Currey Ingram Academy, 'The Path to Success'

The Path to Success Winter 2018

Begins at Currey Ingram Academy Inside:

The Currey Ingram Advantage How the Brain Works Understanding Learning Differences Educating the Whole Child More than a School

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Message to Families “Every child is given the opportunity to fully unlock their potential - to be recognized, welcomed, and appreciated for their unique strengths, challenges, gifts, and passions - to become the very best version of who they were made to be!”

– Current Currey Ingram parent

Welcome to The Path to Success, a magazine that highlights how students achieve their fullest potential. At Currey Ingram Academy, a school for students with average to superior intelligence, we celebrate the strengths of every student.

Through evidence-based instruction, small classes, and exceptionally trained faculty, we meet students where they are and help them grow into who they are meant to be. We are a K-12 day school that empowers students with learning differences to achieve their fullest potential.

In this magazine, we will share with you the Currey Ingram Advantage. If you have a child who is not thriving in his or her current educational setting, we invite you to visit our school, meet with our experienced, nurturing faculty and see first-hand what success can look like for your child.

Dr. Jeffrey L. Mitchell Head of School

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Message to Families Currey Ingram Advantage The Advantage: Distinguishing Characteristics The Advantage: Understanding Learning Differences The Advantage: Celebrating the Whole Child The Advantage: Alumni Success The Advantage: More than a School

Admission Information

Prospective students participate in classroom visits with teachers, students, and administrators so we can get to know the students while allowing the students the opportunity to experience the school’s environment first-hand. Recently, when a young visitor was asked how his visit was going, he said, “I love it here already. People notice me and help me here.”

We know that families may realize their child learns differently at any time during the school year. Currey Ingram Academy offers a rolling admission process, allowing families to apply year-round. We offer private tours instead of group open houses, which allows us an opportunity to learn more about your student.

To learn more about the admission process, visit www.curreyingram.org/admission.

This special supplemental guide was created by Currey Ingram Academy and published in partnership by Nashville Parent Magazine.

The Currey Ingram Academy Advantage

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At Currey Ingram Academy it’s true: • Students are recognized for their strengths and talents and feel proud of their accomplishments.

• Each student has an Individualized Learning Plan that ensures each student receives personalized instruction based on his or her strengths and challenges.

• Students are taught by teachers trained in the latest evidence-based methods for teaching students with learning differences, including but not limited to ADHD, dyslexia, and executive function deficits.

• Speech-language pathologists and occupational therapists on staff weave strategies into the school day for students in kindergarten through eighth-grade who need them.

• Students receive character and social skills instruction at all grade levels.

• Self-advocacy training is provided for all students to help them become more independent in school and in life.

• With support, students are empowered to achieve their fullest potential.

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The Advantage: Four Distinguishing Characteristics of a Currey Ingram Education

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Neuroeducation: Evidence from the last 25 years of cognitive neuroscience research shows that no two minds are remotely alike. Currey Ingram differentiates itself by acknowledging this reality and educating the neurodiverse brain. Since each new experience creates a new neural pathway, Currey Ingram teachers provide memorable, multimodal, multifaceted and diverse experiences.

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Reading Readiness: Many students with language-based learning deficits need to be explicitly taught phonemic awareness and other early reading skills. At Currey Ingram, teaching phonemic awareness is an important part of our early reading program. For the struggling reader, these skills must be explicitly taught in a systematic manner, by well-trained teachers, and for an extended period of time. It has been noted that approximately 90 percent of poor readers can reach average levels of reading in word recognition skills when this approach to instruction is followed.

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Mastering Math: Learning math can be challenging, especially for students who have specific learning deficits. Language skills, executive functioning, motor planning, and math-specific visual processing skills all play a role in acquiring math competency. At Currey Ingram, math is considered in all of its complexity, and teachers provide successive levels of support that help students reach higher levels of comprehension and skill acquisition that they would not be able to achieve without assistance.

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Social Emotional Learning: Research shows that increasing emotional intelligence has several positive outcomes. When we feel connected, have a sense of belonging, and feel secure in our school environments, we can then be more open to academics and the learning that developes in the classroom. Social emotional learning is an important part of what we do at Currey Ingram every day.

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The Advantage: We Understand Learning Differently Demands Teaching Differently

A learning difference may interfere with an individual’s ability to process and produce information. It can affect one’s ability to read, write, spell, compute math and it can impact an individual’s attention, memory, social skills and emotional maturity.

Students who learn differently need to be taught differently.

At Currey Ingram, we address the education of students with average to superior intelligence whose learning depends upon personalized instruction and specific teaching methods. We design a school experience that promotes students’ strengths and supports their differences.

