SPECIAL NEEDS PROGRAM

Our goal and purpose is to do our very best to support the whole development of each child, academically, spiritually, physically and emotionally, but that would be impossible without our parents as part of the
team. Parents, we would like to thank all of you for your willingness to work with us, to best serve the educational needs of your children.

There have been some welcome changes and Anchor Academy has experienced much growth in our special needs department over the last school year. We acquired some new faces in 2007-08. Deborah Reinitz has come on board as a behavioural specialist and also to help with the ever-increasing administration duties of the department. In addition, we have hired a number of Certified Educational Assistants and Teacher Aides to work with our new special education students. A hearty welcome to all of you who finished out the year with us, and to those who are ready to begin your journey with us in September!

Here are some of the ways we will support our special students and their families:

1. Anchor Academy can provide a reading specialist who is able to
not only identify a reading problem, but who can give parents
practical ways to address the issue as well.

2. Anchor Academy has staff trained to do the Irlen Screening which
complements the work of the reading specialist. The screening
tests for the possibility of light sensitivity (scotopic sensitivity)
which affects the way a person sees when reading, especially
evident with black print on a white page.

3. Anchor Academy is able to diagnose students with the Structure of
Intellect Testing (SOI). This test is beneficial for identifying
specific learning disabilities/giftedness. It also helps to discover
one’s best suited career path. It is not an IQ test ... it is an “I can”
test.

4. Anchor Academy is able to diagnose students with The Canada
Quiet Test. This standardized assessment can establish grade
placement/level and will compare a student’s capabilities to the
national percentile.

5. Anchor Academy is able to implement PACT. This program can
help our students develop skills that they may have otherwise
missed. It emphasizes learning basic skills and encouraging
hemispheric brain development. When one side of the brain isn’t
developed as well as the other, the imbalance may cause
troublesome problems in learning. Some people refer to this
problem as “brain bullying”.

6. Anchor Academy is able to develop Case Management Plans
(CMPs) for specifically funded behavioural students, and provide
consulting services to support families.

Anchor Academy is excited with the growth happening in the Special Needs department. Our staff pray that it will be fashioned by our Heavenly Father, bearing much good fruit.

If you are considering Anchor Academy Special Needs Program please contact the office.