The Mission of Good Shepherd Lutheran School is to care for God’s children, whose potential is at risk, helping them in the areas of behavior, academics, healthy living, and class attendance. With the help of God, this is accomplished by identifying warning signs, intervening with love, making appropriate referrals, and providing continued guidance.

The Resource Room

The Resource Room serves to provide assistance to teachers, parents, and students. Beth Italiano, our Resource Teacher, assists our teachers in developing a Student Education Plan or 504 plan for each student whose learning needs are not met by regular classroom instruction.  She also works with students both individually and in small groups. She can be reached at bitaliano@gslcs.org.

Mrs. Sue Carney is our Resource Room Assistant.  She works with small groups in the areas of language arts and math, focusing on Kindergarten through Fourth Grade.  She also assists with both classroom and easy CBM testing. She can be reached at scarney@gslcs.org

Various testing materials are used to help identify any specific learning needs including the Wide-Range Achievement Test, easyCBM, running records, informal number sense, phonological awareness, and phonics assessments. EasyCBM is used to benchmark and progress monitor students in both reading and math. This data is used to individualize instruction to better meet the needs of the student. When indicated, outside resources are contacted and used to give a more in-depth evaluation, including the student’s home public school district, occupational therapy, speech and language, dyslexia therapy, vision, and auditory therapy, etc.

A variety of learning materials and programs are used to enhance the learning of the students in the resource room. The Barton Reading and Spelling System is a multi-sensory explicit and systematic phonics program that helps strengthen student phonics skills and Mrs. Italiano also uses this program with students who have been diagnosed with dyslexia. Other materials include Raz-Plus, low-level books, and stories, phonics-related games, math manipulatives, Moby Max, word study and journal writing, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Can a student with a current IEP or 504 plan attend Good Shepherd?

Students with an IEP or 504 Plan who are seeking enrollment at Good Shepherd will be asked to share the plan with the resource teacher. The Principal and resource teacher will thoughtfully review the student’s needs to determine whether Good Shepherd can provide the appropriate accommodations and support. This decision will then be discussed collaboratively with the family.

Does Good Shepherd write Student Education Plans?

To support our students’ accommodation needs, Good Shepherd develops a Student Education Plan (SEP) for each eligible student. These individualized plans provide classroom teachers with clear, practical guidance on the specific accommodations a student requires for success. Each SEP is tailored to the student’s unique needs and is reviewed annually, with adjustments made as necessary throughout the school year.

When a student’s individualized support needs fall outside the scope of Good Shepherd’s available services, what steps should be taken?

There may be instances when a student’s learning and special education needs extend beyond the support Good Shepherd is able to provide. While we strive to accommodate each student by modifying instruction and the learning environment, there are situations where a public school setting may be better equipped to offer the specialized services necessary for a student’s academic, social, and emotional growth. In such cases, we are committed to supporting and guiding the family through a smooth transition to the new educational setting.

Resource Room Guidelines

1. The primary goal of the Resource Room is to enable the student to function successfully within the classroom:
   1. by working minimally with the student in the resource room
   2. by assisting the classroom teacher in adjusting assignments and tests to meet the student’s needs
   3. by providing suggestions to the parents regarding the ways they can help at home
   4. by providing a list of outside resources when necessary
2. Parents should speak to the classroom teacher, who will work with the resource teacher in determining if a referral is appropriate.
3. Students who have recently transferred to Good Shepherd may need help temporarily until they have adjusted to the new curriculum.
4. The resource room teacher will assist in structuring a positive reinforcement program for those students who consistently use inappropriate behavior.
5. The resource room teacher will provide information and assistance to the classroom teachers in working with students identified as having ADHD.
6. Assistance will be given to students struggling with executive functioning skills such as organization and study skills.
7. Suggestions for enrichment will be available for students whose abilities appear to exceed activities generally provided in the classroom.
8. The Peer Tutoring program will be managed under the guidance of the resource teacher
9. Other factors affecting a student’s need for resource room intervention will be considered jointly by the homeroom teacher, resource room teacher, and the principal

School Counselor

Our school counselor, Diana Cuddeback, is a licensed clinical social worker with 20 plus years of experience. She provides a school-wide character and anti-bullying program called Fruits of the Spirit. This program takes place throughout the school year and is a partnership between the teachers, the school counselor, parents and caregivers. It includes a focus on leadership education for the upper grades, friendship communication, conflict resolution and other topics for all the grades. Mrs. Cuddeback is available for brief, solution-focused counseling for students. She runs groups on a variety of topics including anger management, social skills, divorce, and grief as student needs necessitate. She provides support and referrals for parents and caregivers. Mrs. Cuddeback is also available for case management with outside agencies and professionals as well as teacher meetings and consultation on specific student and classroom needs all with a goal to support the student’s scholastic, social, and spiritual growth. If you have any questions about this service that is being offered, please contact, Mrs. Cuddeback at dcuddeback@gslcs.org

Peer Tutoring

A group of students will assist other students in academic areas. This group will be directed by our Resource teacher Beth Italiano. This program will take place before, during, or after class hours.
Students desiring help with homework, reading, math, or studying for
tests may attend our Peer Tutoring program. Junior High students work
with other students twice a week after school. A staff member is
always present to provide assistance as well.