All children learn differently and some students require differentiated educational interventions in order to succeed. Our school is proud to provide individualized support in-classroom for students who demonstrate need. We conduct preliminary testing on campus following a recommendation from teachers or the Lower School Coordinator. If more specific testing is necessary, families may be referred to an off-site diagnostician.
The focus of Learning Lab will be on the remediation of reading problems in the early grades of our Lower School. Middle School students will be expected to manage the curriculum without additional assistance or, if necessary, with the help of an outside tutor arranged privately by the parent for work beyond the regular school day. Our teachers will do their best to work with students who ask for help in a timely manner; however the school does not allow teachers to privately tutor their own students for a fee without permission from the Head of School.
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Michelle Jewell Funston Learning Lab:
Over the years Trinity Episcopal School has earned a solid academic reputation with a traditional approach to education. All children learn differently, and some students need additional learning intervention to succeed academically. Recognizing that children have different needs and that one method does not fit all inspired us to establish the Michelle Funston Learning Lab.
The Michelle Funston Learning Lab will be a place where learning support is given on-site during the school day to ensure all students can read and understand what they are reading. The mission of the Michelle Funston Learning Lab is to provide language-based support for students who have been identified as needing this help by a Neuhaus trained Reading Interventionist. The interventionist will monitor students’ progress, consult with classroom teachers, and reinforce skills as necessary.
A full-time Reading Interventionist will be on site and will be dedicated to reestablishing and renovating the concepts started by the Learning Lab, which originally opened in 2008.
In 2008, the Eiland Family Christian Charitable Foundation provided initial seed money and temporary financial support to commence and maintain the operation of the Trinity Learning Lab. The Learning Lab serviced many students over the last decade. While this generous funding allowed the Lab’s services to be offered to students at affordable rates, such services were limited to those who could afford it.
After the Foundation’s funding ended, the School recognized the need to continue the mission of the Learning Lab. On behalf of all the children who attend the school, Trinity will expand the services of the Learning Lab to all students who have academic deficiencies without regard to their ability to pay. In honor of former beloved teacher Michelle Funston, the Learning Lab was renamed to The Michelle Jewell Funston Learning Lab and will help ensure success for all students regardless of their financial ability.
DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE OFFERED: The main service provided in the Learning Lab is individualized academic skill support. This tutoring may take the form of Basic Language Skills lessons and/or through micro-teaching content provided by the core curriculum teachers.
The Learning Lab is available to any student in K-5th grade. To qualify for services, students must be referred by the classroom teacher, and have a recommendation from one of the Lead Teachers. Informal testing may be done in the Learning Lab. If more specific testing is necessary, families may be referred to an off-site diagnostician. A schedule will be set up for each student depending on the nature and severity of his or her needs. Tutoring will then be given in either individual or small group (no more than 5 students) setting.
Some examples of how students may qualify for this program:
- Proactive: The classroom teacher starts to notice some gaps and recommends early intervention once a week to help a student keep up.
- Supportive: A student is struggling with grade-level work, and the teacher feels that working with a tutor a few days a week on a specific subject is the most efficient way to stay on target.
- Dyslexia: A student is identified dyslexic, or shows dyslexic tendencies, and would benefit from the Basic Language Skills Neuhaus Program four days a week, for at least 45 minutes per day which focuses on decoding and comprehension.
FUNDING:The Learning Lab is largely underwritten by the Annual Fund. Consequently, our services will be very affordable for Trinity families.
STAFFING: The person that takes on the Reading Interventionist role must be willing to follow through with each individual struggling child, keep organized documentation, and be willing to go above and beyond to meet the specific needs of each student in their care. Mrs. Schwab has an Elementary Education degree with a Reading specialty from The University of Texas. Mrs. Schwab has 20+ years of teaching experience in the 1st through 3rd grade levels, which are the targeted grades of the students who need the most help in Reading. She taught 3rd grade for five years at GISD and was a Reading Interventionist for 3 years, with a pull-out program tutoring students in Kindergarten through 2nd grade, one on one (Success for All curriculum). She has taught 2nd grade for 16 years (5 years at GISD and the last 11 here at Trinity). Her experience in Reading has exposed her to many effective programs including, but not limited to Lindamood-Bell, and Basic Language Skills, Multisensory Grammar, and Scientific Spelling from Neuhaus Education Center.
Leverage existing technology tools: Trinity’s remote learning leverages technology tools already used by the classroom teachers, including the Office 365 (Office Docs, Sheets, Youtube, Google Classroom, Tadpoles and ZOOM), Faculty from all levels share student work. Faculty draw on other familiar resources as well, such as IXL, Khan Academy, Scholastic, and Reflex Math, among others.
Remote Learning in Action! We all learn differently!