WESTMINSTER DAY SCHOOL ACADEMIC SUPPORT
Westminster believes each child is gifted in unique ways.  Recognizing that children have different learning abilities and learning styles and may require various levels of support, Westminster offers assistance for individual students. 

Susan Kious is the director of Academic Support in the Day School.  Mrs. Kious is a certified reading specialist and will evaluate students in K - 5th grade at their teacher's request.  Priority is given to students whose school records include documentation of needed accommodations for learning. Contact her for more information at skious@wsa.net.
 

UPPER SCHOOL ACADEMIC SUPPORT
The primary focus of the Academic Resource Center (ARC) is to support Westminster students in 6th-12th grades in their academic endeavors.  The center also is intended to provide curriculum support to departments and individual members of the faculty.

The ARC has been designed to provide a quiet, inviting study space where students can read, conduct research, provide and receive tutoring, write papers, and have access to individual assistance from the director as needed.  This assistance can take the form of help with day-to-day questions that students may have as they work.  Additionally, students can request or be assigned to work with the director to help develop skills related to study habits, time management, organization, test-taking strategies, etc.  All academic support for the Upper School is coordinated through the ARC director, Mary Weidman.  If you have questions, Mrs. Weidman can be reached at mweidman@wsa.net or 706-731-5250, ext. 2324.

Mrs. Weidman believes that, “Our mission as a school demands that we recognize the gifts and needs of our students… each a unique and deliberate creation of God. We need to respond with challenge and support in the appropriate balance to help them achieve the plans he has for their lives.”

BACKWORK
If a student has missed an assignment or is having difficulty understanding something covered in class, he or she may arrange to meet the teacher after school in Back Work.  Back Work is scheduled Monday through Thursday from 3:30 - 4 p.m.  Students must make arrangements to meet a teacher in Back Work.  Teachers may also request that a student attend Back Work with them.  In addition, the Academic Resource Center also provides students with research tools, study skills, peer tutors, and several means by which students are supported in their academic work. 

ARC FACILITIES
The Academic Resource Center is a facility designed to provide Middle and Prep School students and the Upper School Faculty with a location for individual and group work. Many students also participate in personalized action plans designed to help them succeed academically. Please contact Mrs. Weidman and she will assist you with more information on all of the ARC services.

An ARC reservation calendar is updated daily with information about dates and times that the below rooms are reserved.

Hours of Operation and Availability
The ARC is open during posted hours with the following exceptions.
     Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
     Friday, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.

The ARC will be closed during chapels and Prep Advisory Period. The ARC also may be unavailable during periods when a faculty member has reserved time for a class. An ARC Reservation Schedule is published regularly to accommodate these special needs. Students will not be allowed access to the ARC when the ARC is closed unless a faculty member remains with the student the entire time.

The ARC also serves as the media center for the Day and Upper Schools. Classroom teachers and the media specialist work together to plan an effective instructional program at each grade level. Students in first through fifth grades are taught research skills to enable them to locate materials on subjects that are of interest or that they have been assigned.  Students are encouraged to use the media center any time during the school day with their teacher's permission.  The media center environment enhances learning experiences and is built upon concern for the academic and spiritual progress of each student.  Computer resources are available for research with monitored internet access.

The media specialist strives to integrate the mission, the philosophy, and the curriculum of the school into each library/computer program in order to provide the students with the best means available to achieve academic excellence.  The mission of the media center is to assist students in becoming effective users of information.

Main Study Room
  -  tables with seating for up to 28 students engaged in individual study
  -  comfortable seating for students desiring to read
  -  a technology area for researching and writing activities; this area contains six computers and a laptop station that can accommodate five students
  -  a copier/printer is available for student use
  -  location of stacks containing the reference and non-fiction collections

Conference Room
Use is by reservation only. An updated calendar will be maintained so that faculty and student tutors can reserve space in this room for specific dates and periods.
  -  Equipped with conference table and seating for up to 18 students, projector, laptop, smart board, TV and DVD player.
  -  May be reserved for classes, Faculty and Staff meetings or Peer tutors may use this space to meet with their students
  -  Location of the Fiction stacks

Quiet Study Room
  -  This room can accommodate three students at a time.
  -  This room is designed to be completely distraction-free for those students who might be disturbed by the movement and sounds associated with the day-to-day activities taking place in the ARC.
  -  Teachers may assign students to take or complete tests in this location.

Language And Computer Lab
  -  Lab use is by teacher reservation
  -  When lab is not reserved by a teacher, students that require access to a computer may use the lab if all the stations in the Main study room are full.
  -  Students may be assigned by Mrs. Weidman to work in the Lab if there are no computers available in the Main Study Room.