CHAMPION CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
A program of the Christian Family & Children’s Center
2166 Indian Head Road, Champion, PA 15622
North Campus (724)-593-9200 FAX 724-593-9210
South Campus (724)-455-2122 FAX 724-455-6651
www.champion.org/ccs email: info@champion.org
Dear Parents,
What a joy it is to know that our Lord has a special plan for each and every student at Champion Christian School! As parents, you are committed to your child becoming the person that God has intended him/her to be. We would like to help you and your child through that journey.
The Discovery Program is a special program that is designed to meet very specific needs of certain students who have specific learning challenges within the regular classroom setting. Participation in the Discovery program may be mandatory for some CCS students. The Board of Directors at Champion Christian School shares in your commitment to your students’ growth. We realize that the cost of this program is significant in many ways. Working together as a team we can watch the Lord as He accomplishes His goals for these students.
Sincerely,
D. Merle Skinner
Executive Director
Belinda B. Lane
Elementary Principal & Director of Discovery
Linda Perry
Discovery Therapist
Preschool Kindergarten Elementary Middle School High School
“Committed to Academic Excellence within a Nurturing and Distinctly Christian Atmosphere”
WELCOME TO THE DISCOVERY PROGRAM!
Champion Christian School is proud to offer the Discovery Program to your family and others like you who have children with learning difficulties. We are recognized as a member school of the National Institute of Learning Development (NILD).
One of the greatest benefits is having a program that is specifically designed for the Christian school setting. Educational therapy is hard work, yet your child’s self-esteem will grow as he begins to realize the abilities that God has given him...to think and to interact independently within the environment around him. Then, as he sees his own success and gains self-confidence, he will grow academically.
In order for the Discovery Program to be successful for your child, I want to review the part you must play in your child’s educational therapy program, as outlined in the parent agreement that you will sign:
1. You must observe three sessions in a row at the beginning of your child’s therapy program to help you learn how to help your child at home.
2. The observation of a therapy session once a month is required so you can keep sharp on your skills and so you can see your child’s progress.
3. You must actively supervise Rhythmic Writing four days per week at home. You must also insure that any other assigned therapy homework is completed satisfactorily by your child.
4. You must attend parent support meetings.
It has to be a TEAM effort! Communication between you and your child’s educational therapist is crucial. Communication between you and your child’s regular classroom teacher(s) is equally important. Your child’s educational therapist will spend more individual time instructing him than any of his other teachers. As you work together in harmony, your child will reap the benefits.
This parent handbook has been designed to be a resource for you, but if you ever have any questions, please call.
INFORMATION ABOUT THE DISCOVERY PROGRAM
What is the Discovery Program?
The Discovery program has been established by the National Institute for Learning Development(NILD) in Norfolk, Virginia. The goal is to help children with learning difficulties who have experienced academic frustration and/or failure in the classroom setting. These children have average or above average intelligence but are not able to learn by traditional classroom instruction due to perceptual difficulties. The Discovery students have one-on-one educational therapy sessions two times a week. Each session lasts 80 minutes (or shorter sessions for younger children) and is outside the classroom setting. The remainder of the student's schedule is spent in the regular classroom situation. The student receives additional homework during the therapy session, but the therapist works with the classroom teachers to adjust the daily work load. The therapist works closely with the teacher, student, and parents to create a support system for the child. The ultimate goal is to assist the student in a successful learning mode and reach his full potential in the classroom with a program that culminates between three to five years.
DISCOVERY at Champion Christian School
Parent and teacher referrals help to identify students with special needs. Therapy sessions are 1 hour and 20 minutes long, twice a week, during class time.
The parents are to:
1. Schedule to observe three sessions at the beginning of your child’s educational therapy.
2. Supervise Rhythmic Writing at home the days that he/she does not have therapy.
3.Supervise other assigned homework.
Occasionally, sessions are video taped for teacher training and recording progress.
In addition to parent support meetings, special events are planned for all Discovery students.
The Lord uses the program to redeem young lives for maximum usefulness. It has often been said it is "better to build children than to repair a man." A verse that goes along with this is,
"Then the eyes of these who see will no longer be closed, and the ears
of those who hear will listen. The mind of the rash will know and
understand and the stammering tongue will be fluent and clear."
Isaiah 32:3&4
DISCOVERY PROGRAM INTAKE PROCEDURE
1. Referral - by program therapist.
2. Faculty member completes the Teacher Checklist.
3. Parent-Teacher Conference with principal.
a. Parent Application
b. Diagnostic Testing Application and Fee Information sheet (obtain from Discovery Therapist)
4. Parents must return the completed Parent Application and Diagnostic Testing sheet to the Discovery therapist.
5. The Discovery Therapist will:
a. Contact principal for testing time.
b. Assist the parent in obtaining the required testing.
c. Meet with parents to discuss the results of educational battery.
d. Confirm to teacher about student's results.
