Transition Program Brings Students to the World of Work

"This is a taco," said the Best Buy employee, displaying a giant blue folder large enough to wrap a flat screen television. The "taco" - used to protect large electronics products - was just one of many features explored when a bus full of Harbour students and transition staff visited the regional inventory and repair center in September. As the students visited each department of the center, they learned about the purpose of each unit and the work underway. They also got to meet many employees and ask questions.

The job shadowing day is just one of many features of Harbour's Transition Office. The Transition staff is at work on each campus, arranging for volunteer experiences in the workplace, assisting students in finding part-time work, and helping students with their job search at graduation. In addition, the Transition staff constantly mines the external community to find employers with whom Harbour students can work to gain practical experience, job skills, and, ultimately, employment

At Harbour's Career Centers, high school students gain hands-on experience in landscaping and horticul­ture, woodworking and carpentry, commercial food service, and office practices. School events and facilities are enhanced by the participation of students. For example, students created centerpieces, provided luncheon service, and registered guests at Grandparents and Grand friends Days. Landscaping students make a difference as they gain experience in planting and caring for aspects of the Harbour grounds. Printing and mailing projects- such as invitations, school letterhead, bulk mailing, and this newsletter - provide opportunities for students to learn how to produce essential communications like those required in most businesses and organizations.

Preparation for further vocational and college education are also priorities of the Transition staff. Moving students through the application and placement process results in a large number of Harbour students entering training and college programs.

The results of Harbour's 2009 Graduate Survey have been compiled and this comprehensive report is now available on the Web site at www.harbourschool.org . Click on News & Events and select the 2009 report Past reports are also online.

For more information on the Harbour School go to www.harbour.org

Starting the School Year on a Note of Goodwill

Each year, Kingsway’s Staff Orientation aims to help prepare everyone for the school year ahead. This year’s program included a very special guest with a message that has been heard across the country – be the best you can be.

Guest speaker Brad Hennefer, who has Down Syndrome, attended Kingsway’s Early Intervention Program about 17 years ago. In 2008, Brad was the first person with Down Syndrome (DS) to graduate from Cherry Hill High School East. He shared his experiences with Kingsway staff, including his varsity basketball and golf accomplishments in high school (he is the first student with DS to be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame) and formation of the “Golf for Life Foundation”, which brings gold to people with DS. I play golf because its fun and I can spend time with my father and my brother and my friends. It’s good exercise and really because its fun!

The Golf for Life Foundation also includes public speaking engagements for Brad and his parents, Robert and Nancy Hennefer. The message: Down Syndrome should not stop anyone from playing golf or any other sport, working or being a part of the community.

To learn more about Brad Hennefer and his foundation visit www.golfforlife.org

For more information on the Kingsway Learning Center go to www.kingswayleaningcenter.org

Our Daughter Found Herself at Montgomery Academy

I woke up this morning to the sound of my child’s laughter. While this, in of itself, may not seem to be a big deal, it brought tears of joy to my eyes. You see, we spent about 4 years not hearing our child laugh. There was nothing to laugh about. The Public School District she attended had crushed her spirit, devastated her self-worth and left her lonely and isolated. She couldn't gain weight for 3 years. She'd come home from school and cry in my arms on a regular basis, begging me to "make the misunderstandings go away.” There were times that I wanted to cry with her because we had spent 4 years fighting our district to get her help and it all felt hopeless. It is a tremendous feeling of inadequacy as a parent to realize that you're at a loss for how to help your child and that all of your efforts on their behalf are thwarted. Yet somehow, you continue to fight the fight and pray every day for a miracle of hope.

When our daughter came to Montgomery Academy we didn't know what to expect. Would things improve? Would she feel welcome? We had a hundred questions. What we have found over the past two years is that our daughter has come to love this school. She openly refers to it as "my school." Montgomery Academy is a safe refuge and she has been learning what it is like to feel valued and accepted for who she is and what she can bring to this world. She is now brave enough to try new things. She has gained weight and her whole physical development has been catching up to where it should be for her age. This is all a credit to the dedication and commitment of the teachers and faculty. On a parental level, you have restored our faith in educators; a faith that we had, sadly in our particular case, lost in the public school system.

Yes, our daughter will still have frustrations and many, many challenges ahead of her as she works on growing up, but we have faith in our partnership commitment with the Montgomery Academy Faculty. Thank you for helping us to regain the things in life that most families of mainstream children often take for granted. Specifically, that it is miraculous to hear your child laugh spontaneously when they haven't had anything to laugh about in a long, long time. It's wonderful to see your child genuinely excited about going somewhere special with people they feel safe with. It's priceless to realize that your child, who struggles with social interaction skills, has made a friend. I'm at a loss for words to describe what it's like to see a sad, frustrated and lonely child find a special place that lights up her life and where it's okay to be herself without being judged and/or ridiculed for her differences.

