Support Services

Shabonee School provides students with the supportive services of a Social Worker, Psychologist, Resource teacher, ELP teacher, a Speech and Language Pathologist, Emergent Bilingual teacher, and Reading Specialist. The function of these services are to provide support as determined by the educational team:

1. Social Worker - The social workers meet with students individually, in pairs, or with groups when academic performance is impacted by social/emotional needs. Social workers are also available to parents for consultation regarding their child. The social worker helps students to solve problems that may be affecting their school performance. Students may refer themselves to the social worker or may be referred by a teacher, the principal or their parents.

2. School Psychologist – Provides assessment to help determine learning strengths and needs of students. In addition, the school psychologist collaborates with staff and parents to problem-solve concerns. The psychologist also provides individual and group counseling for students.

3. Resource Programs – The resource teacher helps provide various types of special instructional programs for students in consultation with the classroom teacher and other specialists. These programs offer learning assistance primarily in the areas of reading, language arts and mathematics.

4. ELP – Students in grades four and five are formally identified for gifted reading and language arts programming. Students meet with the ELP teacher during part of the instructional day when their core classmates have reading and language arts instruction.

5. Speech and Language Pathologist – The speech pathologist is available as classroom teachers detect speech or language problems.

6. Emergent Bilinguals - The purpose of this service is to assist children with bilingual backgrounds to acquire skill and competency with the English language. Direct support is given to students based on their current ability to demonstrate command of the English language. Students generally meet in small groups and receive support with their regular academic activities.

7. Reading Specialist - The reading specialist in consultation with the educational team provides direct reading instruction to identified students.

Parents are notified and must give written consent for their child(ren) to receive ongoing assistance from the resource teachers, social worker, speech pathologist, reading specialists or Emergent Bilingual teacher.