Learning Support

LEARNING SERVICES

Learning Services encompass three distinct areas of student support:
- supporting students who are having difficulties with their learning
- extending the more capable students
- designing pathways to support students who are following a vocational education option

Learning Services includes students from Prep to Year Twelve. The department is designed to assist students meet learning outcomes that they would otherwise find difficult in a normal classroom setting.

In the Learning Services area, students from Years 7 to 12 work on pre-vocational tasks, Distance Education assignments and other standard curriculum assessment tasks while mingling freely with students from the Primary School striving to achieve their best in:
- Mathematics
- Reading
- Writing
- Speaking
- Spelling
- other multi-age enrichment tasks such as the Robotics Club

Supported Students
Students requiring support for their learning are individually programmed and where possible work one to one with support staff to achieve specific learning outcomes. Programs are reviewed on a weekly basis and adjusted where necessary.

Students can be supported in a range of areas including their reading accuracy, reading comprehension, writing, Mathematics, personal organization and handwriting. Student support generally occurs on either a withdrawal basis or as in-class visits to assist with projects.

Support personnel are all highly competent and experienced with a great deal of success in assisting students with learning difficulties. These staff are:
- Susan Vonhoff
- Sheridan Sugden
- Sue Nickolls
- Dani Langan
- Marie Froud
- Luci Morris 

Time is allocated on a needs basis that is determined by classroom results along with a range of standardised testing including ICAS, NAPLAN and other papers selected by the College for their capacity to diagnose student needs. These other tests include:
- the DMT (Diagnostic Mathematics Test) to determine gaps in mathematical understanding
- the Neale and St Lucia tests to determine problem areas in reading
- the OPI online testing to identify weaknesses and strengths in Mathematics and English
- the DST (Dyslexic Screener Test) used to identify students who are at risk of having a dyslexic condition
Any information from these tests is used to prioritize students and determine the extent of support intervention.

Formal support intervention is supplemented with tutorials on Monday and Thursday afternoons after school from 3:15 pm to 4:15 pm. Drill and practice lessons for developing quick recall of number facts are also held on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:15 pm to 4:00pm for students who would benefit from such additional training. Attendance at any of these tutorials is on a voluntary basis.

Go to - [Enrichment program]