EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION

SPECIAL EDUCATION

At Saint Richard Catholic School, we are dedicated to providing a quality, Catholic education for all children. For over 30 years, we have provided special education services at our school, and each year, we continue to expand on those services to continually meet the various special education needs of our students. Our special education classroom and our resource program offer inclusion and self-contained support for students with documented special education needs in prekindergarten through sixth grade. Our special education teachers collaborate with general education teachers and parents to develop and provide an Individualized Education Plan for each child. Our special education program is accredited through the Mississippi Department of Education and operates under their guidelines. The special education program begins with kindergarten. 

SPEECH & LANGUAGE THERAPY

Speech and language therapy are offered through our school’s speech language pathologist for eligible students in prekindergarten through sixth grade. Students with documented speech and/or language needs work with our speech therapist according to their Individualized Education Plan to learn to communicate effectively with others and learn to solve problems and make decisions independently. Communication with peers and educators is an essential part of a fulfilling educational experience.

DYSLEXIA THERAPY

We also provide dyslexia therapy through a licensed dyslexia therapist on our staff. We offer dyslexia screenings in kindergarten and in first grade to aid in our recognition of students with learning needs. Students in this program experience an Orton-Gillingham based approach to language development that specifically targets instruction in phonological and phonemic awareness, sound symbol recognition, encoding skills, alphabet knowledge, rapid naming, and decoding skills.

GIFTED PROGRAM

A gifted program, known as Kaleidoscope, is offered to qualifying students in third through sixth grades. This differentiated learning program enables these students to realize their potential contribution of their exceptional skills to self and to society. Certain criteria must be met for a student to be recognized as intellectually gifted. These criteria are outlined in our school handbook.

COUNSELING SERVICES

Counseling services are offered on our campus through our school counselor. Our counselor is part of a preventative program in emotional health for our students. The counselor works with administration and teachers to conduct sessions or to schedule guest speakers for grade levels on relevant topics for each age of students. In addition to the preventative role, our counselor also works specifically with students needing a haven of support and understanding