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 at Every Level
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. Our counseling is tailored to student needs at every level.
Learning Support
Our Vision for every learner:
We believe that every child has the capacity to be a successful, effective, and independent learner. We foster an intentionally inclusive learning community that delivers accessible, engaging, and enjoyable experiences while honoring learner variability. Through collaborative partnerships and academic scaffolding, student understanding is enriched, academic skills are honed, and mindsets for learning are developed.
The work of the Learning Support department reinforces the school's definition of High Quality Learning and reinforces our Teaching and Learning Principles.
Our Approach
The Learning Support Department provides an individualized and accessible educational experience to students with mild learning difficulties. Our program develops not just academic knowledge, but the essential executive functioning skills and self-efficacy needed for their lifelong learning journey. Guided by the principles of Inclusive Excellence and the development of the whole child, we create joyful, purposeful environments where students are encouraged to celebrate their unique strengths and embrace stretch and challenge in their education.
Our practice centers on:
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Inclusive Excellence: Utilizing Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and intentional scaffolding to ensure every student experiences the joy of learning.
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Agency & Growth: Empowering students to embrace "the stretch" in their education while discovering their unique strengths.
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Evidence-Based Practice: Integrating the latest research in the science of learning into our specialized instruction.
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Community Partnership: Leveraging a collaborative "wrap-around" model between families, faculty, and specialists.
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Real-World Connection: We equip students with the skills and mindset to navigate complexity, transfer understanding and contribute positively to their communities and the wider world.
We strive to create a learning environment where every student feels valued, develops confidence in their abilities, and gains the skills and mindset needed to thrive in their unique educational journey and beyond.
The 3K-12 Continuum: A Developmental Journey
Our integrated continuum of educational services evolves alongside your child's developmental journey from early childhood through graduation.
Services provided by Learning Support are integrated into the school-wide Multi-Tiered System of Support. The learning specialists liaise closely with teachers in every grade to embed inclusive learning strategies into instructional practice, both through direct and indirect support. Our robust screening and referral process allows for timely referrals either to AIS-provided support or external agencies.
Learning Support at Every Stage
Admissions
We recognise that every student at AIS brings their unique learner profile to our community. Our Learning Support specialists work closely with teachers and families to provide accessible education to students with learning differences, allowing them to succeed within our rigorous academic programs. AIS appreciates the specialized nature of Learning Support and our department works hand in hand with the Admissions Team to understand the needs of prospective students.
During the Admissions process, requests are made to all parents to share their child's educational background or assessments. Where a student requires additional support or educational accommodations, we will request additional information while simultaneously sharing detailed information with prospective families about our Learning Support Services. This transparent partnership allows us to anticipate learning needs, ensure continuity of support, but most importantly, confirm that we can provide the necessary specialized services within our scope of provision. All information shared by parents remains confidential.
"We provide an individualised and accessible educational experience that develops academic and executive functioning skills, consolidates understanding and fosters agency, enabling students to succeed along their individual learning journey."
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.
