School for Dyslexia Doubles in Size, Will Move to Larger Campus

Editor's note: Sean Casey is a faculty member at the Sage School.

Gwinnett County’s only school for children with dyslexia and other language and speech difficulties is growing so quickly that it is relocating to a much larger space this year.

The Sage School in Suwanee is moving from a small four-classroom facility to a sprawling space of more than 20,000 square feet on Satellite Boulevard.

Enrollment at Sage more than doubled this school year to 30 students, up from just four students when the school opened in 2010. School founder Angela Patton said she expects at least 50 students in the 2013-2014 school year and is planning for rapid yearly growth.

An eighth grade class will be added next year, and the school is considering expanding into high-school level grades in the future. The new school will have a full library, cafeteria, 20-plus classrooms, several tutoring rooms, a large common space for group activities, a playground and plenty of parking.

“This is a big and necessary leap,” said Patton. “We’re the only school of its kind in the area and every day we get several inquiries from parents whose children are struggling in other settings. We now have the space we need to serve students from kindergarten through middle school and possibly beyond.”

In addition to dyslexia remediation and speech therapy, Sage teaches a full curriculum of math, science, language arts and history, as well as specials such as art, physical education and drama. As a non-denominational Christian school, Sage students have daily Bible classes, too.

“Our students will be able to work their language issues in a spacious, comfortable school with comprehensive curriculum and in a gentle Christ-centered environment,” said Patton.

The only difference between Sage and mainstream schools is that Sage students get daily tutoring, and the staff is trained in working with children who learn differently, according to Patton.

Sage has been a God-send for fourth grader Eva Harrington and her worried parents. “Eva came to Sage with no self-confidence at all,” said Eva’s mother, Melissa. “She did not believe she could do anything right. She now has the confidence to sit and do her homework unassisted. She can also do her reading with no tears.”

"Holy cow! School is so much better,” said Eva. “It’s going really, really good.”

Patton said Eva’s experience is typical. Often in public schools, children with dyslexia cannot keep up with the classroom pace due to their learning differences. Otherwise, bright and talented children lose self-confidence and start feeling “dumb.”

It’s no wonder Sage is growing. Ten to 15 percent of the population has dyslexia, according to the International Dyslexia Association (IDA). Dyslexia is a neurologic learning disability characterized by difficulties in learning to read and spell. While dyslexics can have a constellation of language problems, most have difficulty decoding words, spelling, reading comprehension and expressing themselves.

The good news is that dyslexia can be treated. Treatment for dyslexia is an education-based approach driving an explicit phonics instruction using multi-sensory techniques. According to the IDA, the Orton-Gillingham (O-G) approach is the best program and is used at the Sage School. The O-G approach was developed starting in the 1920s by educator Anna Gillingham and neurologist Samuel Orton. Orton’s research proved that dyslexia was neurologically-based, while Gillingham developed the approach for remediation based on Orton’s findings.

“These children just need an alternative learning environment,” said Patton. “Dyslexics usually have high-average to high IQs. They just learn language differently. We understand that at Sage.”

The new location for the Sage School is at 800 Satellite Boulevard, Suwanee, GA, 30024. Visit their website at www.sageschool.net.