We provide small classes, tutorials, and Individualized Learning Plans (ILP) that promote communication between teachers and parents, as well as realistic assessments of a student’s strengths, weaknesses, and academic goals. Our character education program advances the social and moral development of all students.

Through our very intentional and personalized approach to teaching and a nurturing school environment that encourages both academic learning and social growth, Currey Ingram gives students the tools to thrive and grow.

6 The Advantage: Celebrating the Whole Child Currey Ingram Academy is dedicated to supporting the whole child – academically, socially, emotionally and physically – through our personalized academic setting and our robust arts, athletic and extracurricular programs. The Currey Ingram student is a bright, talented individual who finds success inside and outside the classroom.

The Advantage: Successful Alumni

We began as Westminster School of Nashville in 1968. In 2002, we moved to our current 83-acre campus in Brentwood, changed our name to Currey Ingram Academy and had our first graduating class in 2005. Each year, Currey Ingram graduates young men and women well prepared to attend colleges and universities from coast to coast.

Activities you participated in at Currey Ingram Academy:

Sports and choir

Hannah Cullum Class of 2012

College/major:

Samford University, Bachelor of Arts in human development and family sciences

Occupation:

Life Enrichment Director for senior retirement community in Franklin, TN

How did Currey Ingram Academy positively influence or impact your life:

Today, I continue to use the abilities and skills that I harnessed at Currey Ingram: Leadership, organization, time management, focus, self-evaluation and growth, friendship, and encouragement.

Matthew Yessick Class of 2010 Activities you participated in at Currey Ingram Academy:

Football, soccer, cross country, rock band

College/major:

University of Utah, Bachelor of Arts in communications/marketing; Master of Arts in marketing (spring 2018)

Occupation:

Marketing and Sales for the NBA Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City, UT

How did Currey Ingram Academy positively influence or impact your life:

Currey Ingram helped to give me the tools I would need to be successful in college. It helped me to learn to proactively advocate for myself and figure out how I work best. The teachers were very supportive and encouraging.

Activities you participated in at Currey Ingram Academy:

Kelly Mae Brodkin Class of 2010

Volleyball, basketball, soccer, cross country, and softball

College/major:

Emory & Henry College, Bachelor of Arts in mass communications at Emory & Henry College

Current Occupation:

Program Associate on the Logistics Team at the American Society of Clinical Oncology in Arlington, VA

How did Currey Ingram Academy positively influence or impact your life:

I am very grateful to have attended Currey Ingram Academy. In elementary school, I was struggling to learn and to reach out for help. It wasn’t until I attended Currey Ingram in fifth grade, that I finally felt confident and comfortable to speak up in class, ask questions and to finally grow intellectually. I never thought I would graduate being the valedictorian of my class because I didn’t have confidence before attending Currey Ingram.

Currey Ingram empowered me to know that I can strive to be the best and that learning “differently” should never hold you back.

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The Advantage: More than a School

In addition to Currey Ingram Academy, an exemplary K-12 day school that empowers students with learning differences to achieve the fullest potential, our 83-acre campus also comprises:

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Child Development Center at Currey Ingram: A child development center open to the general public that serves all children ages 6 weeks through Pre-K. For information, call (615) 507-3196.

Annette Eskind Institute of Learning: Provides free programs for parents and educators on child and adolescent development. For information, visit www.curreyingram.org/ communityeducation.

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ADHD Summer Treatment Program: Designed like a summer camp for students ages 8-12 with ADHD. For information, visit www.curreyingramcamps.org.

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Beech Creek Summer Camp: A full-day summer camp experience that is open to the general public and serves any public, private, or homeschool student in grades rising K-6. For information, visit www.curreyingramcamps.org.

Diagnostic Center at Currey Ingram: A center open to the general public that provides psychoeducational, speech/language and occupational therapy evaluations for public/private school students. For information, call (615) 507-3171.

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Neuroscience and Education Symposium: Two-day summer symposium co-presented by Currey Ingram Academy and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for educators and other professionals to hear about the latest brain research as it relates to education. For more information, call (615) 5073242.

A WELL-ROUNDED SUMMER EXPERIENCE CURREY INGRAM ACADEMY’S

ADHD SUMMER TREATMENT PROGRAM for students ages 8-12 with ADHD

Program is designed like a summer camp with activities designed to help students: • Better

• Learn

self-regulate

• Listen

attentively

important social/academic skills

• Become • Live

more independent

more productive lives

LEARN MORE:

www.curreyingramcamps.org/camps/adhd

Eric Vinson, Director of Summer Programs, 615-777-4819

Currey Ingram Academy 6544 Murray Lane, Brentwood, TN 37027

615.507.3173 www.curreyingram.org