Student Services Department

Student Services Curriculum Leader:
Melissa McDonald - Special Education Liaison
Stephen Farina - School Psychologist

In order to enroll in small-group skills classes offered through the Resource Room, students need to be on an Individual Education Plan (IEP), as decided through the formal special education evaluation process of Massachusetts state law, Chapter 766.

Courses included here are:

Reading Skills
Writing Skills
Wilson Language Training
Lexia Reading Program
Math
Organization Skills

Reading Skills
All of the students in this course are two or more years below grade level in skills development. Classes are conducted in small groups and are individualized (when possible) to meet the requirements of each student's educational plan. A variety of strategies are provided to assist students to become successful readers.

Writing Skills
This course is designed for students needing further development of their written language skills. The five-step writing process is utilized with greater emphasis on prewriting strategies before writing as well as specific instruction in skills needed for the final editing stage: spelling, punctuation, and proofreading skills. Whenever possible, classroom writing assignments in English, social studies, and science will be utilized to teach writing skills within the context of the curriculum.

Wilson Language Training
A small number of students with significant word attack and spelling difficulties continue from seventh grade with intensive teaching of using this sequential, multi-sensory reading system. Students meet in groups of 2 to 4 students to receive intensive, small group instruction in decoding, word analysis, syllabication and spelling skills. Students are recommended for this course who are two or more years below grade level in reading skills and who need a specialized, multi-sensory approach to reading.

Lexia Reading Program
The Lexia Reading Program is a self-paced computer program that promotes mastery in word attack, comprehension and vocabulary development. The program offers detailed progress reports that are evaluated by the resource room teacher. There are five steps to the program in which students need to show mastery to proceed to the next step.

Math
Students with learning disabilities in areas affecting math work on individualized plans in the Resource Room. Areas may include basic drills, basic skills, computation and word problems (simple and multi- step). We also spend time reviewing concepts learned in the regular education curriculum.

Organization Skills
Within the Resource Center we also teach important organizational skills to students who are having difficulty with school, as described in their individualized educational plan. This assistance can range from individual skills work, to support work with regular classroom assignments. Additionally we provide emotional support as delineated by a child‟s I.E.P.

Students come to the Resource Center between one and four periods per week to work in small groups with a Resource Center teacher. Resource Room teachers work with other teachers to clarify classroom expectations and to help modify work for individual pupils if modification is necessary.

Name	Grade	Email	Extension
Alayna Coates	7	[email protected]	2408
Susan Chisholm	7	[email protected]	2407
Jennifer Mathieu	all	[email protected]	2002
John McCoy	all	j [email protected]	2432
Melissa McDonald	8	[email protected]	2434
Patrick O'Brien	8	Patrick_O'[email protected]	2442
Joanna Posner	all	[email protected]	2446
Matthew Santmire	all	[email protected]	2129
Graeme Robinson	6	[email protected]	2455
Jessica Villatoro	6	[email protected]	2460