6. Principal and therapist will meet with parents to discuss eligibility for the program and review placement procedures.
a. Payment of Material Fee.
b. Completion of paperwork.
c. If placed on waiting list, explanation of the procedure and status.
7. Students are accepted into Discovery program after referral and testing process. The student’s age and severity of the deficits are both taken into consideration when determining eligibility, and placement on the waiting list.
HOMEWORK COMPLETION AND RHYTHMIC WRITING
Your student’s rate of progress is directly affected by the amount of time spent completing homework and rhythmic writing. It is very difficult for the instructing therapist to move on when students have not completed homework. For this reason students that have completed their homework less than 75% of the time will be enrolled in learning support for the next marking period. There will be an additional cost for this service.
PROGRESS REPORTS
At the end of each marking period Discovery Students will receive a progress report. Progress reports reflect the student’s progress, participation, attitude and homework completion. Parents should plan to meet with their child’s therapist during the designated report card conference day. Your student’s progress report will look similar to the following samples from last year.
Enrollment of children in Champion Christian School is a privilege, not a right. Parents must understand that continued enrollment and reenrollment of their children is dependent on their support of the school, its staff , and its policies.
TESTING FOR THE DISCOVERY PROGRAM
Pyscho-educational Evaluation (given by school psychologist)
a. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV
b. Woodcock-JohnsonIII Tests of Achievement
c. Bender Visual-Motot Bestalt Test
d. Additional tests if needed for diagnostic reasons
Informal Tests given by the Discovery Therapist
a. Alphabet and Numbers
b. Dictation and Copy
c. Neurological
d. Draw-A-Clock
e. Days and Months
f. Draw-A-Person
FEE INFORMATION
Psychological Testing:Determines eligibility. To be obtained by parents outside of the Discovery program. There are several options and CCS will assist in finding the right one for each family.
Educational Testing: $ 100 (for returning students and any new students
who receive Discovery Tuition Scholarships)
Conner’s $75 (reserved for students who have suspected issues of attention)
Educational Therapy: $2170 per year
Materials Fee: $150 for new students
$100 for returning
Each student must also purchase a special 3' X 5' chalkboard for home use.
*Annual Registration Fee for NON CCS Students $100
RECOMMENDED READING FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS
**1. Brilliant Idiot*
by Dr. Abraham Schmitt
Good Books, 1992
Intercourse, PA 17534 (800-762-7171)
**2. Classroom Success for the LD & ADHD
by Suzanne H. Stevens
John F. Blair, Publisher, 1984
1406 Plaza Dr.
3. College and the Learning Disabled Child
by Charles T. Mangrum II & S. Strickhart
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984
727 Third Ave.
New York, NY 19917
**4. Endangered Minds
by Jane M. Healy, Ph.D.
Simon & Schuster, 1990
Rockefeller Center
1230 Ave. of the Americas
New York, NY 10020 (800-331-6531)
5. Faking It
by Christopher Lee & Rosemary Jackson
Boynton/Cook Publishers, Inc.
361 Hanover St
Portsmouth, NH 03801-3959
6. Gifted Hands - The Ben Carson Story
by Benjamin Carson
Zondervan Books, 1990
1415 Lake Dr., S.E.
Grand Rapids, MI 49506
7. Keeping A Head in School
by Melvin D. Levine M.D.
Educators Publishing Service, Inc.
75 Moulton St.
Cambridge, MA 02138-1104
**8. The LD & ADHD Child: Ways That Parents Can Help
by Suzanne H. Stevens
John F. Blair, Publisher, 1984
1406 Plaza Dr.
Winston-Salem, NC 27103 (800-222-9796)
9. No Easy Answers
by Sally L. Smith
Bantam Books, 1979
10. No One to Play With
by Betty B. Osman
Random House, 1982
New York, NY
**11. A Parent’s Guide to Learning Disabilities
by A. D’Antoni, D. Minifie, E. Minifie
The Continental Press, Inc., 1978
520 E. Bainbridge St.
Elizabethtown, PA 17022 (717-367-1836)
**12. Teaching with the Brain in Mind
by Eric Jensen
Association for Supervision and Curricular Development
1250 N. Pitt Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-1453
13. What Do You Mean I Have a Learning Disability?
By Kathleen M. Dwyer
Walker & Company
720 Fifth Ave.
New York, NY 10019
**14. Uncommon Gifts
by Rev. James S. Evans
Harold Shaw Publishers
Box 567
Wheaton, IL 60189
*Christian autobiography
**Books available in Discovery Library
Other books are available in the
CCS Discovery Library