Celebrating and supporting neurodiverse learners
No two brains are alike. McGillis recognizes that all students can thrive when they have the tools they need to succeed.
In the fall of 2020, we launched The Learning Center (TLC) to serve students with language-based learning differences: dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia. This school-within-a-school model—the only one of its kind in the state of Utah—embraces neurodiversity, teaches students the skills they need to thrive, and empowers them to reach their full potential.
Since its founding, the TLC has experienced tremendous growth. What began as a tiny program of just eight students in 2020 is now a cohort of 36 across six classrooms, with our first 8th Grade TLC students graduating in June 2024.
The West Campus acquisition achieves our goal of unifying all three divisions under one roof. This integration not only aligns with our value, derech eretz—having respect for all—but is also the physical manifestation of our commitment to inclusivity, accessibility, and security. Our TLC students deserve to be surrounded and known by their peers, with equitable access to all that our beautiful buildings offer.
Your investment will help us further embrace neurodiverse learners through the following:
The Growing Together Campaign will support our bold acquisition of the West Campus property, relocating Middle School Integrative Studies and opening up space in the Main Building.
The spaces currently allocated to our Middle School IS program will be reimagined to accommodate TLC students.
Thanks to the newly freed space in the Main Building and the repurposed classrooms, we can eliminate the temporary modular building currently housing four TLC classes, fully integrating the TLC into our learning community.
Embracing Neurodiversity
One in five students has a language-based learning difference. Despite such a great need, students with dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia had very few options for support in the Salt Lake area before McGillis launched the TLC. The TLC is changing lives as it works to close the gap between student potential and academic performance. In small core-subject classrooms of three to eight students, TLC teachers approach all of their instruction with a diagnostic/prescriptive lens and tailor their lessons to meet the needs of each student. Along the way, our students are learning the skills and strategies they need to soar in future learning environments!