Support Services
Additional support services are available to assist teachers and families
when concerns arise with students. These services include our building staff (special education teacher, counselor,
nurse, health secretary, etc.) and Grant
Wood Area Education Agency support staff (psychologist, social worker,
consultant, speech-language pathologist,
occupational and physical therapist, and others). Teachers
and families may use input on an informal basis or
request formal assistance in identifying strategies, or
in monitoring individual student progress. These services
are available for all students by teacher
or parent request through the counselor’s office. Working together, we
can provide the best education
possible for all of our children.
Counseling – 447-3303
Novak has
a full time counselor to assist students, families and staff. Among the services available are whole
class
and small group instruction and individual counseling. For more information about the counseling program
please
feel free to give us a call.
Learning Enrichment Opportunities / LEO
The
LEO program provides students with opportunities to explore new topics of interest through projects,
presentations,
demonstrations, and special guest speakers. In addition, students identified to participate in the
LEO
program participate in activities to further develop their skills in logic, research design, productive
thinking
and problem solving. Identified students leave the regular classroom setting and work together in another
room
in the building.
Special Education Programs
The Special Education
programs at Novak provide additional support for students with identified learning needs.
The special
education teachers work closely with the classroom teacher to introduce and/or reinforce student
learning
in reading, writing and mathematics.
Reading Recovery
The goal of Reading
Recovery is to help beginning 1st grade readers learn the skills necessary to become effective 1st grade readers. Children
participating in the program receive an additional 30 minutes of one-on-one instruction daily. The specially trained Reading
Recovery teachers and children work together on reading and writing experiences. Students are selected to participate in the
program based on need.
Reading and Math Support
The reading and math support programs at
Novak provide students in kindergarten - 5th grades with additional time to learn reading and/or math skills. Our reading
/ math support teachers work with small groups of students, or with individual students based on need. Students are selected
to participate in the programs based on need. Parents will be informed if their child(ren) are to receive additional support.
Library / Media Center
Novak has a full time Teacher Librarian. Classroom
teachers schedule blocks of time each week for their students
to visit the library. Among the services
provided by the teacher librarian are teaching students how to access the
information available in the library,
including books, encyclopedias and computers. We ask parents help to ensure
that books are returned
on time. A fee will be charged for lost or damaged media materials.
Children are allowed to check
out materials from the library according to their grade level. Kindergarten may check out 1 book and all other grades are
allowed 2 books. First grade begins the year checking out one book but by Novemeber they will be bringing home 2 books.
Books are checked out for two weeks. Videos may only be kept overnight. All overdue books or videos
must be
returned (or paid for if lost) before any new items may be checked out. A note will go home
to parents/guardians
(the cost for the item will be included) if a book is more than two weeks overdue.
Grant Wood Area Education Agency
Grant Wood Area Education Agency (GWAEA)
provides personnel and materials to the Linn-Mar School district. Some of the programs and personnel are listed below.
School Psychologists - The school psychologist assists in the diagnosis of educational, emotional and behavioral
problems.
Social Worker - The school social worker assists students, their families
and teachers. With the focus being on
social, emotional and behavioral concerns. A cooperative
approach to problem solving is emphasized.
Speech Clinician - The speech clinician provides speech services
to students at Novak. Students are recommended
for speech work on the basis of teacher referral, parent
referral, testing, or doctor referral.
Vision and Hearing Screening - At some time in the year
Grant Wood Area Education Agency will provide vision and
hearing screening to all students in the building.
You will receive notification of the dates. If you do not want
your child(ren) to participate, please
notify the school in writing.
