Enroll

• Every year in April, current 8th grade ATLAS students go to all 6th grade Advisory classes to talk about the ATLAS program and how it can be helpful for students who are not finding success in the larger classroom setting.
• Interested students are given a parent/student referral packet with a due date of early May.
• Referral packets are turned into the Twin Oaks Student Services office. All packets need to be completely filled out with accurate information. Referral packets can be found on the left navigation.

• A majority of students do self-refer. However, if there is a student who has been identified by teachers, we will pursue those families to see if there is an interest.
• Once our ATLAS referrals have been collected, we compile the following information for review: current grades, teacher reports, behavior infractions, the student’s cumulative schooling file, attendance reports and medical/diagnosis information.
• Students are also assessed based on academic interventions. We have found that students that are more than one grade level behind do not find success in the ATLAS program, as there is no remedial education built into ATLAS instruction.
• Student interviews are completed to assess interest, compatibility with peers and academic/ emotional need. There are times that a student’s academic needs require greater support than ATLAS can offer. If this is found to be true, a referral for special education testing may be made as a better option for your student’s overall long term success.
• A final list is compiled and letters are sent home mid-May.
• A mandatory parent/student meeting takes place before the end of the school year to discuss ATLAS program details.

A “typical” ATLAS student may have one or more of the following barriers that stand between them and academic success:

• Organizational struggles
• A pattern of negative schooling experiences that has caused our students to not believe in their own abilities
• A pattern of negative teacher/student interactions that has caused our students to shut down in the larger classroom setting
• A lack of comfort around peers to ask questions in class and/or ask for help as needed
• Barriers within their home (Ex: unstructured homework time, sibling demands, Parental struggles etc.)
• Poor personal choices that have stood in the way of academic success
• ADHD/ADD
• Emotional barriers (Ex: depression, anxiety, school phobia, etc.)
• Learning style is more hands on (experiential) vs. lecture style

We do not believe that any student is just “lazy.” We have never met a ATLAS student that did not want to succeed in school; each simply needed a structured setting to rediscover their abilities!

ATLAS students have the following strengths:

• Desire to get along with their fellow ATLAS peers; to build relationships
• Desire to participate in creative ways of learning
• Ability to foster relationships with their ATLAS teachers
• Working collaboratively with their peers and teachers
• Ready to become more accountable for their work and learning
• Comfortable working and learning in a smaller space with a smaller population of student
• Courageous! Doing what they know is best for their learning, even if they encounter certain challenges

• Student Referral Form
• Parent Referral Form
• Teacher Referral Form
• Guidance Form

There could be a variety of different reasons as to why your student was not selected for the ATLAS program. A common reason is that other students presented with overall greater needs and/or compatibility with the collective whole (boys vs. girls, personalities, learning styles, family involvement). That being said, the Student Services will maintain close contact with all students that applied to ensure that academic, social and/or emotional struggles are addressed.