The Academic Building is home to the Learning Commons, a space for academic achievement and personal goal setting. Through the Learning Commons, Learning Specialists work with students as they establish a toolbox of learning skills and strategies. For some students, this represents a set of organizational, planning, and prioritizing strategies to take their academic achievement to a new level. For others, the toolbox represents taking a strengths-based approach to overcoming the challenges of a learning difference.

Every student has room to grow, as well as the capacity to learn about themselves as learners. Note-taking techniques that help information stick, the right type of planner to keep up on assignments, helpful organizational techniques that work for them – these are just a few things covered in Learning Skills.

Learning Skills classes are facilitated by Learning Specialists. Rooted and driven by the students’ own goals for academic and personal growth, the Learning Skills classes are committed to helping each student establish a basic set of metacognitive and executive functioning strategies. Students are assessed through teacher observations, self-assessment, and feedback dialogues. Students demonstrate understanding when they transfer their developing skills to their classes, study hall, group work, and extracurriculars.

Every student takes Learning Skills. There are no formal assessments and no homework is assigned. Students simply practice the skills they are learning in conjunction with their core content area classes. Classroom teachers, learning skills teachers, and students maintain an open line of communication to ensure students can talk the talk AND walk the walk!

Learning Skills is Just That – students learning the skills that work for them to be productive, empowered, and happy in their school and professional work.