Suwanee School for Dyslexia Moves Closer to Duluth

The Sage School, Gwinnett County’s only facility for children with dyslexia and other language and speech difficulties, has relocated to a much larger space. Students reported to the new school location March 5.

The school moved from a small four-classroom facility in Suwanee to a sprawling space of more than 20,000 square feet on Satellite Boulevard, still in Suwanee but closer to Duluth. The new location is only a half mile from Old Peachtree Road.

Enrollment at Sage more than doubled this school year to 30 students, up from just four students when the school opened in 2010, according to a press release issued on behalf of the school. Sage 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 has a full library, cafeteria, 20-plus classrooms, several tutoring rooms, a large common space for group activities, a playground and ample parking.

“This is a big and necessary leap,” said Patton in the press release. “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 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.

Sage students get daily tutoring, and the staff is trained in working with children who learn differently, according to Patton.

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.

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 Sage School is now located at 800 Satellite Boulevard. For more information, visit the website at www.sageschool.net.