with the student and the parent/guardian to determine if the program can meet that student's needs. Students are admitted based on their overall need for treatment, their attitude about treatment, and the parent/guardian's commitment to work with the program. A decision about placement is made after the interview, and the referring district is informed of the decision.

Students are placed in small groups for class subjects based on functioning level, age, maturity level, and particular types of behavior problems. The special education teacher, expressive arts coordinator and teacher aide consult with each other to make sure the groups meet the students' needs. A behavioral points system is utilized in the classroom. All privileges are earned through the point system and tracked on the "Daily Behavioral Rating" sheet.

Marygrove's school provides the tools necessary for severely emotionally disturbed special education students to achieve behavioral goals in the classroom with the end goal of returning to a traditional learning atmosphere. Individual, group, and family (when available and willing to participate) therapy are offered to students. Also, occupational, physical, speech, recreation and art therapy are offered to assist with the learning experience. The special education teacher, other educational professionals and mental health professionals create an educational plan for the student, and behavior is closely tracked by the special education teacher and the teacher's assistant. The behavior of each student is rated daily on a points sheet, and a percentage is calculated for each at the end of the week. When the student performs by exhibiting consistently proper classroom behavior, a referral is made to the special school district. The SSD will meet with the Marygrove team to determine the placement, and if possible, the student is moved.

Contact Information:

Wendy Pikula
2705 Mullanphy Lane
Florissant, MO 63031
314-830-6203
wpikula@mgstl.org


Website: www.marygroveservices.org