At
Children's Village School, learning is personalized according to each student's
strengths, interests and learning needs. Each classroom consists of up to
eight students, one Teacher and two Educational Child and Youth Care Counsellors. Together, the
classroom team provides the academic, social, and emotional regulation supports
each child needs. Intensive in-school supports are provided by our team of
Psychologists, in-home supports are provided by our Family School Liaison, and
wraparound supports are provided through consultations with Occupational
Therapists, Physiotherapists, and Speech Language
Pathologists.
Our
day begins when the classroom team greets each child at their bus, connects
with them about their day and then accompanies them to breakfast and SPARK (a short
physical activity). The learning day consists of the same subject areas as any
other Alberta School (Math, Science, ELA, etc.), with the level of complexity
tailored to each child's learning profile. Students also participate in
gym and either art or music with a specialist teacher. An
essential portion of each school day is dedicated to helping
students learn skills and strategies for recognizing and
regulating their emotions, building healthy relationships, developing
self-awareness and self-advocacy skills, and learning generalizable school
skills.
Throughout
the school year, students also participate in special activities like swimming
lessons, hip hop, and rollerblading. Field trips such as outings to Telus
Spark, Nose Hill, Bottomlands Park and the Zoo are part of programming for most
classes. Students learn with an Elder, as well as taking part in other cultural
learning experiences like drumming lessons throughout the school year.
The
length of programming at Children’s Village is intended to be short-term, but
is determined based on individual student needs. Some students stay with us
from kindergarten through Grade 6, while others are ready to transition after
just one year. Our goal is to help students stabilize their emotional responses,
build lagging skills, and develop the confidence they need to move on to a less
supported educational setting.
When students leave the Village, they
occasionally return to a community school. More often, they move on to a
different supported learning environment that meets their learning (L&L,
GATE, Dr. Oakley), developmental (PLP, SKILL, TASC, CSSI) or
behavioural/regulation (Bridges, Mental Health) needs. Some students continue
to require highly supported programming when they leave our school; these students
may transition to William Taylor Learning Centre or William Roper Hull
School. The school team works closely with parents, guardians and
caregivers to ensure that programming and transition decisions are made
collaboratively in the best interest of the child.
