A Catholic Haven For Students With Learning Variances

Established August 1999

Application for Special Education Admission Form

Email Application to: mustangapp@stagathaonline.org

Our Mission

The Padre Pio Program strives to serve students who demonstrate average or above average intellectual ability, functioning  below their intellectual capacity and exhibiting academic deficits in one or more subject areas. Consequently, the program does not serve students with severe physical, behavioral, and /or emotional needs.

Philosophy and Objectives

The Padre Pio Program is designed to focus on students who experience low achievement in a regular classroom with accommodations, inclusion, or resource classroom participation. Placement in the Padre Pio Program allows students to receive an appropriate education in which they function according to their ability.  Certain factors, such as a low teacher to student ratio, individualized instruction and special education methodology, allow the educator in our program to meet the students’ specific learning needs by addressing information processing needs while focusing on learning modalities.

The purpose of the Padre Pio Program is to serve students who learn differently by providing instruction that addresses learning needs and a curriculum that focuses on academic concepts, skills and learning strategies.  We aim to facilitate students’ intellectual, emotional and spiritual development in a Catholic school setting, so that the individual who learns differently may function at his/her highest level and participate effectively at school, at home and in the community.

Ultimately, the program’s goal is to adequately prepare students to successfully function in a variety of classroom settings, which may include mainstream placement.  The Padre Pio Program focuses on forming a student who is an independent learner and possesses the necessary skills to ultimately transition to a high school setting and learn an appropriate curriculum.

Curriculum

The Padre Pio Program is based on the Florida State Standards’ Performance Objectives  for Elementary Students  as well as any appropriate accommodations needed by the individual student. The content of the curriculum includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Religious Formation
• Mathematics
• Reading & Writing
• Science’
• Social Studies
• Learning Skills & Strategies
• Organizational Skills
• Social Skills
• Integration of Computer Skills

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for the Padre Pio Program includes, but is not limited to the following:

• Grade / age criteria
• A psycho-educational evaluation by a licensed psychologist, no more than three years old
• Documented evidence of a discrepancy between intellectual ability and academic achievement
• Documented evidence of a processing disorder in one or more of the following areas: reading, language, writing and arithmetic
• Personal interview with  our program’s teacher, placement testing, and determination of student’s needs
• Academic achievement documented by former school evaluations (report cards)
• Evidence of ineffective interventions
• Documented evidence that learning problems are not due to other disabling conditions

“To my Spiritual Children, my prayers for you will never be lacking.” Padre Pio