In our quest to constantly improve the service we offer to our students, we have introduced to the SCAS team an educator and higher needs specialist with the experience and ability to guide us towards best practice in educating our higher needs students.
We acknowledge that as a school we have the responsibility to seek out the best ways we can assist students with the greatest needs, leaning on the growing research of how these students can best be aided in, not only reaching academic goals but becoming full members of our school as they prepare for the challenges of a successful future post-school.
We welcome Georgia to our community and look forward to the ways her experience and skill will add to the richness of our educational efforts.
Mrs Georgia Cummins, the Head of Learning Support at St Columba Anglican School, completed her Bachelor of Education (Special Education) and her Diploma of Teaching (K-6) at The University of New England.
Mrs Cummins’ career in teaching began at The Pittwater House School in Sydney for four years as a class teacher in the preparatory school. She then decided to expand on this experience by moving to London, England for two years where she taught in a variety of diverse schools across the city. This overseas experience led her to the USA where she held a Learning Support role within a primary school for two years.
The next four years saw her undertaking casual teaching throughout the USA gaining valuable experience within a K-12 range of mainstream and special education settings.
Upon her return to Australia, she relocated to Port Macquarie and shortly after began working with ASPECT (Autism Spectrum Australia) as a class teacher (K-10). During the past nine years with ASPECT, she also gained experience within the Catholic Schools K-12, representing ASPECT in an autism outreach role (Visiting Teacher Autism). In this role, she supported classroom teachers by building their capacity to further support children within their mainstream setting.
Mrs Cummins believes in a collaborative approach to best cater to the needs of students in her care and is excited to work together with her team of professionals at St Columba, parents and external providers. It is her role to be a driving force behind providing all students with learning support needs with the opportunity to reach their full potential for learning within their classroom setting.