How Does St. Clement Meet the Special Needs of Students?
" Catholic schools should attempt to address the special learning needs of students to the greatest possible extent within the parameters of the school's financial and human resources."
Archdiocese of St. Louis, Administrative Manual for Education, "Students with Special Needs (5204)", revised 9/06
St. Clement of Rome School works to meet the needs of all students in a variety of ways:
The CARE Team
The St. Clement CARE Team is comprised of ten members of the St. Clement faculty and administration. The St. Clement CARE Team acknowledges the individuality of each child and recognizes that all children have the desire and capacity to succeed. We strive to respect a child's special needs and maintain a spiritual and caring environment in accordance with our Catholic faith. Working with students, faculty, parents, and outside support systems, we foster an environment that nurtures the academic, social, and physical development of each child.
The Learning Consultant Model
St. Clement follows the Archdiocese's recommended Learning Consultant model which promotes collaboration between the special education teacher and the students' teachers, parents, and outside agencies. You can read more about this model at
http://www.stlceo.org/SpecialNeeds/SpecialNeeds.html and click on 'special resources'.
Nurturing the student with Special Needs
•Students with special needs includes students with learning differences as well as students with accelerated talents and academic skill. For our more accelerated students in grades K-5, "TEA time" is provided as an option. You can read more about this on our "TEA time" page located in the Resource wiki.
•Some students require additional emotional and/or social support. The teachers and administration provide this support by "adopting" specific students. This may include positive hallway interactions with the student, checking in or out with the student at the beginning or end of each day, and positive words of praise and gratitude that a student is a part of our school family. When a student requires more direct support, Catholic Family Services is providing sessions with a counselor on site. Students and their families can also be directed to private therapists for family counseling.
•Mrs. Van Boening serves as our Math Specialist on staff. Her duties include assisting teachers in differentiation in the area of mathematics.
•Medical needs are met by our full-time RN, Nancy Duncan.
•Some students seek additional support, both remedial and enrichment, through dual enrollment at the local public school.
Additional Resources
The 2010-2011 St. Clement faculty has been inserviced on RTI, (Response to Intervention), and the CARE Team model. Our faculty is committed to differentiated instruction and assessment and these areas are part of our school-wide plan of improvement. Expanded use of technology, including video production, video conferencing with other schools, virtual field trips, as well as guest speakers, special events during our Tribe activities and service to the community are some of the ways in which St. Clement School embraces a rich and diverse curriculum.