Welcome to the Student Services Department. Learn more about special education in York Region District School Board.
Our Student Services Department offers several programs for exceptional students: Learning Strategies courses, Monitoring, In-Class Resourcing, Resource Centre, Basic Level Integration, School-to-Work Transition, and specialized Community Class placements. Access to these programs is determined by an Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC). The goal of this department is to assist and encourage each student to become an independent learner with a positive self image. Ongoing consultation and communication is maintained with the student, the classroom teacher, parents and support personnel.
Department
Our Staff:
| Name | Role |
|---|---|
| Ms. C. Ng | Department Head |
| Ms. S. Gillett | Teacher |
| Ms. R. Groen | Teacher |
| Mr. D. Kroetsch | Teacher |
| Ms. T. Lee | Teacher |
| Ms. K. Milne | Teacher |
| Ms. K. Moh | Teacher |
| Mr. D. Scapinello | Teacher |
| Ms. S. Singh | Teacher |
| Mr. D. Weber | Teacher |
| Ms. K. Willey | Assistant Department Head |
| Ms. L. Young | Teacher |
| Ms. M. Bhatt | Support Staff |
| Ms. A. Brum | Support Staff |
| Ms. K. Kahin | Support Staff |
| Ms. R. Karatsoreos | Support Staff |
| Ms. N. Kartash | Support Staff |
| Ms. A. Li | Support Staff |
| Ms. M. Mohamed | Support Staff |
| Ms. L. Nation | Support Staff |
| Ms. S. Somrah | Support Staff |
| Mr. R. Rayner | Support Staff |
| Ms. T. Rodney | Support Staff |
| Ms. S. Yeung | Support Staff |
Courses:
Learning Strategies
Our courses assist students in building the skills necessary to cope effectively with the regular curriculum. Specific strategies offered to groups or individual students are determined by individual needs and may include: organization, time management, note-making, problem solving, study skills, test taking, reading, writing, social skills and self-advocacy. The aim of the program is to have students apply these skills independently in their regular classes.
Each level provides the the following learning opportunities and has a specific grade level focus:
- GLE101 Focus: Transitioning to High School
- GLE201 Focus: Preparing for the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT)
- GLE301 Focus: The World of Work and Pathways
- GLE401 Focus: Preparing for Post-Secondary Destination (including a field trip to a post-secondary office of disability services)
Community Classes/Partially Integrated Programs at PETHS:
- Language-Based Learning Disabilities (LLD): This credit-bearing program is designed to support students identified as having a Learning Disability or Language Impairment, such that the resulting difficulty with language processing leads to significant delays in areas of communication. Such students are placed in the LLD program as their needs require placement in a small class environment to develop individual strategies and technology skills to access the curriculum. The duration of the program is for Grade 9 and 10 only, with a maximum of 8 students. SERTs will directly provide intensive support to students within the program, to assist them with earning the following grade 9 de-streamed credits: Geography, History, English, Math and Science. No busing is provided for this program.
- Developmental Disabilities Program: This non-credit program emphasizes the development of functional literacy, numeracy and personal life skills, such as money management, transit training, community exploration, social skills and work experience. Highly specialized, individualized programming, instructional materials (drawing from alternative curriculum expectations) and intensive supports are provided by classroom staff to meet learning and integration goals for the entirety of the school day. These factors result in a balanced program that focuses on building independence and achieving personalized, meaningful goals.
- Autism Program: This non-credit program offers highly individualized programming and intensive support for students with a primary diagnosis of Autism. Students work toward alternative/modified curriculum expectations that focus on the development of communication and life skills, functional numeracy and literacy as well as daily living and self-regulation skills, with opportunities for intensively supported integration. The Autism program at PETHS provides a balance between academics and learning opportunities which promote and challenge each student to reach a maximum level of academic achievement, independence and citizenship.