Magazine 2018

The Oyster Centre In the Oyster Centre we believe that every child is a gift. They just unwrap their packages at different times. The Oyster Centre started as a vision of Parklands College to accommodate existing learners with barriers to learning and to bridge any existing gaps in their learning. We also accept learners from other schools who meet the necessary criteria. Learners have to have had a recent assessment with an Educational Psychologist. They need to have an average to above average IQ and follow all the recommendations made by the psychologist and by Parklands College. There is a support team consisting of an OT/speech therapist/ remedial teacher and a full time assistant. Members of the support team are there to address the relevant areas of concern in the classroom with children in a one on one and small group environment with the aim of developing all the necessary foundations to support academic learning. They are also able to support learners by making simple yet effective adjustments to the classroom environment. What is important to note is that learners are integrated within the school environment. They join classes for all enrichment activities: Drama, Music, Xhosa, Library, Art and PE. They also do Robotics as a class because this is an area in which they all excel and experience success within a small group setting. Oyster Centre learners participate in all the sport and cultural activities on offer. They also attend grade specific outings. We follow the National Curriculum as our guideline. We do, however, enrich, adapt and make changes to teaching styles and methods to accommodate the specific needs of the learners. In 2019 a Grade Four and Grade Five Oyster Centre will open. We can then accommodate learners from Grade One to Grade Five. Our aim is to mainstream the learners in Grade six in order for them to progress to our High School. I believe that we need to embrace lifelong learning. Parklands College is proactive in sending our team of specialists to all necessary training and courses showcasing the latest trends in education. Learners are unique individuals and progress and develop at their own pace. We aim to accommodate the Oyster Centre learners in a relaxed and happy learning environment. It is our goal to boost their self-confidence and make each day a positive learning experience. – Sharon Louw, Oyster Centre Educator Speech Therapy Speech therapy is offered at the Oyster Centre to support learners with speech, language and auditory processing needs. Language and listening skills are an integral part of learning and are often the major difficulty in learning challenged children. Speech clarity, accuracy, fluency and confidence are addressed. Language areas addressed include verbal and written skills, with a focus on grammatical and coherent communication. Spelling is often affected by auditory processing needs in discriminating between sounds, blending and analysis of sounds and auditory memory and sequencing skills. Interpersonal communication skills are also addressed to highlight the social needs of language and interactional harmony through words. A happy and confident communicator is our aim with our Oyster learners. – Monica Paterson, Speech therapist and remedial learning What support is available at Parklands College for learners of the Oyster Centre? We have an occupational therapist, a speech and language therapist and a learning support teacher on-site available to support those learners that may require extra assistance to support their learning in the classroom. What type of support do these services offer? The occupational therapist is focused on the sensori-motor development and the impact this has on gross motor, fine motor and visual perceptual development and ultimately functional academic skills such as handwriting, reading, attention and emotional regulation. – Robyn Anne Radloff, Monica Palmer and Brenda de Goede Occupational therapy and remedial learning offered at Parklands College 60. 21st Edition