Glenforest
School
Accomodations
- Small class size
- Staff to student ratio of 1:3 (includes all our staff members on campus, because everyone is mission-centered)
- Small size / less noise and movement in the hallways (this is a big one a school of 4,000 cannot do this no matter how many accommodations are put into place)
- Therapy dogs / animals for kids to connect with and decompress with
- Passes for students to leave class when they need down time. Students are allowed when overwhelmed or maxed out to go to the “blue chair” or pet a therapy dog. (Commonly known as red card technique)
- Relationships, relationships, relationships. “No significant learning can occur without a significant relationship” – James Comer. (Best practices concerning Education from On Common Ground)
- Visual Schedules
- Use of binders with a visual schedule / calendar provided and tracked by teachers with signatures required
- Helping kids organize their binders using our Glenforest “Renaissance” model / direct instruction of organizational techniques
- “Catch – Up” club on a daily basis for struggling learners
- A 30 minute class period which provides specific instruction on note taking, journal recording, and individual specificity regarding skills necessary in education
- Thursday meetings with the student body as a whole, creating a group dynamic weekly for social interactions, decision making, planning, and ownership of the school setting
- Friday fun clubs which uses a school wide token program or system of rewards and builds social skills as well as relationship
- Sports – the only qualifier to be on the team at GF, unlike public school, is the desire to participate and the willingness to work
- Zero tolerance for bullying
- Direct instruction of social skills (social skills class)
- No block scheduling – kids on the spectrum can typically not focus for a 90 minute block
- Built in break mid morning even for upper grades with 20 minutes to allow kids to have a snack and some down time (both critical when on medications or on the spectrum)
- Gym open before school for gross motor movement / release as needed with supervision
- Gym open for lunch / recess with supervision to allow for social interactions and gross motor movement
- Reduced homework load
- Fewer items presented on a page for testing
- Community service projects, hands on learning / various modalities of instruction based on individual learning styles
- Diploma’s for kids who are LD – the school district does not offer this
- Bi-monthly parent conferences with social skills check sheet
- Parents are working with a certified SC special education teacher concerning IEP’s, 504’s, etc
Loading Search Box