Greetings from Your New School Psychologist!

Hello, I’m Sandi Thompson and I’m proud to be the first school psychologist at St. Michael’s in the history of the school. It is truly my privilege and honor to be a support and a resource for the St. Michael’s School community.

So…what is a school psychologist anyway? School psychologists are trained to provide a diverse array of services. We provide direct support and interventions to students; consult with teachers and other school staff as well as families to improve support strategies; work with school administrators to improve school-wide practices and policies; and collaborate with community providers.  

I’ve been a school psychologist in Tucson since 1997. I was a special education teacher in California for four years before heading to Arizona and the UA to obtain my PhD in Educational Psychology. All of my professional work prior to coming to St. Michael’s has been in public schools, and I am very happy to be working in a private school setting now. I’m particularly happy to be part of the St. Michael’s community.

My first two months here have been busy! I’ve been getting to know students, staff, and families along with learning about St. Michael’s traditions, expectations, and routines through talking with people, observing in classrooms, and participating in administrative and faculty meetings.  

I’m very excited to be partnering with Brendan Sullivan, Matt Teller, Mandy Hart, and Alex Hawes to develop and implement a collaborative systematic problem-solving process designed to support students, teachers, and families.  Meanwhile, I’ve consulted with a number of teachers regarding student concerns and have shared observations and support suggestions through my school psychologist “lens.”

I’ve also been busily compiling a database of outside community-based mental health service providers and have communicated with a number of parents to assist them with appropriate outside mental-health referrals. 

Plans are in the works to offer parent education seminars later in the year, and I’ve been involved in that planning process. Currently we are gathering information about seminar format and topic options and are excited to provide another opportunity for parents to connect and learn at St. Michael’s.

I am very glad to be a member of the St. Michael’s family. Please feel free to introduce yourself to me when we cross paths. I look forward to meeting and getting to know each of you and your children in the days ahead!

Dr. Sandi Thompson
sthompson@stmichael.net