Student Services and Support Programs
Russell Island State School has numerous services to support students and their families. The aim of these services is to promote a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for all students through a whole school approach to supporting learning and engagement. Once a student has been identified by teachers (parent referrals, assessment information, one school data etc.) as requiring extra support a referral to the Special Needs Action Committee (SNAC) is made.
Special Needs Action Committee (SNAC)
This committee is made up of representatives from the school body including the Principal, School counsellor, School chaplain, Speech Pathologist, SEP/Guidance Officer, Learning Support Teacher, Behaviour teacher and Master Teacher. The committee meets fortnightly and recommends the most appropriate student support through a collaborative approach.
At the meeting, the best course of action is decided and strategies/actions are planned and documented. This is a fluid process, with students entering and exiting the process depending on their progress and the resources available. All students are monitored continuously to ensure the best outcomes possible.
Meeting minutes are distributed to all staff. Classroom teachers are usually the ones to liaise with parents regarding referrals to and outcomes from the SNAC referral process. At times, other personnel may also liaise with parents - depending on the needs of the child.
Specialist Involvement
The school employs the services of a dedicated counsellor (qualified psychologist) and a speech language pathologist to ensure students have quality support.
Advisory Visiting Teachers AVTs (hearing, vision, physical, early childhood education, autism spectrum disorder etc.) may also liaise with classroom teachers and provide programming recommendations for students with specific needs and/or provide some intervention services.
Therapists (speech pathologist, occupational therapist, physiotherapist) provide consultancy, assessment and programming where applicable. Therapy time is distributed throughout the district and prioritised by individual therapists according to caseload and student needs.
At Russell Island SS, we also ensure that the school maintains positive connections with personnel from outside agencies - e.g. child and youth mental health services, allied health services, Family Connect etc. Our good relationships with outside agencies allow RISS to access additional support programs/services such as the Triple P Parenting Program, Impact and the Deadly Choices Program.
Special Education Program and Learning Support
For students with special needs or requiring learning support the support team consists of a Head of Special Education (HoSE), SEP Teacher, Teacher Aides and Learning Support Teacher. In addition, the school has also employed a teacher aide for each classroom. Where required, these students receive additional support from the team through the development of individual student plans and strategies/programs/resources which may include literacy and numeracy support, social skilling/emotional skilling, fine/gross motor skilling, support with speech/language development and support in the playground and during excursions/camps etc. The school also uses funding to employ a teacher aide in each classroom to support all students as well as a dedicated Special Needs teacher aide.
Students with learning difficulties and learning disabilities operate in the classroom context for the vast majority of their time in school. Learning the skills of literacy and numeracy in the same context as their peers is the most positive way for any student to view their learning. Support programs and strategies help these students operate as active learners in the classroom. It is important to remember that at all times, it is the classroom teacher who has overall responsibility for the learning outcomes of the student.
Extension
Opportunities for extension are provided to identified students through participation in programs like IMPACT, an online class focusing on extending and challenging them in writing, reading and math problem solving. Russell Island State School also participates in the annual OPTIMINDS competition.
Programs
In addition to regular classroom programing Russell Island State School runs a variety of programs to support student learning and engagement including the Making Up for Lost Time in Literacy (MULTILIT ) program and an ARTS excellence program.
For those students who find making friends, building positive relationships or self-confidence are a challenge, RISS and the School Chaplain provide programs such as Drumbeat, Rock and Water and other play based programs within the school.