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Norwegians visit Oakville school for valuable lessons by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff 5 | Thursday, April 3, 2014 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com A desire to learn how to improve assistance to newcomers and special needs students saw a Norwegian delegation visit Oakville last week. About 20 school counsellors from Rogaland County stopped by Holy Trinity Secondary School and St. Marguerite d'Youville Elementary School to witness how the Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) delivers special education, fosters inclusion and provides socio-educational support for newcomers. At a morning visit to the 1,325-pupil Sixth Line high school, the Norwegians met with board officials, the school principal, department heads and classroom teachers to hear how the school supports approximately 220 special needs students and about 50 students, for whom English is a second language. Principal Justine O'Grady explained there are two dedicated life skills teachers, four special education resources teachers, a department head, more than 15 educational assistants, a social worker and a part-time child and youth counsellor. "We really have a school within a school when it comes to our special education department, just given the size of the programming that's there," she said. O'Grady added the board is making "great progress in a proactive manner" when it comes to the newcomer community by fostering a smooth transition for students and families entering Halton schools from outside of Canada. "For many years we didn't have a lot of diversity in our population in Halton, but we're seeing huge changes, especially in Milton, which is the largest growing (town) in Canada," she said. O'Grady also noted a partnership with Halton Multicultural Council, which is a community-based settlement agency supported by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, has provided the school with a youth settlement worker who helps newcomer families in their transition into the community. The delegates from Norway visited numerous classrooms designed to support special needs students while they witnessed a typical day in the life of a student with special needs. The delegates heard how impor- Life Skills Special Education Resource Teacher Christina Silveira, left, speaks to a delegation of educators from Norway, from left, Margit Askeland, Willy Ulvang, and Erling L'orange during their tour of Holy Trinity Catholic Secondary School last week. | photo by Nikki Wesley ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) tant structure and schedule is for the students and how smart boards, iPads and other technology are being used. Anne Burns, special education de- partment head, said the students are learning life skills before they leave school at age 21. Delegate Erling L 'orange said he's in awe of how the education system works in Halton and is eager to return home to share ideas based on what he's seen here. "It's a forward way of thinking and we want to bring that home with us to see the possibilities in our system," he said. In Norway, each school takes an individual approach in special education delivery and supports for newcomers, despite there being a national curriculum, said L 'orange. While some schools may excel, others may lag and L 'orange observed it's easier for students to fall through the cracks in his homeland. He also noted Halton schools are using technology to advantage, something else he believes can be improved on back home. He said it could enhance learning and provide another means of communication between students and teachers. The delegates represent education-related agency PPT (Norwegian abbreviation for Educational-Psychological Service), which provides municipal advisory and guidance services on organizing learning and social situations for students who need extra help. INJURED? I Can Help! 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