Individual Program Plans (IPPs) & Student Learning Support Team

Classroom teachers are expected to be aware of the learning needs of each student and ensure that students with special learning needs receive accommodations as outlined in their IPP. Students with learning codes who have not accessed their accommodations throughout the duration of a course will not be permitted to use such accommodations in final assessments.

How to be Successful at Louise Dean School

• Set Graduation as your goal and recognize that with hard work this goal can be reached.
• Set clear personal goals and action plans to support the goals. Access the resources at the center to support these goals.
• Attend regularly and be in touch with the school, social worker and Learning Centre if unable to attend.
• Ask for help when the work is challenging.
• Use class time effectively to avoid piling on the homework.
• Demonstrate respect and kindness for peers, staff and the learning environment.
• Attain optimal health through pregnancy and while parenting. Access the nurse and doctor if needed.
• Work with Kindred and community agencies to support personal and lifestyle challenges.

High School Success

Credit completion is crucial to student success and this means working with teachers until the end of the term or semester. There are times when a student may complete components of a course and then have to withdraw. In conversation with the teacher and administration, a student may re-register to complete components of the course not the entire course. Flexible delivery of courses is essential at Louse Dean School to support student learning. Credit completion is encouraged and teachers are to work with administration to closely track student progress and facilitate this support for learning. Instruction and assignment completion continues until the final make-up exam day or the end of each term. If students are not able to complete the entire course in the term or semester initially assigned, then they may return to a course for a portion of the next term or semester. Such arrangements are through collaborative planning with the student, teacher and administration. Maintaining status on the Learner Benefit is contingent on both good attendance and progress through classes, so flexible scheduling is often required.

Student Supports

• TA Team: Every student will be assigned a Teacher Advisor and Social Worker. They meet each week to review students’ progress and address concerns that may arise regarding school, health, and lifestyle. Students are required to check in daily with their TA. Attendance will be taken and recorded.
• Teachers: Teachers are available throughout the day and during tutorial time to support student learning. Please check with the teacher for current tutorial times.
• Social Workers: Students will be assigned a social worker to address or prevent personal problems, offer support groups to assist with pregnancy/parenting, financial planning, couples parenting and accessing community supports.
• Learning Centre: There are three Learning Centre (LC) spaces at school. Each space is designed to support the needs of infants and toddlers depending on age and ability. Registration at the school does not guarantee a spot at the LC. Students may apply for a child care space. These spaces are subsidized and “free” for each child attending the LC.
• AHS Nurses and Doctor: There are 2 nurses available throughout the week. One nurse specializes in Pre-Natal and one specializes in Sexual and Reproductive health. Both are part-time so students must check the schedule to determine availability. There is a doctor on site one morning per week. Appointments are booked through Kindred.
• Financial Assistance and Strengthening Hope/Learner Benefit: Many students at Louise Dean are funded however funding is not automatic. Students earn government support money by being dedicated to learning and attending school. Kindred Social Workers can assist students with applying for financial assistance. Each month students on LB will be required to complete a Progress Form and return it to their TA.
• Indigenous Support: The school has Indigenous support available to students.
• School Resource Officer: Calgary Police Service and CBE have a partnership and all high schools have an SRO assigned to assist students and staff with issues that may arise and/or be a resource of information for students. Please check with administration or the main office if requiring assistance with the SRO.

Community Support Services...Our Partners 

Louise Dean School is in a formal partnership with Kindred and Alberta Health Services to provide ‘wrap-around’ services to students. Work is done collaboratively to ensure best possible outcomes for the student and the child. 

This formal partnership is further strengthened by the array of resources that each partner is able to harness to address complex needs.

Kindred 

Kindred at Louise Dean Center provides counselling for the students and facilities support groups for parenting teens, teen fathers, grandparents, and young women considering adoption. Kindred also provides outreach support to young parents up to the age of 24. Staff is comprised primarily of licensed Social Workers with clinical backgrounds. Their role is to support the student and the child. In addition to counselling, Kindred provides the on-site licensed day care facility, the Dr. Clara Christie Infant Learning Centre which operates during the school week to provide care for infants under the age of eighteen months. The Centre is licensed to care for 60 babies. The trained staff assists the young students with parenting skills and offer regular workshops on topics of interest to the students. 

Alberta Health Services (AHS)

AHS provides staff in the areas of nursing, childbirth education, birth control and nutrition. The Best Beginning nurse is available daily to assist students with a healthy pregnancy.  The nurse also works with parenting students to maximize the health of their infants and themselves.  

The school also has a regular family doctor who sets appointments on a weekly basis.  The doctor attends to all of the students and babies basic health needs and also makes referrals as needed. Appointments are generally made a day or two in advance; however walk-ins can also be accommodated. 

Once a month, a psychiatrist who specializes in adolescent treatment, works onsite with students.  Students are able to voluntarily access this service through a referral from the family practitioner or the school based nurse.  All assessment and treatment work is highly confidential..

Calgary Police Services

A constable from the School Resource Officer Unit is available to students for consultation and advice on legal matters and/or personal safety and protection. Seminars on topics of interest to students can also be arranged.

Legal Advice

Once a month, a lawyer from the Calgary community very generously donates his time to speak to students on an individual/as needed basis.  He is able to direct students to the correct resources and also to address basic legal questions. In addition to these core supports, the staff at Louise Dean Centre will work to meet the personalized needs of every student and their family.

And… 

Challenges relating to food security, affordable accommodation, setting up a household, emergency financing and community childcare are all within the scope of our practice.

Donors

We appreciate your support as we work to meet the physical, social and emotional needs of teen parents and their children.  We could not provide the wrap-around supports that we do without your kindness.

Student Financial Assistance

There is a wide-range of financial assistance available to our student population through:

• The Learner's Benefit for Pregnant and Parenting Teens
• This specialized funding source is provided by the Ministry of Human Services
• Funding is accessed and managed on-site at Louise Dean Centre; you may apply when you register for school
• Funding is designed to help students complete high school
• Students must maintain strong attendance and be progressing in their studies to maintain this funding.

When a student registers for classes at Louise Dean School, they will be screened to determine if there is financial need and if so, which form of financial assistance meets their specific needs.

Generally speaking, student qualification for funding is dependent on the current family situation, the age, the age of the child, and the current living arrangements. The student will know their qualification status when she comes to the school and completes the registration process.

We know that if the financial needs of a student are met, they will have a much better chance of graduating from high school so that they can pursue their post-secondary career or enter the world of work.

Social workers and school administration work with each student to help provide stable funding that supports school completion.

The Learner’s Benefit is not the only funding avenue that is accessed.