Want to feel good?
If you’ve supported the East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation in any way, you can feel good about the fact that you’re supporting elementary school students who need help with math and reading.
Thanks to more than $150,000 in funding from the Foundation, the new position of Elementary Para-Interventionist is providing instructional support to specific students and classrooms. These interventionists work with kindergarten through fifth grade students in reading and mathematics.
The program is critical to the academic success of elementary students. Its flexible design allows the program to expand and contract consistent with student needs and the availability of other programming.
"The intervention paraeducators support students in very targeted areas of math and literacy that are identified by the classroom teacher,” says Lakeside Principal Stephanie Thelen. “They work with students four to five times per week and have been a great asset to helping young learners achieve at grade level!"
Breton Downs Principal Dr. Caroline Cannon adds, “Having these skilled, highly trained individuals is invaluable to our elementary buildings. They are providing small group interventions and, in some cases, one-on-one interventions. We appreciate the support from our paraeducator interventionists and the East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation.”
Carlye Allen, the Principal at Wealthy Elementary, says, “Our paraeducator interventionist provides targeted interventions to small groups and individuals in kindergarten through fifth grade. In collaboration with the general education teachers, the interventionist designs and delivers engaging, hands-on lessons focused on specific skills that help students succeed. This ‘double dose’ of direct teaching allows learners to experience success with skills that were otherwise quite difficult to master. I am grateful to see both the academic and emotional growth in our students as a direct result of this support.
“Without the support of the East Grand Rapids Schools Foundation, this amazing opportunity for our learners in need would not be possible.”