For families who do not have a special needs child, it might not be very easy to fully understand the incredible depth and breath of the impact of the Montgomery Academy School and its amazing faculty has on the children and families it serves. But for those of us parents & children who have spent years feeling alone, isolated, and not knowing where to turn for help as our children cry in our arms wishing with all their heart that they too could have a friend, and something fun to do with someone who doesn't judge them - the faculty of Montgomery Academy have been heroes. Our family would be lost without you. It's very easy for each of us to loose sight of the value that our jobs bring to the world. To our family, the teachers and faculty of Montgomery Academy are truly all heroes and that what they do every day to help children like our daughter, truly matters. We are blessed to have become part of the Montgomery Academy community and we are grateful for being able to send our child there every day!

Montgomery Academy Parent

For more information on the Montgomery Academy go to www.montgomeryacademyonline.org

Brookfield Elementary Celebrates the World!

Students grabbed their passports and were ready to explore the world at Brookfield Elementary! Each class selected and represented a foreign country and its culture. Mf. Jeff’s class represented the culture of Spain and provided visitors with a taste of nonalcoholic sangria and a potato dish. Mr. Brett’s class explored China and served homemade fortune cookies and fried rice. In Mr. Blaine’s class, we traveled to Japan where we were served dumplings, shelled soybeans and a traditional Japanese Seaweed snack. In both China and Japan, students were able to try wooden chopsticks.

The fun continue in Italy, represented by Ms. Michelle’s students. There, students sampled a delicious pasta fagioli soup that the class made earlier in the day. In the library, Mrs. Kommedal and Ms. Tammy introduced students to the cultures of Norway and Brazil. In Norway, student got to sample a traditional Saturday night dinner of rice porridge, an economical meal. In Brazil, Ms. Tammy served beans and rice, a yummy dish that is traditional across South America. On the second floor, Mr. Ralph’s students represented Egypt, where one of his students lived until he was ten years old. Traditional Mediterranean fare was on the menu there. Mrs. Denise’s girls represented France and served mini quiches and chocolate éclairs. Finally, Ms. Lisa’s class represented Ireland and served an aromatic corned beef and cabbage stew.

In each classroom students got their passports stamped and reflected upon what they had learned on their travels.

For more information on the Brookfield Schools go to www.brookfieldschools.org

Ponte Winery Brings Beauty to the Campus at Oak Grove Center

Our fiends at Ponte Winery will help beautify the grounds at Oak Gove.  Employees and friends of the winery will help to create a meditation garden where students can find a quiet place to reflect and visit with friends and family. They will also help add a rock path to the big Oak Tree, harvest vegetables from the garden and week the pumpkin patch!

Yellow Belts

United Studios of Self Defense have offered weekly martial arts lesions to the kids at Oak Grove Center. A group of students recently received their yellow belt which is the second belt in the seven belt ranking. The kids will be working on the next level which is the orange belt next.

Michael G

Taking first place in the Beginner category at the New Great Drummer event was a huge surprise for Michael G. and Oak Grove staff member Clark Edmond. Michael wasn’t even registered until the arrived at the event in Cerritos. Hosted by Eric Seats, would class drummer, the New Great Drummer competition takes place at over 350 locations in the country and scouts out the best and newest talent.

For more information on Oak Grove Center go to www.OakGroveCenter.org

Diener School Recognized

We are excited to share that Bethesda Magazine has just named The Diener School Best Private Special Education School for the 2^nd year in a row!

For more information on The Diener School go to www.thedienerschool.org

BUILDING BRIDGES

Our senior Physics class students are building bridges! Not real ones, but almost. Each of the physics classes taught by Janet Molino is involved in a cross-curriculum lesson in model bridge building The overall goal of the project is to design and build a bridge made entirely from pasta that will hold weight. The students research bridges to determine the best geometric design in order to create a structure that is both strong and light. They use their knowledge of Newton's laws, forces, and energy transformation with the goal of building the lightest bridge that will support the most weight. Students may only, use uncooked pasta and Elmer's glue, and no other materials.

Starting out, students meticulously and carefully draw the design of the bridge, creating a blueprint used to build each of their bridges which must be between 43 cm and 52 cm in length, with a width between 4.5 cm and 7 cm, and can be no taller than 25 cm.

After the bridges are built, they are put to the test in a competition to find out whose bridge design and construction is strongest. For the competition, each bridge is first weighed and then the bridge's efficiency is tested based on a formula comparing the bridge's maximum load supported to the mass of bridge. To do so, each bridge is centered on a platform with a span of 40 cm. A wooden or metal block is placed on the roadbed. Weights are added until the bridge fails. Failure is defined as the inability of the bridge to carry any additional load without breakage, or with any part of the bridge extending more than two centimeters below the top of the testing supports. Then each bridge's efficiency is determined by contrasting the maximum load with the mass of the 'bridge.

