Support Services at AISM
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Useful Documents
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Support Services Department (SSD)
Learning Support (LP)
The primary role of the Learning Support Teacher (LST) is to focus on supporting a caseload of learners with an Individual Learning Plan (ILP). For learners who have been identified as having barriers to learning, the LST creates, updates and implements ILPs to support learners’ academic and social-emotional progress in the classroom. This includes providing short and long term support in small and/or one-to-one groups for identified learners. The LST determines the frequency and intensity of support based on their individual needs and what is outlined in the ILP.
The LST Members roles may include,- Providing recommendations to teaching teams for how support learning diversity in the classroom using co-teaching models and Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
- Meeting with teaching teams in weekly support meetings to suggest scaffolds, offer recommendations for interventions, and discuss concerns about learners
- The LST will support teams to make use of the IB resource: “Meeting student learning diversity in the classroom” to identify practical, tangible strategies for removing barriers to learning
- Collaborating with teaching teams to implement personalized instruction, differentiation, testing accommodations, inclusive access arrangements, and reasonable adjustments
- Monitoring, evaluating, and tracking learning data and evidence in collaboration with teaching teams
- Occasionally offering remediations as determined by the PSIT
EAL (English as an Additional Language)
EAL services are offered to learners from Grades 1-10 at different levels of English progression. The level of support learners receive will vary based on their proficiency levels. Learners at the beginning stages will receive more contact hours of support, and progressively decrease as learners reach higher levels of proficiency. Learners’ level of proficiency will be determined through the WIDA MODEL assessment as well as teacher observations. Learners will go through the assessment process at the beginning and end of each school year. EAL Teachers provide various direct and indirect supports for learners and mainstream teachers.Vision
To fully support students to achieve their academic, social and emotional potentialMission
To meet the personal, social, emotional and intellectual needs of every student at AISM.
To ensure that they are able to participate fully and gain maximum benefit from all that AISM has to offer.Primary School
The social/emotional counselor offers short term individual counseling to students, parents and staff. We offer support with parenting, or specialized services for certain issues (e.g., friendship, social skills, problem solving, emotion management, empathy and compassion, grief and loss, family concerns and trauma).
The SEL Counselor offers group sessions on PIE Fridays that teach about different topics related to Social and Emotional Learning. The SEL Counselor also teaches lessons throughout the year. These lessons are focused on Kelso’s Choices/KC Choice Wheel (problem solving), emotion management, empathy and compassion, Unit of Inquiry, personal safety, etc.
Throughout the year, we offer a variety of initiatives connected to the community: Anti Bullying Week, Kindness Week, Parent Coffee Mornings and workshops on pre identified topics.Secondary School
The social/emotional counselors offer short term individual counseling to students, parents and staff. We offer support with parenting, or specialized services for certain issues (e.g., anxiety, depression, trauma).
Throughout the year, we offer a variety of initiatives connected to the community: anti bullying week, mental health week, coffee mornings and workshops on pre identified topics. Some of the areas we cover are:- Individual and small group counseling (short term interventions)
- Crisis intervention counseling
- Conflict resolution and peer facilitation
- Consultation/collaboration
- Referrals to outside services (including mental and physical health)
- Student Advocacy
- Advocate for individual students
- Advocate for positive change in the school
University and Career Advice (Future Pathways)
During the high school years (Grades 9-12), AISM offers career guidance, tertiary education advice, and university placement assistance. During Grades 9 and 10, students use the UNIFROG platform to take Interest Inventories, Work Environment Surveys, Personality Tests and Skills Assessments, which then suggests occupations that match the information obtained from these quizzes. Grade 9 and 10 students are also exposed to different careers and career paths through a series of Career Fairs held in collaboration with their Design, Science, and Individuals & Societies Courses.
In Grades 10 and 11, students begin to research the kind of education they will need for the career they want to pursue and explore institutions that can provide such an education. This research into higher education is supplemented by having visits from universities from around the world both in person and virtually. In Semester 2 of Grade 10, each student and parent meets individually with the University Advisor and IB Diploma to select their courses for Grades 11 and 12. In Semester 2 of Grade 11, each student and parent meets individually with the University Advisor to develop a Post-AISM plan, which may or may not include university visits, internships and/or preparing for English Proficiency and other types of exams.
In Grade 12, the focus is on completing different parts of a university application. Depending on the program, students will create profiles in different platforms, such as UCAS or the Common Application, finalize résumés, polish essays or personal statements, request recommendations, take any required or recommended exams, etc.