St. Joseph Intervention/Special Education Program

Here at St. Joseph we are fortunate to have an eclectic group of professionals who are working together as a team to address several student’s needs within and out of the classroom. Our intervention team works together to meet many different needs including K-8 intervention, Special Education through IEPs, and Service Plans.  The intervention team includes 4 Intervention Specialists, 2 retired classroom teachers, 2 aides, 1 Speech and Language Therapist, and 10 grandma volunteers. Each member of the team works with classroom teachers, parents, and each other to continue developing materials and the necessary instruction for each of them to be individually successful. Please see below for a little excerpt about each and what they do for our students.

Our lead Intervention Specialist, Sarah Graf, has been with St. Joseph for 10 years. She taught 1^st grade for 5 years and is now serving our students through intervention grades K-8. She provides service to students on a Service Plan (students who are receiving specially designed instruction) as well as students who qualify for the RTI (Response to Intervention) program. She provides a great deal of instruction to increase reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension growth through the Reading A to Z program as well as Orton Gillingham/Phonics Dance instruction in grades 1 and 2. The 10 grandma volunteers make this program more individualized and help it be a very successful program. She also provides additional supports with math and writing.

Intervention Specialist, Rhonda Shepherd, has been with St. Joseph for 7 years. She has devoted most of her time to 2 IEP students that require full time support in the classroom, as well as help with other students on IEPs. She has great success in building relationships with students and helping them find success in all areas of their lives academically and outside of the classroom. Mrs. Shepherd takes the time to create individual materials that involve hands on real life experiences for each of the students she works with.

Maria Kime is working with IEP students grades 3-6 to increase their academic performance. She is also Orton Gillingham trained and finishing her certification as an Intervention Specialist. She is constantly researching and developing new tools to use during her instruction time with students.

Our 7^th and 8^th grade Intervention Specialist, Becky Anderson works with Mary Peters, a retired classroom teacher from St. Joseph to help our junior high students on IEPs. They are working closely together to help these students continue developing their academic needs and prepare for the next step to high school.

Cheryl Wagner and Barb Pate are both aides who are working closely with students who require full time support within the classrooms. They have also developed close relationships with these students to help them meet their needs.Mrs. Wagner devotes most of her time to one of our junior high students that needs assistance.  Mrs. Pate provides assistance in the 1st and 2^nd grade for math and reading instruction.

Mary Jo Taylor is a retired teacher who continues to work at St. Joseph in many different classrooms. She provides assistance in the 1st and 2^nd grade for math and reading instruction, teaches Kindergarten religion, and oversees the enrichment foreign language program for grades 3-6 and the required foreign language for grades 7 and 8.

Jenn Carlton is our Speech and Language Therapist who works closely with students on a Service Plan to increase their expressive language, receptive language, and/or articulation. She is at school 1 ½ days a week and spends a great deal of time helping these students achieve goals and increase their speech and language in and out of the classroom. She also provides intervention students with these same needs.

Please feel free to email Sarah Graf with any questions you may have about the intervention program offered at St. Joseph:

sgraf@sjcshamilton.org