The winner will have the highest efficiency score, but in reality all of our physics students are winners. The bridges are marvelous to see, exhibiting an impressive combination of theory and functionality. And they were fun to build!

For more information on the Community High School go to www.communityschool.nj.org

The Pathways Schools

Pathways Science Students Help Protect Terrapins

In November, science classes from The Pathways School-Edgewood took part in a one-day field program sponsored by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation during which they went on a research boat to learn about the Bay's ecosystem. They helped collect biological samples and tested water quality; later, they explored shallower creek waters, identifying marine and plant species. It was during this trip that the students learned about the challenges faced by one of those species, Maryland's state reptile, the diamondback terrapin.

Like many other creatures who make their homes in and around increasingly populated coastal areas, the terrapins are having their habitat squeezed. They prefer to lay their eggs on sandy, beach like terrain, but as more and more shoreline is consumed by commercial and real estate development, the terrains are being forced to lay eggs in after laying their eggs, the females typi­cally return to the water. Eggs that remain in a waterfront yard or another inappropriate area can heat up too quickly, reducing the chances of healthy young being born.

During the trip, the Pathways students heard about the Terrapin Institute, a nonprofit organization that works to preserve the diamondback terrapin population. The Institute conducts a "head-start" program for terrapin hatchlings, in cooperation with citizens and students in the Chesapeake Bay region. When naturalists from the Terrapin Institute find or are alerted to eggs in an unnatural nesting environment they remove the eggs and take them to the Institute’s hatchery in Millersville. Once hatched from the incubators, the terrapins are taken to schools where they are raised by students until they are large enough to be released.

Pathways-Edgewood science. classes immediately signed on for the program and received two tiny terrapins, each only 6 grams. The project became a significant hands-on learning experience, as the terrapins had to be classified, kept in an appropriate habitat, monitored and measured regularly. By the end of the school year, the terrapins had grown to almost 45 grams, and were collected by the Institute naturalists to be released over the summer.

For more information on The Pathways Schools go to  www.pathwaysschools.org.

HMS School

 Teaching Literacy: More than the Printed Word

Students in Nancy Barrow’s class check their schedule for the day’s activities. Courtney grimes programs Deep Blue Sea into her students’ communication devices. As she rereads the book, the basis for the month-long classroom theme, they wait their turn, then “speak” the now familiar phrase, Emily Gureckis’ class laugh at the large butterfly prop waving over their teacher’s head as the letter “B” appears on the large TV screen.

These youngsters are all engaged in literacy-related activities, which at HMS encompass language work in general, not just decoding the printed word. Most HMS students will not be functional readers. But expanding their exposure to and experiences with language will increase their comprehension, communication skills and sense of the world.

Developing communication skills is a major goal for every student and the richer their language experiences, the more they can draw from in communication exchanges. Deep Blue Sea is not an everyday phrase like “I want a drink” that Ms. Grimes reinforces continually with her students. But as youngsters explore the story through different activities, they derive pleasure from the new language, and the phrase takes on meaning in their lives.  They associate Deep Blue Sea with story or book, “sea” with water, and they make other connections that Ms. Grimes develops using a variety of techniques and props.

Working on recall skills and the ability to answer questions, Ms. Grimes asks, “Is this story about the sea or about a forest?” At home students can tell their parents, “book” and get across that they read a story.

Ms. Grimes, who is pursuing a graduate degree at Cabrini College with a reading specialist certification, says that the program has a real impact on her classroom, enriching the types of activities she develops to challenge students.

For Kristin McKeown, literacy activities serve as a motivator in communication-based sensory class. Enthusiasm for a favorite story reinforced with multifaceted activities motivates students to use their communication devices, her ultimate goal. While hers is an early-communication class, Ms. Gureckis and Ms. Barrow teach groups that focus on functional academics. For their students, exposure to printed words expands their ability to grasp the words' meaning.

Ms. Gureckis uses a weekly literacy-based theme toward the common goal of increasing communication skills for her 9-year--olds. After looking at illustrations and reading the story, succeeding days involve different activities with the story on vocabulary, comprehension and decoding, all individualized to students' skills.

"I try to provide a print-rich environment," says Ms. Gureckis. "Each student has different abili­ties and needs. I want to expose them to as much as possible:'

Ms. Barrow uses an early-reader sight-word vocabulary to help students recognize words that they see in books and in other contexts. Browsing the newspaper is a favorite activity. With Ms. Barrow's help, students identify front-page stories and photos or news sections they want to explore. She reads to them, and they may match the photo of a favorite athlete with his name and identify a few sight words on the page.

