The Student Growth & Engagement (SGE) Team at Damascus College support students with a range of needs including those with a diagnosed disability, a learning difficulty or social and emotional needs, plus those highlighted as gifted and talented. Our SGE Team consists of four teaching staff and 14 Learning Support Officers. The team works with teaching staff and families to support the academic and social needs of students.

The SGE Teaching Team consists of a Student Growth & Engagement Leader, Student Growh & Engagement Coordinators in Year 7, Year 8 and 9 and Year 10-12, a VCE Pathways Coordinator and a VCE Pathways Coordinator (Applied Learning).

The team work together to support students in the following ways:

• Partnering with parents/guardians, classroom teachers, Teacher Advisors, House Leaders, students and education consultants to develop a program to suit each student’s needs;

• Developing, implementing and reviewing Individual Learning Plans (ILP)

• Program Support Group (PSG) meetings

• Evidence-based literacy and numeracy interventions

• Monitoring the progress of students with additional needs by identifying and coordinating support mechanisms required to meet the educational, pastoral, safety and health needs of each student

The DLT also work with the Catholic Education Office (Ballarat) and community organisations to support students in accessing the services of the following consultants and/or allied health professionals in order to better inform the educational programming of our students:

• Psychologists

• Occupational Therapists

• Speech pathologists

• Learning consultants: diversity, autism spectrum disorder/behaviour, vision impairment, hearing impairment and physical/chronic health impairment