Student Support
Supporting the Whole Child
As part of our Student Support Services, we offer a wide array of services to ensure that the academic, social, emotional and personal needs of each child are met and that every child reaches their highest potential at Atlanta International School.
School Counseling
Working collaboratively as part of student support services, we ensure that the child’s academic, social, emotional and personal needs are met.
We encourage students to utilize our services, which vary based on the needs of the children served.
Learning Support
As part of Student Support Services at AIS, the Learning Support Team believes, “It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish that counts.”
Working collaboratively with parents, students and, teachers, our learning support specialists have one overarching goal -- to ensure that every child who comes to us with a learning challenge finishes strong.
We support students in 3K through Grade 12, seeking to identify the unique learning needs of each student and then designing and delivering targeted solutions that help every child reach their highest potential.
In 3K and 4K, Learning Support teachers conduct students observations and attend parent meetings if this is required.
In Primary School (5K - Grade 5), Learning Support specialists serve students both with and without a diagnosed learning difficulty, whereas learning support specialists in the Secondary School (Middle School and Upper School) only serve students with a learning disability formally diagnosed by a psychologist.
Learning Support takes two forms at AIS
- Indirect Services: We provide teachers with instructional strategies to use regularly in the classroom to better support students who display the need for support, but may not come to a learning specialist directly.
- Direct Services: We work with students in small groups, either inside or outside of the classroom, depending on their needs, the intervention being performed, and the atmosphere and dynamics of the classroom.
- Overarching services: We participate in the Student Support Teams to ensure the whole child is supported and interventions are collaborative.
We also offer parents coaching, tools and resources for offering their children learning support at home.
We find tremendous joy and satisfaction in helping parents and students recognize that learning differences don’t have to be barriers to success.
English as an Additional Language
In the English as an Additional Language (EAL) program, our goal is to ensure that students improve their English proficiency so they can reach their highest academic achievement levels at AIS.
We work closely with students, parents, and teachers to identify each child’s needs and tailor our lessons and teaching methods to support each child’s development of English language skills (reading, writing, listening and speaking).
Perhaps most importantly, we provide a safe and secure environment in which students feel comfortable and supported as they gain greater English proficiency.
For beginners, this is a pullout program. As students progress in their English knowledge, the EAL teacher will support them in the classroom.