What is the Julie Program?
In 1804, St. Julie Billiart founded the congregation of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in Belgium for the sole purpose of education. To this day, her guiding maxim is, “Teach children what they need to know for life.” In the spirit of St. Julie, our program provides learning strategies and support for students with mild to moderate, clinically diagnosed learning differences to help prepare them for life. Students are empowered to use their unique gifts successfully to fulfill God’s mission. The program aims to intervene as early as Kindergarten to develop foundational skills for learning in the primary grades. Learning support can be continued in the middle school years, as needed with the Trinity Academic Support Program (TASP).
Augmenting Learning Development
Program plans are designed to meet individual student needs. Students receive multi-sensory, research-based, systematic instruction. All Julie Instructors are Orton-Gillingham trained along with proficiency in other research-based learning strategies. Students may receive daily support in phonological awareness, phonics and spelling, vocabulary development, reading fluency, comprehension, and writing. Trinity is currently working to expand Julie/TASP support in math development.
Daily Schedule & Student Plan
Julie Program students participate in the Trinity curriculum. In addition, students receive individualized, structured support with trained Julie Program Instructors. Instructional sessions are generally administered one-on-one with the student and instructor but may also be in small groups or push-in to the classroom for support. A Student Individual Program Plan (SIPP) will be developed with the support of the parents and the educational team at Trinity to document the specific needs of the student. The SIPP will include supplementary aids and services for the student to encourage success in their learning environments throughout the school day.
Initial Requirement
A full educational-psychological evaluation for Trinity review is required for the consideration of enrollment into the Julie Program. This documentation and its referenced evaluations must be current (no more than three years old).
See Educational-Psychological Evaluation Requirements
Progress Monitoring
Students are monitored by the Julie Program Instructor with support from the Trinity educational team to assess growth and areas of need over time. Parents receive weekly Julie/TASP updates of student progress along with a written report at the conclusion of each trimester. Students may be assessed to measure present levels of phonemic awareness, comprehension, fluency, written expression, spelling, and/or math skills. Evaluation of this aforementioned data helps to form further instruction and support for the student within specific skill areas as required. Instructional adjustments may be made to a student’s SIPP on an ongoing basis. The educational team at Trinity are available to discuss progress throughout the school year.
Admissions Process
- Step One
- Applicants must first meet basic K-8 admissions requirements for Trinity School.
- A current Educational-Psychological Evaluation with supporting documentation is required. It must identify a clinically diagnosed learning difference noting DSM V classification(s).
- Students with existing IEPs in place from a public school should submit current IEPs with all supporting testing documentation at the time of application. While Trinity as an independent private school is not required to implement IEPs, the documentation can be used to determine initial qualifications for potential Julie services and ultimately may be used for formation of the student SIPP once a student is enrolled at Trinity.
- Step Two
- Aside from the standard admissions processes, a student interview and parent interview may be requested by the Julie Program Director to gather additional information about student strengths and needs.
- The Julie Program Director is available to answer questions and provide information by phone or email at any time during the admissions process.
- Step Three
- Once a student has met all eligibility criteria for enrollment in the school and in the Julie Program, the family will be offered a separate Julie contract for participation in the Julie Program.
- Upon receipt of the signed annual Julie contract, the SIPP will be developed by the Julie Program Director with the support of the parents and the Trinity educational team. Implementation meetings are normally held at the beginning of each school year in the fall.
- To remain in the Julie Program, the educational-psychological assessment (to include IEPs and supporting documentation) must be up to date – to be completed no less than tri-annually.
Suggested Reading
Young People's Books about Dyslexia
My Truth About Dyslexia - What I Wish for Other Kids With Dyslexia and Their Parents
Dyslexia Help at the University of Michigan - Our Favorite Books