Our school has an active Student Support team which includes:
• Mrs Shirley Savage (Support Teacher – Students with Disabilities)
• Ms Kim Wittenberg (Learning Support Teacher)
• School administrators
• School Guidance Officer (one day per week), and
• School Speech and Language Pathologist (4-5 visits per term)
Teachers refer students to the Student Support Team for a wide variety of reasons, including:
• Requests for assistance monitoring academic progress, either advanced or delayed;
• Concerns about particular behaviours exhibited at school, e.g. anxiety, reluctance to participate, difficulty controlling emotions; or
• Assistance planning and implementing supplementary or alternative programs for identified students.
Your child’s teacher will discuss their thoughts with you prior to making a referral to Student Support, and provide you with a Parent Consent for Referral form, which enables you to provide any additional relevant information which could help us make decisions about next steps. The referral process does not necessarily mean that your child will be in a ‘learning support group’, or withdrawn from class for special tasks. New referrals are discussed at our weekly meetings, with the referring teacher in attendance. Often the Support Team will offer teaching suggestions, recommend further monitoring, or provide information about outside agencies or resources which parents may find helpful
.
Support programs for selected students are usually delivered by either Kim Wittenberg (P-3), Shirley Savage (4-6) or one of our skilled Teacher Aides.
Please don’t worry or panic if your child’s teacher suggests a referral to our Student Support team – this is just another way in which our school provides differentiated support for our students.