Accelerating achievement for all students within the school.
He waka eke noa
A canoe which we are all in with no exception
This whakatauki captures the inclusive philosophy of the Learning Extension Department. We support and scaffold students with learning challenges and low English literacy to access the curriculum and achieve to their potential, within the classroom setting. A dedicated team of seven experienced Teacher Aides, SENCO (Special Education Needs Co-ordinator), Literacy Teacher and Head Of Department provide students with in-class support, Literacy lessons and Special Assessment Conditions.
HOD Learning Extension -John Leen
Meet the HOD
Meet the HOD
I am a former student of the school who has been employed at Mt Roskill Grammar for over 20 years, initially as an English teacher, then as Resource Teacher; Learning and Behaviour and currently as Head of the Learning Extension Department. I am proud of the department’s contribution to accelerating achievement for all students within the school.
Kerwyn Bennett
What I have taken: I am part of the learning extension program
Why I am part of learning extension: I have been part of the learning extension program since I came to Mt Roskill Grammar in year 9. I was diagnosed with mild dyslexia about halfway through intermediate school and have always had great difficulty in spelling which, coupled with extremely poor handwriting, made my essays very hard for people who had no experience with my writing to understand.
What the learning extension department offers me: The learning extension department offers me the ability to effectively communicate in my external exams to the examiner, by enabling me to write up my essays on a computer or to use a writer for some subject exams. Before I came to Mt Roskill Grammar I had the comprehension and proper understanding of my subjects, however my written assessments were limited by my dyslexia. With the learning extension department’s help that is no longer an issue for me and last year I gained an overall excellence endorsement at NCEA level 1.
Why I love the learning extension department: From the first year at Mt Roskill Grammar when the school was first made aware of my condition, the Learning extension department went out of their way to help me. They made sure that all the necessary tests that needed to be completed for my application for using a writer were completed, something that is expensive to do outside of school. The learning extension department also has a lovely atmosphere and a very good at making sure that either a computer or a writer is available come the end of the year when the external exams are taking place.