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Support Services
The Resource Team at the American School of Kuwait
is made up of a number of highly qualified educators
who teach and work together as a cohesive
group, sharing their knowledge and expertise within
their fields to support each other and best meet the
needs of the students at ASK.
Students in first through fifth grade who are having
difficulty in the general education classroom
receive support from the Resource Team. A Resource
Teacher is assigned to each grade level, except
first grade, where two resource teachers work
together to meet the needs of the students. The goal
of the elementary resource program is to service
children already admitted with mild learning delays
and ESL needs.
The Resource Teacher, at each grade level, works
closely with the classroom teachers to assist
students who are having difficulty meeting grade
level expectations. As a team, the Resource Teacher and
classroom teachers develop strategies to implement
in the general education classroom that meet the
needs of the students receiving additional support
and develop a balanced support program that benefits
all students.
Students receiving services from the resource team
are either supported in their general education
classroom, or are pulled out of the classroom for
focused small group work. The amount of time a
student is pulled out of the classroom each week is
dependent upon the students needs. As the students
reach Upper Elementary, the amount of pull out
support is reduced and most students receive
assistance from the resource teacher in the general
education classroom.
Sincerely,
Terri-Anne Southern
Support Services Team Leader
southernt@ask.edu.kw
The following is a specific description of the types
of support available at the ASK Elementary School:
Learning Support
Students who are struggling with academics,
including language arts, math, and other content
areas, receive learning support. Students with
identified special needs are not accepted as new
students. Students are
referred to the resource team by the general
education teacher and observations and formal
assessments are completed to determine the areas the
students need additional help. Using the results of
testing, the resource teacher works closely with the
classroom teacher to develop strategies to assist
students in the general education classroom and to
ensure that the student is able to work to the best
of his/her ability. Some students who have learning
difficulties are pulled out of the general education
classroom individually or in small group sessions so
that the resource teacher can reinforce class work.
If it is determined that a student's learning
difficulties far exceed our resources, that student
may be asked to withdraw.
Reading Specialist
The reading specialist works closely with
classroom teacher in developing and implementing an
effective language arts program. Students in grade
one who are experiencing difficulty in developing
reading and writing strategies benefit from small
reading groups and assistance in the classroom. The
reading specialist also helps with student admission
testing and evaluation, and works closely with
teachers in offering strategies that directly assist
students.
English as a Second Language (ESL)
The Elementary School employs ESL teachers to help
students who are eligible for English language
support services. The main objective of the ESL
program is to support students in developing the
social and academic language skills required to be
successful in the mainstream classroom. Students
receiving English language support fully participate
in the mainstream curriculum and the ESL teachers
work in the classroom with the students, at
scheduled times, focusing on the language content of
the lessons. The ESL teachers monitor each student’s
progress and may sometimes pull out students to work
on specific skills or lesson objectives.
The decision to exit a student from ESL support
services is based on daily class work, evidence of
language development, test results and consultation
between the classroom and ESL teacher. Students must
demonstrate an ability to work independently and
successfully in their classroom before they are
exited from ESL support services.
Guidance Counselor
A full-time Elementary Counselor is available to
students that may be referred for academic needs,
behavior concerns, or other personal assistance. The
Counselor works closely with students,
administrators, teachers, the nurse, and parents. In
addition, the Elementary School Counselor teaches
life skills through a developmental program referred
to as "Life Lab". The purpose of the Life Lab in
Grades 1-5 is to help students learn and practice
the skills they need to be successful in a variety
of areas of their lives: on the playground, in the
classroom, at home, with friends, with family
members, in public etc. The major areas of
discussion centered on feelings & friends; getting
along and social skills; self-esteem and conflict
resolution; choices, consequences and making
decisions; study skills, organization and getting
ready for the Middle School. Life lab is just what
it says, PRACTICE FOR LIFE!
Media Center
The Elementary Media Center is a warm, spacious area
on the main floor of the elementary school complex.
It houses some 17,000 books and 15 computers and is
a total multi-media facility. Its collection
includes CD-ROMS, cassette recorders and players,
televisions, video cassette recorders, video and,
audio tapes, felt boards, a growing professional
collection of many research materials, a special
collection of books on the Middle East, an Arabic
collection, and 30 periodicals for both children and
faculty. Books and media collections are updated
yearly.
The Media Center staff assists faculty and students,
as well as many parents, in the selection and
checking out of materials and also provides
Elementary students with weekly lessons in both
literary appreciation and media skills. An
accelerated reading program is available in the
Media Center and also accessible from each classroom
(Grades 1 - 5).
The Elementary Media Center is open from 7:15 a.m.
till 3:00 p.m. each school day and often, by
arrangement, at other times. In addition to its
primary use as a reading and research room, it also
serves as a location for staff meetings.
Clinic
The school employs a licensed Pediatrician as well
as two full-time registered nurses who maintain
health files for each child. This team treats
children referred to them by their classroom
teachers and also give (with parental permission)
immunizations required by the Kuwait Ministry of
Health. Medicines are administered to students only
with written permission from the parents. Any
prescription drugs required by a student during
school hours should be registered with one of the
school nurses. |
