Knightly News

Collaboration, creativity and a desire to help students are driving recent Learning Support Services successes. In a time when pandemic protocols presented obstacles, the support services team and Episcopal faculty members found new and meaningful ways to expand services. Longtime Learning Support Services Counselor Robin Talamo is excited to see the evolution of the department and the expansion of services that will continue making a difference long after the pandemic is over.

After a decade of supporting Lower, Middle and Upper School students, Talamo is pleased to see the collaboration that has sparked among Episcopal faculty members regarding support services for students. This school year, faculty member Laura Portwood moved into the role of Lower School Learning Support teacher after previously teaching religious studies and assisting with tutoring support and literacy intervention. Talamo says having a full-time, dedicated Lower School support staff member is good news for students. It is also good for families as many of the services are at no additional cost to them.

Reading is a fundamental component of learning. With that in mind, Portwood organizes Leveled Literacy Intervention reading groups for Lower School students. Students may simply need a little assistance to meet learning benchmarks, and this type of intervention makes a tremendous difference. Portwood meets with small groups of students each day for 30 minutes. Parents are partners in the effort as Portwood sends home daily updates and communication about how families can support their children. For many students, this intervention eliminates the necessity of additional therapy. Moving forward, the Lower School team plans to introduce a similar intervention for students needing assistance in math.

There are 36 Writing Center Fellows and 33 Math Tutors this year.

The collaborative spirit has also created new opportunities for meaningful peer tutoring in Middle and Upper School. Writing Center Director Katie Sutcliffe works with Talamo to match Writing Fellows with students who need additional support. Talamo says the partnership provides the students she works with another opportunity to learn and develop. In addition to assisting learning support services students, Writing Fellows also support a range of students and classes. Sutcliffe reports that there are 36 Writing Fellows and 33 math tutors this year. The peer tutors conducted 325 appointments during the fall semester!

The Learning Support Services team also offers an Upper School support group called OYES (Owning Your Educational Success). The group’s purpose is to help students develop the self-awareness and self-advocacy skills needed to interact with adults in age-appropriate ways. Through this group setting, students connect with peers in similar situations and learn resiliency skills from one another. “It helps them be independent,” says Assistant Head of School for Academics Dr. Sara Fenske. “The goal is that by the time our students graduate, they will be prepared to advocate for themselves and use the skills they learned here to be successful at any college or university they choose to attend.”

Learning support services includes families. For more than a decade, Episcopal has offered the Parents UKnighted support group for families of students with learning differences. Recently, Talamo and Portwood were guest speakers at the Southern Association of Independent Schools national conference highlighting the group’s success. Talamo says Parents UKnighted provides an opportunity for families to connect with others in similar situations and allows them to share tips and resources. “It helps them to not feel alone,” she says. The group meets once a quarter and is open to families in all divisions.

Talamo and Portwood also provide a range of advocacy services for students. They work closely with teachers to coordinate extended testing time, and Talamo helps students and families navigate the process of getting additional time with standardized testing through ACT and the College Board. The team also identifies technology resources, such as reader pens for students with dyslexia. From faculty flex and office hours to the Paper online tutoring program, there are numerous built-in support services available to Episcopal students.

There are also a variety of support options readily available on campus for an additional cost. With the addition of Portwood, the Lower School Homework Helpers program has expanded to include more grades. For a small fee, families can register their child to receive additional assistance from a grade-level teacher in a small group setting after the regular school day. Talamo says students do not always go home with their homework completed, but they are more prepared to get it done independently. Once homework discussions are complete, students work on executive function skills including how to organize a notebook or digital content, how to use a folder system or even how to draft a to-do list. This year, the Homework Helper program is also offered in sixth and seventh grades. The groups are initially kept small, and scheduling is flexible. Sessions are offered twice a week, and students can attend based on their needs with no additional attendance requirements.

On-campus tutors are back on campus this year after pandemic protocols previously eliminated the option for campus visitors for part of last school year. Talamo says these tutoring professionals have a role to play in academic coaching as some students need a more focused, longer tutoring session. Families interested in learning more about private tutoring options should contact Talamo for more information.

There is no “one-size-fits-all” solution when it comes to assisting students. Thankfully, the Episcopal team has discovered a way to meet the needs of students in a variety of formats. For more information on Episcopal’s Learning Support Services program, contact Talamo or Portwood or click here.

The Episcopal School of Baton Rouge 2024-2025 application is now available! ​For more information on the application process, to schedule a tour, or learn more about the private school, contact us at [email protected] or 225-755-2685.