SENSE

(The following information is provided by the school.)

Background

Under Haven of Hope Christian Service, Haven of Hope Sunnyside School is a boarding school serving students with severe intellectual disability from Primary to Senior Secondary, providing special education and hostel service.  The school mission is “Together we provide holistic education and quality service to children with severe intellectual disability with the Christ’s compassion and in a caring, professional and progressive spirit so that the lives of those serving and being served are mutually enriched”.  The school offers basic education, including Chinese, Mathematics, General Studies, Visual Arts, Physical Education, Information Technology (Computer) and Music.  Every Friday afternoon, co-curricular activities are held including Drama, Adventure Based Activities, Environmental Protection, Christianity Soldier, Community Youth Club and Arts Creativity.  In addition to the compulsory subjects and Other Learning Experience areas in the Senior Secondary curriculum, four elective subjects: Music, Visual Arts, Physical Education and Information & Communication Technology are provided.

Highlights

Learning & Teaching collaborated by inter-disciplinary team

The Speech Therapy Department, Occupational Therapy Department and Physiotherapy Department offer training and assessment to students.  With the provision of Sensory Garden and special rooms such as Multi-sensory Room, Sensory Integration Room and Hydrotherapy Pool, Sunnyside School meets the needs of students in different aspects of development.  In accordance with the School Mission of student-centered and loving-care spirit, inter-disciplinary team is collaborated to formulate plans on areas of main concerns of school development, to make good use of resources, to promote whole-school approach to enhance the holistic development of students.

According to the concept of Career & Life Planning, all professional staff set short and long term learning goals for students through case management system and discussion with parents.  Case meetings are carried out annually to review the needs of students in their daily life and learning.  Professionals integrate the measuring scales of students in terms of sensory integration, communication ability and social intention, which help all staff and parents understand the abilities and needs of students, and jointly execute related strategies.

Therapists and teachers co-teach in various subjects, such as Chinese, General Studies, Self-care, Mathematics, Physical Education, Visual Arts etc..  Therapists, educational psychologists and teachers prepare lessons together to identify needs and difficulties of the students, and thereupon set different goals and directions according to their professions.  Then, they co-teach and conduct evaluation, to promote learning and review feedback on learning and teaching.  Being an “open” campus, the school encourages parents to participate in students’ classroom learning and other activities.  Therapists also enhance home-school cooperation and support through co-teaching.

In recent years, Sunnyside School has introduced music therapy, horticultural therapy and aromatherapy etc. to students, in co-teaching mode, so as to facilitate inter-professional exchanges.  Teachers can efficiently help therapists to master the full pictures of students’ abilities and learning diversity so as to integrate these information in students’ daily lives and learning journeys.