POLARIS ADVANTAGE
The answer is values and focus. The designers of the POLARIS program believe that the students who will benefit from the program are students who with the teaching methods which best suit them will begin to gain valuable academic ground lost over time or gains the student was never allowed to achieve. In gifted education it means looking at the whole person and working not only in the student's area(s) of strength but all academic and social areas and then challenges the student to strive to their highest level in every area. For the student learning English, it means not losing valuable educational time while gaining the skills to use their knowledge in the English based classroom.
The POLARIS program is challenging and the satisfaction student's gain is from their achievement of authentic accomplishment and the ability to become life-long independent thinkers and learners.
To accomplish what the POLARIS program does there will be extra fees associated with the service (please see our fees section for this). Students are not being merely given time outside a classroom or fewer assignments to be completed. The classroom teachers and other teachers work with students at a variety of times including before, during and after school hours to reach their highest goals, review the days activities, work through a problem encountered during the day other barriers that prevent the student from reaching their best.
At ACS Sharjah, we believe in not removing the child from his or her class during the school day whenever possible, so that the student does not miss out on valuable learning time. Specialized POLARIS staff will operate in the class to ensure the students understand each lesson and can meaningfully contribute.
In the area of gifted education the POLARIS program staff work with the teachers and student to ensure the student's strengths are improved, while also addressing areas of need during the school day. This may include additional time each day to work on other areas as well.An Occupational Therapist (OT) is a health professional who works with a client to help them achieve a fulfilled and satisfied state in life through the use of purposeful activity or interventions designed to achieve functional outcomes which promote health, prevent injury or disability and which develop, improve, sustain or restore the highest possible level of independence.
Occupational Therapists help people of all ages to improve their ability to perform tasks in their daily living and working environments. They work with individuals who have conditions that are mentally, physically, developmentally, socially or emotionally disabling. They also help them to develop, recover, or maintain daily living and work skills. Occupational therapists help clients not only to improve their basic motor functions and reasoning abilities, but also to compensate for permanent loss of function. Their goal is to help clients have independent, productive, and satisfying lives.
Speech Pathologists, sometimes called speech therapists, assess,
diagnose, treat, and help to prevent disorders related to speech,
language, cognitive-communication, voice, swallowing, and
fluency.
Speech Pathologists work with people who cannot produce speech
sounds or cannot produce them clearly; those with speech rhythm and
fluency problems, such as stuttering; people with voice disorders,
such as inappropriate pitch or harsh voice; those with problems
understanding and producing language; those who wish to improve
their communication skills by modifying an accent; and those with
cognitive communication impairments, such as attention, memory, and
problem solving disorders.
Speech Pathologists develop an individualized plan of care, tailored to each patient's needs. For individuals with little or no speech capability, speech-language pathologists may select augmentative or alternative communication methods, including automated devices and sign language, and teach their use. They teach patients how to make sounds, improve their voices, or increase their oral or written language skills to communicate more effectively.
Speech-language pathologists help patients develop, or recover, reliable communication and swallowing skills so patients can fulfill their educational, vocational, and social roles.
