Student Services

Resource

The student services program is designed to assist students needing extra supports in their learning. This is accomplished by the resource teacher planning collaboratively with the classroom teacher to help design the supports necessary. They may involve adaptations, individual education plans, behaviour intervention plans, educational assistant support in the classroom, group work, or individual work. Parents are contacted if resource support is required.

Vision and Hearing Screening

A vision and hearing screening program involving the kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 3 and Grade 5 students is undertaken each year by the resource department in the fall.

Student Services Clinical Unit (SSCU)

SSCU is a service provided by the school division to support students with a wide range of services. These include psychology, occupational therapy, social work, speech & hearing and reading. Parent approval is required before a student can be referred to these services. Our school team prioritizes the caseload.

Counselling

The school counsellor is available to all students and their families mornings only. At times, a student may be feeling especially worried or anxious over school, family or social issues. The counsellor may help children to problem solve and deal effectively with these given situations. Peer group dynamics may also prove challenging for some students. At these times the counsellor may work with groups to help students gain understanding of each other, and to mediate amongst their classmates. Parents are also welcome to discuss concerns about their children and the counsellor may help in the way of providing connections with other community resources and information. The counsellor's door is always open and is always willing to help.  

Early Numeracy Intervention Initiative

Sun Valley is proud to play host to this program which began in the fall of 2009, as this model of prevention and intervention has been found to make a positive impact on student learning. The goal of the project is to increase students’ mathematical achievement through the strengthening of teachers’ understanding of early numeracy development and direct service to students. Key points:

• To provide a primary level of support, all Kindergarten students, in small groups, meet on a daily basis with an early numeracy facilitator from October to February.
• A secondary level of support is for Kindergarten and Grade One students who are experiencing difficulty in numeracy. These students work with the facilitator from February to June.

Growth is measured through individual assessment of students which take place in the fall and spring. Divisional supports include providing an early numeracy facilitator from October to June, organizational and technical support, professional learning opportunities for school  teams, consultant leadership and necessary materials and resources.