A NEW SPACE TO THRIVE skills while joining general studies peers for their remaining curricular and extracurricular activities.
A section of underutilized hallway space was transformed into the new Middle School Kairos classroom, complete with a wall of windows overlooking the 7th-grade outdoor garden.
b y SA R A H TAY LO R CO M M U N I C ATI O N S CO O R DI N ATO R
The Kairos Learning Center (KLC) has grown from a budding program into an integral and established part of St. Martin’s Episcopal School in 18 short months. Supporting children with language-based learning differences such as dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia, the KLC leverages small class sizes and specialized teaching strategies like the Orton-Gillingham method and multisensory math to equip identified Elementary and Middle School students with the tools they need to succeed within and beyond the program. The program’s school-within-a-school structure is tailored to students who can benefit from additional support in reading, writing, math and study
Demand is high in Atlanta for dyslexia support programs like the KLC. This year, to accommodate the exciting increase in enrollment, St. Martin’s introduced newly renovated Elementary and Middle School KLC classrooms. In Warrior Hall, the first-floor office space was renovated to accommodate a state-of-the-art KLC suite of Elementary classrooms. In the Middle School, a hallway space was transformed into a unique and cozy classroom with a wall of windows looking out onto the 7th-grade outdoor garden. “It has been impressive to witness the growth of the Kairos Learning Center at St. Martin’s,” says Interim KLC Director, Rosalie Davis. “Our parents and community are so excited about the work we are doing with our students with dyslexia.” The new Elementary Kairos suite was intentionally designed to support the school-withina-school model. Like the KLC suite serving early Elementary students on the main floor of Warrior Hall, upper-Elementary Kairos students mainly use the new space in the basement. This configuration means students do not have to travel far from their general studies classmates to attend KLC classes.
PATTERNS | WINTER 2021
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