Support unit
The support unit at Glenwood High consists of three classes for students with autism spectrum disorder and one class for students with a moderate intellectual disability. The unit is staffed by one head teacher support, three special education teachers and four learning support officers as well as our Support Teacher Learning Assistant and our Integration aides.
Our goals are:
- To provide a calm, caring and safe environment to foster student learning and growth.
- To provide appropriate educational programs which address the current and future needs of individual students.
- To develop systems and procedures which allow effective communication with parents and active parent involvement in the individual planning process.
- To promote in each student a growth in self esteem and the development of a sense of respect for other and for the environment.
- To encourage students to recognise their responsibility towards society and to help them overcome or accept their limitations so they develop realistic expectations of their role in society.
- To encourage and develop in students the ability to make personal and socially responsible decisions, realising that people are responsible and accountable for their actions.
The curriculum content for classes will vary according to the level of student functioning and the current and future goals of students. Most students will follow a lifeskills program of study involving generalisation of skills into the home and community settings.
Each student will be viewed and assessed individually and programs will be designed to extend each student's potential. An individual planning meeting will be held early each year. Parents, students, teaching staff and other personnel (as invited by the head teacher) will collaboratively plan the educational goals and priorities for the individual for that year and review the previous year. Program priorities will be based on the individual's current and future goals, school and community options and available resources. Programs will be reviewed and evaluated systematically and subsequent changes will be negotiated through the student, his/her parents/guardians and the planning team.
Through our involvement in whole school activities all students at Glenwood High School are empowered to develop empathy, tolerance and acceptance of diversity and, in particular, of people with a disability.
We monitor each student's progress and provide additional learning support if this is required.
Our school uses learning programs and specialised staff where needed and we work in partnership with parents and carers to assist students who have special learning needs.
Our school is committed to working with Aboriginal parents and community members in developing personalised plans for our Aboriginal students.
The learning and support team
The learning and support team focuses on addressing the learning needs of students and supporting staff members to implement any additional supports students require. The learning and support team enables collaborative planning and programming between staff members to ensure the best supports are provided for each student.
The learning and support team is made up of experienced staff members who collaboratively discuss and decide on the actions needed to support our students. Students may require additional supports to be put in place to address academic, social/emotional and behavioural needs.
The learning and support team follow a 5 step model:
- Identify – teachers and parents can identify their child/student as requiring additional supports
- Analyse - student data (test results, reports, standardised testing) will be used as evidence
- Prioritise – the team will prioritise placement and resources based on the analysed data
- Allocate – the team will allocate appropriate resources to support the identified students (intervention programs, Individual Learning Plans, classroom assistance)
- Evaluate – the team will evaluate the supports put in place in order to determine their effectiveness and make adjustments if necessary