Given that Unlock the Teacher was founded on the principle of sharing the good in education, we look for this good where ever we go. In the grocery store, at Starbuck’s, the local library and most importantly at the schools we are blessed to work in.
We wanted to share a wonderful educational program we are following and hope that it might plant a seed for another school looking to add a resource room to their school.
St. Regis Educare – An Innovative Program for Helping Students Succeed
St. Regis Educare (SRE) is a newly created program serving the students of St. Regis Catholic Elementary and Academy, in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. The SRE program is staffed by three certified teachers who are dedicated to supporting the varied needs of St. Regis students. Based on the premise that each student has unique gifts and talents, with different learning styles and academic abilities, SRE supports teachers in providing differentiated instruction within and outside the classroom. In keeping with the St. Regis mission: Respect, Educate, Give, Inspire, and Support, SRE is dedicated to respecting individual students’ needs and supporting and inspiring them to reach their fullest academic potential.
The service provided in this program is more than a library of resources for teachers and parents. It is more than a place where students can come for help with their homework. It is a professionally staffed center for learning, where students attend workshops, join literature circles, compete in Math competitions, and follow academic plans designed specifically to meet their individual needs.
SRE Services
St. Regis Educare provides three different types of assistance/enrichment for students. They work with individuals and small groups needing assistance or enrichment in academic subject areas. They provide workshops to help students with concepts such as grammar or study skills, and work with individuals and small groups on specific skills such as comprehension strategies or counting money. In order to make the concepts they are enhancing engaging, they integrate technology, and utilize manipulatives, hands-on activities, and use modeling to help students achieve their goals.
With all this, they also provide the following benefits for teachers: assessments, which they will design and/or administer upon request; a central repository for teacher resources and reference books; and documented processes and forms to make using our services less complicated. To help bridge the ever widening need between parent and school, they provide a central repository for parent resources, and are in the process of planning workshops for parents, so they can learn new ways to help their children succeed in school.
Development of the Program
This school year, St. Regis Educare has evolved from an idea and an empty office, into a focal point of learning for students in need of assistance or enrichment, as well as a central location for student, teacher, and parent resources.
Some highlights include:
- A room that is now both inviting and functional for assisting students
- Resource materials, games, technology, and manipulatives that are arranged by subject matter on labeled shelves for easy access
- Documented processes and forms that are based on research of best practices and collaboration with professionals both in and outside the school
- An extensive list of services designed to meet the varied needs of our students
As of this writing, at least one student or group from every grade, is being serviced by SRE, and they have had an abundance of positive comments from students, parents, and teachers who are grateful for the expertise and supportive of this team’s efforts. It is too soon in the development of the program to provide concrete results; however, I plan to monitor this program’s progress …stay tuned!
If your school or community is doing something great to help students, teachers or parents, please share. It is in the collaborative model that we all rise to the level in which we have the potential to be.
May we all continue to seek knowledge in all things~
Denise
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Many students have 4-6 weeks off of school between June and September. Students are “scheduled” during the school year and do need “down” time. However, given our informational age, letting our brains pause for too long could have negative effects too, especially in regards to math. Learning is all about the lens we choose to view it in…let us promote learning as a fun, year-long, life-long process. Encouraging those around us of any age, to get excited about reviewing our knowledge or learning something new. Having the ability to learn is a gift, and is something that should be celebrated.
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