Pegasus Post: November 19, 2020

PEGASUS POST Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz
Thursday November 19 2020 9
Program to help children with dyslexia
A NEW computer programme
at Linwood College has been
launched to better support
students with dyslexia towards
their education.
STEPSWEB is a specialised
literacy program produced by
The Learning Staircase designed
to help students with dyslexia, or
whose reading and writing are
below expected levels.
To help fund the technology
required, The Ferrymead and
Linwood-Woolston Rotary
clubs donated $1100 towards the
cause.
Linwood College pupil Troy
Thomson said he loves working
with STEPSWEB, and his
teachers report “tremendous
development” in his schoolwork
and confidence.
“It’s cool and I use it for my
homework,” said the year 8
pupil.
“You get to learn new stuff and
all the activities are fun.”
Tracey Jongens, the school’s
special needs co-ordinator, said
there were “excellent” results
from those using the program
and said the aim is to make it
available to all year 7 and year 8
students as funding allows.
The STEPSWEB software
guides learners through
graduated levels, each of which
CONFIDENCE: Linwood College special needs co-ordinator Tracey Jongens helps year 8
pupil Troy Thomson navigate a new computer programme designed to support children
with dyslexia. ​
involves about 10 actions, such as
word recognition, activities with
words, phonemic awareness,
spelling, sentence construction,
joining half-words, and vocabulary
building.
Students can also access the
activity-based program from
home or at school.
The programme is built on
the various stages of learning.
All work is scored and, as they
complete each stage, students
earn a gold, silver or bronze
classification, and are awarded
certificates.
The two Rotary clubs have
also gifted $1100 to help students
struggling to pay for basic needs
and extras.
Sue Ingle, head of the school’s
guidance department, said
funds have already been used
to supply many students with
uniforms.
“There was a case of a couple of
brothers – quite a few boys in the
family – taking turns in attending
school as there was only one
pair of unripped shorts between
them,” she said.
“A number of students have
been able to access external, specialist
counselling that would not
otherwise have been available to
them.
“And twice, a student has come
with notes from home asking for
us to supply lunch as they were
‘a bit short that week.’ With this
extra funding, that was easy to
address.”
Ingle said the funds also
allowed quite a few students
to attend a Community
Development Network camp and
some money is being set aside to
help with a year 8 school camp
coming up in the near future.