After Asheville Academy: Preparing Your Daughter for Her Transition Back Home

Before graduating from Asheville Academy, there’s a process our students begin to go through in order to make the transition run more smoothly.

For parents, this approaching shift teeters on a delicate balance between letting your daughter know the transition is approaching, getting essential things done (such as school applications), and not distracting her from her final work at Asheville Academy.

To get this message timing and balance correct, parents should work closely with our school personnel.

How we prepare your daughter for her transition home

To get everything out of the experience, the transition back home needs to be smooth, which is why we’ve developed a “transition-based” group within Asheville Academy. We call it the Sequoia Group.

Named after the great, strong Sequoia tree, our Sequoia group symbolizes not an end to our students’ time at Asheville Academy, but a transition to even further growth.

Sequoia Group is used to shift the student and family’s focus to transition. Personal and family goals become concentrated around things like school choice, technology use, socialization, and other important plans for the future.

Differences between Sequoia Group and other groups

Our Sequoia Group is a fully connected Tree House (what we call our dormitories). In this group, our students get to practice the tricky challenge of balancing school work, study habits, and autonomy by having more freedom.
Here are some of the greater freedoms awarded to our Sequoia Group. 

More Community-Based Activities.
To transition home smoothly, our girls have to get comfortable interacting out in the community. This is why we come up with more activities in which our students can connect with people outside of the program, such as going to the mall for extended periods of time.

Less Staff Intervention With Responsibility.
We want girls to get comfortable with the a certain level of autonomy they’ll have in traditional day or boarding school.
We request that girls balance activities and prioritize getting their homework and assignments done without staff prompts. Furthermore, this means that girls must wake themselves up in the morning. This teaches them to organize and prioritize their time wisely.

More Technology Use.
Technology is unavoidable, which is why we believe it necessary to teach our girls approaching graduation how to use it appropriately and sensibly. To do this, we equip our Sequoia cabin with a flat screen TV, online student computers to practice online activity, and smartphones. This allows our girls to practice adhering to their parents approved social media and technology use.

Less Supervision.
Now, this does not mean fully alone, but it does mean that our staff ration in-cabin is 1:8 instead of 2:8. Also, we grant girls in Sequoia the opportunity to move around campus in groups of 2 or 3, which is not allowed for other groups.

Reconnecting and More Home Visits.
We allow more frequent phone calls with an expanded approved phone list to our Sequoia girls in order to allow for reconnection with friends and extended family members. In order to transfer services, we also allow more frequent home visits–such as interfacing with a new therapist or psychiatrist.
At Asheville Academy, we want your daughter’s transition home to be as positive and peaceful as it can be–our Sequoia groups helps that happen for your family.

Asheville Academy is here for your family

Asheville Academy is a therapeutic boarding school for girls, ages 10-14. Our students commonly struggle with anxiety, depression, ADHD, learning differences, and other behavioral or emotional challenges. We understand that transitioning into middle school can be stressful for the whole family, but Asheville Academy is here to help.

With the help of our licensed therapists, experienced teachers, caring staff, and expertly designed program, our students move closer to a healthier life. We use the best tactics and therapeutic methods in order to help our students thrive at Asheville Academy.

For more information about how we help at Asheville Academy, call 800-264-8709 today.