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Welcome
to Mrs. Cooke's Room!
BCS's Resource and Academically
Talented Programs
Classroom
Mission Statement
Program
Procedures
Understanding
Learning Disabilities
Understanding Academically Talented
Other Specified
Needs
LINKS
*Key
Analogy*
We all have our own
unique set of keys. Each key
that we have
helps us to easily open the door to a certain skill.
Some of us have a key for sports, others of us have a key for
friendship, and some for math.
It is
possible for two people to have the same key, but no one has the same whole
set
of keys. Kids ought to
understand what set of keys God gave them, be
encouraged to use the keys that they have, and be taught how to knock on
the doors that they might not have keys for.
If kids are taught to see themselves in this way, they do not worry
as much about the keys that they do not have, and they enjoy helping
others to discover keys.
Now
if I could only find my key for good memory…
I think I forgot where I put it
MISSION
STATEMENT
The education that occurs
in my classroom will build off of the foundation that is Jesus Christ.
All of the subjects will be taught with a Christian perspective,
and given application to our Christian lives.
I Corinthians 12* outlines
a body with many parts that work together; this will be a model for
my classroom—getting to know each other’s strengths in order to celebrate
and use them, and helping each other in areas of weakness.
As a teacher, I will strive know each student’s individual
strengths, needs, and learning styles in order to aid each child in
reaching their fullest God-given potential.
I
Corinthians 12:14-20 with parenthetical additions by Mrs. Cooke:
Now the body is not made up of one part but of
many. If the foot (a child
with Aspergers Syndrome) should say, “Because I am not a hand (an
‘A’ student), I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that
reason cease to be part of the body. And
if the ear (musical person) should say, “Because I am not an eye
(artistic person), I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that
reason cease to be part of the body. If
the whole body were an eye (artist), where would the sense of hearing
(music) be? If the whole body
were an ear (musician), where would the sense of smell (humor) be?
But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of
them, just as he wanted them to be. If
they were all one part, where would the body be?
As it is, there are many parts, but one body.”
Program
Procedures
Every child is unique and
deserves a unique education “program” fit directly to their
needs. If the program that a
child is receiving in their classroom does not seem sufficient for
their needs, it is our responsibility to adapt the program, or add to it.
This will look different
for each child, but here is the procedure that is typically followed if a
parent or teacher
notices that a child is having difficulty or excessive ease with some of
the demands of school:
1.
Teacher fills out referral and turns in to Mrs. Cooke, our Resource
Room Teacher.
2.
Mrs. Cooke gives the teacher suggestions for accommodations that
can be made in class. The two
of them decide on an appropriate way for these accommodations to be
monitored for their success.
3.
If success is not evident after a specified amount of time, Mrs.
Cooke will contact the parents of the child and ask permission to hold a
Child Study Team Meeting which consists of the referring teacher, Mrs.
Cooke, one or two supporting teachers, and the School Principal.
Sometimes it is necessary to have parents present and sometimes it
is not. The team will brainstorm any additional possible solutions to try,
and decide if the child should be admitted to the Resource Room or the
Academically Talented Program. The team will also decide if formal testing should be
administered.
4.
At a follow-up session, Mrs. Cooke, the referring teacher, and
the parents of the child will sit down and discuss the strengths and
weaknesses apparent in the child. Formal
testing results will be shared if available.
An appropriate individualized plan will be decided upon and carried
out. The focus is on
getting to know the whole child, and on teamwork among the
school, parents, and child.
5.
If admitted to Resource Room, the child will receive weekly
Progress Reports to take home.
Mrs. Cooke will attend Parent-Teacher conferences, and additional
conferences occur upon request of the parents.
**Parents are welcome and
encouraged to stop by Mrs. Cooke’s room to talk whenever possible!
Understanding
the Buzz-Word "LEARNING DISABILITY"
A Learning Disability can be described
as an unexpected underachievement, or as a
discrepancy (difference) between a child’s predicted achievement (IQ)
and their actual achievement (how they do).
Does my child have a Learning
Disability?
”Learning Disabilities” are most
likely in one or two subjects, not all of them.
If your child tackles most subjects with ease, but gets caught-up
on that one subject, this could be a predictor for a Learning
Disability.
What do I do if
I think my child has a Learning Disability?
Talk
with Mrs. Cooke! She will
gather information about your child from you and from his or her Classroom
Teacher, and discuss with you whether any formal testing is necessary. Formal testing would give us your child’s IQ and
achievement level, so that we can compare how we would predict your child
would do to how they are actually doing.
Does my child
need to have a Learning Disability to go to the Resource Room?
No.
There is no golden ticket to getting the help that you deserve.
Labeling is not something that aids a student, support does. If
there is something that we can do as a school to improve your child’s
understanding of the curriculum while in the classroom, we will always try
that first. If this does not
seem to help, the Child Study Team (made up of you, your child’s
Classroom Teacher, Mrs. Cooke, and the School Principal) will decide
altogether if the Resource Room is the place for your child!
What
is the difference between "Gifted" and "Academically
Talented"?
Gifted refers to a child who has an IQ
that is 2 Standard Deviations above an average IQ
(with 100 being an average IQ, "Gifted" would be an IQ of
130+). A more common term for this is "genius".
Academically Talented refers to a child
who feels unchallenged in class and would benefit
from more challenging work. A child accepted into the Academically
Talented Program
does not have to be tested or proved "gifted". Whether a
child is admitted is decided by the Child Study Team (classroom teacher,
Mrs. Cooke, supporting teacher, school Principal).
OTHER
SPECIFIED NEEDS
There
are other needs that do not fit into the terms "Learning
Disability" or "Academically Talented". These needs
might be labeled (Autism, Aspergers Syndrome, Downs Syndrome, Cerebral
Palsy, Brittle Bone Syndrome...), or they might not be labeled (sometimes
there is no category or box that matches a child's make-up). We
would love to discuss your child's specific needs with you in order to see
if BCS is a good fit for your family.
LINKS
www.schwablearning.org
- A parent's guide
to helping kids with learning difficulties.
www.allkindsofminds.org
- Lots of resources
for kids and parents! Free advice from Dr. Mel Levine!
The test and the use of man's education is that he finds pleasure in the
exercise of his mind.
-
Jacques
Barzun
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