Plymouth Creek highlights regulation stations and new counselor in Wayzata school spotlight

Plymouth Creek Elementary was the school spotlight at the Wayzata Public Schools board meeting on Nov. 10, where Principal Ashley Paul and new school counselor Mikaela Paulson described efforts to strengthen student belonging and social‑emotional supports.

Paul said the building updated its supports following a 2024 period of high student needs and a large student population (nearly 700 students). The school’s PTO invested $10,000 in materials to create regulation kits for learning spaces and staff received professional learning to implement the stations consistently. "So our dean... and I worked to research student materials... and ultimately create kits for each of our learning spaces," Paul said (presentation summarized SEG 591–599).

Mikaela Paulson, the school's counselor, described monthly classroom lessons and outreach to families. She said about 30 students have been added to her caseload through teacher, parent or guardian referrals. Paulson emphasized the classroom‑based, tier‑1 nature of the supports and the use of short instructional videos for staff and students. Students were shown in video clips describing how regulation stations and strategies like five‑finger breathing helped them rejoin learning.

Board members praised the student voice captured in the presentations and asked about vertical alignment with middle school counseling; Paulson and district counselors said they meet monthly and plan collaborative transition work with middle‑school counselors to prepare fifth graders for sixth grade.

The presentation concluded with board appreciation for the school's work on inclusion, counseling and staff collaboration.