Programs

Programs

Student Council

St. Alphonsus School is comprised of five executive members from grades 7 and 8.  They assist in the planning, implementing and fundraising for many of the school functions and spirit days.

Speech Language Program

Lorinda Schramm, SLP, has been hired to provide speech-language programming for the division.  As a Speech-Language pathologist Mrs. Schramm provides assessment, consultation and programming for students with communication needs.  The program at St. Alphonsus School is provided through an itinerant speech aide, Mrs. Kim Decker, who works with students that have difficulty producing all of their speech sounds correctly, as well as those with language difficulties, such as following directions or speaking in grammatically correct sentences.  Mrs. Schramm assesses the students that have been referred and develops a program for Mrs. Decker to work with.  Mrs. Decker is available to meet with parents and teachers to discuss individual speech-language concerns.

Parental concerns and referrals can be made through the Student Support Teacher.  Although Mrs. Schramm’s time is limited at school, she is available to teachers and parents through the telephone or by          e-mail.  Please contact the school if you have questions or concerns about speech and language programming at St. Alphonsus School.

School Counsellor

The role of the School Counsellor is to help students resolve personal, emotional and social problems that interfere with their adjustment to school or their school’s progress.  The School Counsellor provides students with an opportunity for one-on-one counselling, group work, as well as classroom presentations as the need may arise.  Referrals for services are welcomed via family request, school staff request, and/or student request.

Resource

A Student Support Services Teacher is available everyday to assist students who may require extra tutoring or support to reach their full potential at school.  The Student Support Services Teacher supports the students and teachers in the following ways:

1) provide individual tutoring.
2) provide small group tutoring.
3) provide classroom teachers with appropriate resource to further student skills.
4) provide leadership and support to the Educational Assistants working within the school classrooms with our students.
5) act as a liaison between the Special Education Coordinator and the teacher to provide special services to students within the school.
6) work with School Counsellor to provide academic/behavioral support to students.

Peer Mediation

Peer Mediation is a process in which students are trained to mediate and solve minor conflicts among their peers.  The process begins by a teacher referral to mediation of students who are involved with conflict or dispute with other students.

In addition, mediation is a process whereby disputants voluntarily agree to be led through a peer mediation session by student mediators.  The focus of the session is for disputants to decide on their own solutions to resolve the conflict.

Disputants must feel that the solutions are fair… thus a win-win solution is created.  Students feel they have ownership of the solution and are more apt to follow through and resolve their own conflicts without the help of adults.  As a result, students develop valuable lifelong problem solving skills.

Locally Determined Programs

Locally determined subjects include religion, band, industrial arts, home economics and technology.
Religion is an integral part of the daily school routine.  Specific religion classes are scheduled regularly into the time table.
Sacrament Preparation – The Catholic schools provide assistance and support through classroom instruction.  However, preparing children for participation in the sacraments is the parents’ privilege.

Intramurals

House league intramurals are provided for students in Grade 3 to Grade 8 at noon hours on school days 1, 3, and 5 of the six-day cycle.  Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 form the junior team and students in grades 6, 7 and 8 form the senior team.  Each group is organized into four teams.  Our intramural teams are named after the archangels.  This is an opportunity for students to become involved in high participation, low competitive events and activities.

Environment Club

The Environment Club at St. Alphonsus School is open to all students in grades 1 to 8.  Our goals include:
– developing an awareness of the world, its environmental issues and the way(s) we can protect and save it.
– developing an awareness of our school/community’s role in preserving the environment and how we as individuals can help.
– participate in environmental awareness activities that promote caring for our planet (eg. recycling, yard clean-up, reducing waste).

This club meets approximately once a month.

Core Curriculum

All Core Curriculum required areas of study are taught at each grade level including: language arts, mathematics, science, social studies, health/guidance, arts education, career education and physical education.