Student Support

​At Our Lady of Mt Carmel School, we  are committed to inclusive practices in an evolving educational environment.  We work in collaborative partnerships to achieve educational outcomes whereby all students are given the opportunity to maximise their learning potential.

 

THE ROLE OF THE SUPPORT TEACHER INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: 

  • The support teachers work as part of a team of specialist personnel including the members from Administration, the School Guidance Councillor and other professionals to assist classroom teachers in providing quality teaching and learning environments for all students. 

  • Our activities range from whole school/year level programs to support accelerated learners through to individual/small group support for students experiencing learning difficulties in Literacy and Numeracy.  Learning support can take place in class  where the learning support teacher works alongside the classroom teacher or on a withdrawal basis.  The support may be long or short term and may extend across the key learning areas.


  • ​Verified Students:

Some children are 'verified' as having Special Needs.  These children are those with very high level needs in one or more of the following categories:

  • Physical Impairment

  • Intellectual Impairment

  • Hearing Impairment

  • Speech / Language

  • Vision Impairment

  • Social Emotional

  • Autistic Spectrum Disorder

  • Acquired Brain Injury

 

Individual Education Plans (IEPs) are prepared as part of the verification process. Goals are established by teachers and parents and adjustments are made to cater for the specific academic, social or behavioural needs of the particular student.   Individual Education Programs are reviewed on a regular basis. 

 

THE LEARNING CENTRE:

The Learning Centre is a place where children can work with the support of a school officer or Support Teacher. Students have access to up-to-date resources to support and enrich their learning in a pleasant and inviting environment. 

 

HOW PARENTS CAN ASSIST THEIR CHILD'S LEARNING:

As a parent, the best way to support your child in school is to be prepared and have as much information to share about your child as possible. Every child has their own gifts.  Recognizing these different learning styles may help you assist their learning.

 

​Visual-Spatial ​Doing puzzles, reading, writing, drawing, visual arts, having a good sense of direction, designing objects, fixing things
  • Give your child plenty of materials to able to draw, write, paint
  • Start with puzzles with fewer pieces, and as child gets older, have puzzles with more pieces

For school-age children:

  • Introduce to graphic arts
  • Try mazes
​Verbal- Linguistic ​Speaking, storytelling, writing, listening, using humor, remembering information, using language cleverly
  • Provide lots of books and reading materials. Read stories together.
  • Give child materials to write. Have her make a book and read it to you when she is old enough.

For school-age children

  • Get them enrolled in learning another language
  • Play word, board or card games
​Logical-
Mathematical
​Problem solving, categorizing classifying, working with geometric shapes
  • Give your child building toys
  • Play matching games
  • Have your child look for objects at home and put them into categories: all red objects, all round shapes

For school-age children

  • Give them games that involve logic and numbers
​Bodily-
Kinesthetic
​Dancing, sports, acting, anything requiring physical coordination, creating with hands
  • Make music a daily part of their activities, have free time to dance and move
  • Act out stories with dance only
  • Allow your child to try different kinds of sporting activities

For school-age children

  • Enrol child in team sport she likes
​Musical-Rhythmic ​Singing, playing musical instruments, composing music
  • Play music around the house
  • Introduce your young to basic musical sounds and instruments: bells, drumming

For school-age children

  • Let them learn to play a musical instrument or take formal music or dance lessons
​Interpersonal ​Able to see other's point of view, listening, able to pick up on cues from others, good at forming good relations with other people, conflict resolution; good leaders
  • Make sure your child has lots of interactions with other children
  • For older children, encourage your child to participate in group activities, take a leadership role

For school-age children

  • Enroll in groups such as Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts, or other team-building groups
​Intrapersonal ​Figuring out their own strengths and weaknesses, analyzing, understanding themselves and how they relate to others
  • ​Allow your child to take time to think before making choices, when possible
  • Allow your child to be quiet and reflective
  • If your child is hesitant or shy, don't force the issue

For school-age children

  • Have your school-ager keep a journal - activities, thoughts, whatever he would like
  • Find independent projects your child can work on