Her class uses their vocabulary in many ways - composing emails, cards and thank you letters by providing the basic words of their message. °If students can't form a frill sentence;' says Ms. Barrow, 'we fill in the blanks:' A Dr. Seuss rhyming activity prompts them to write their own silly rhymes. Students help plan field trips by looking at brochures and Internet images of what's available. When Ms. Barrow puts a word together with the image, they. begin to associate the two.

Work with word recognition also includes survival words—stop signs, rest rooms, office and other places and concepts they need to know about. Like ones daily schedule, .literacy involves being able to find your way in the world.

Wendy Lewis, speech /language therapist and her student intern, both Penn State graduates, recently introduced HMS staff to a new literacy-instruction program for students who cannot respond verbally—Accessible Literacy Learning (ALL)—developed by Penn State faculty. ALL enables a child who cannot vocalize letter sounds or words to demonstrate literacy skills by pointing to or looking at pictures.

Despite her enthusiasm, Ms. Lewis says, The program may not be appropriate for all students. Factors such as vision and cognitive ability have to be taken into consideration:. HMS staff are open to new techniques that best meet the needs of individual students, and as a therapist, Ms. Lewis is committed to supporting their efforts. She and Judy Lynch, an occupational therapy colleague, are reinforcing Kevin Rafferty's literacy goals for teenage students in his functional life-skills class where literacy revolves around practical activities. As in other areas of the program, cross-disciplinary support for literacy goals impacts students’ success.

For more information on HMS School go to www.hmsschool.org.

Midland School

North Branch, NJ

Room 507

Room 507 had a multi-purpose trip earlier this year, with lots of things to accomplish in a relatively short time. It was not a typical excursion to a historical site or a museum or even a tourist spot. This outing was focused on real-life necessities, coupled with fun!

Our first destination was to Manville’s A & P to purchase supplies to make and pack a lunch on the following day. We planed the menu and composed a shopping list, even including sandwich and lunch bags to really do the job right. The list was rather extensive, because our class has ten hungry teenagers.

After that, we did some personal shopping at Wal-Mart and the Dollar Store. Students had to budget their money so they would have enough left to buy lunch at Arby’s. Personal purchases ranged from DVDs and CDs to toys. Lunch choices were just as diverse: salad, roast beef, chicken to Southwest egg rolls. Amazingly, everyone had enough money (with a little guidance).

The next day, the students gave their parents a break and prepared their own bagged lunches. The tasty menu was: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, celery and carrots, pretzels, an apple and boxed beverage. Each student had to prepare, cut and bad his or her own sandwich and vegetables, package the pretzels, include some napkins and label their lunch bags. For some reason, they savored the food they purchased and prepared more than their usual lunches!

For more information on Midland School go to www.midlandschool.org.

Eden's Dream of New Princeton School to Become Reality

"If a little dreaming is dangerous, the cure for it is not to dream less but to dream more," Marcel Proust told the world a century ago and Eden listened. The new, state-of-the-art school for children with autism that Eden has envisioned, planned for and dearly needed for more than a decade anticipates opening its doors during the 2010-2011 school year, with groundbreaking expected by late 2009.

Eden president and CEO Tom McCool describes a site search that eventually settled on an existing school in Princeton Forrestal Village, which will be renovated and expanded to meet the special educational needs of students with autism. The facility will include nearly 25,000 feet of new construction and encompass not only a school for students ages 3 to 21, but also space for Eden's early intervention program for infants and toddlers.

With site approval completed, the design phase is well underway and Eden staff are working closely with architects to apply current best practices that maximize educational quality. "A best-practices learning environment," says McCool, "includes computers in classrooms, visual monitoring systems, technology-supported data keeping and physical space to support the teaching of vocational skills, life skills and leisure skills."

Adds COO Carol Markowitz, who has been with Eden since its 1975 founding, "This is an extremely exciting time for us - the opportunities at the new site are phenomenal." Markowitz is particularly enthusiastic about plans for a culinary arts program - the existing school has a commercial kitchen that can be adapted - and for a mini Wawa retail food store that will enable students to develop real-life employment readiness. Also of note: a two-story gymnasium complete with sensory motor area and weight room. And outside, a playing field, fitness trail and half-court basketball court.

Novelist Proust didn't talk about the price tag of one's dreams, but Eden is well aware of them. Hence the recent launch of "Nurturing Today, Embracing Tomorrow," a capital campaign to raise funds for the new school as well as for an endowment fund to ensure its sustainability.

Breaking even more new ground, the school's best practices design and philosophy will enable Eden to have a positive impact on autism education programs worldwide. Says McCool, "We anticipate welcoming visitors from far and wide to engage in ongoing dialogues with our staff as we help refine and redefine autism education best practices." 

Eden Florida Takes Vocational Training to the Stables

Eden Autism Services Florida's older students are being given a special opportunity to work at a local ranch, as part of a project that executive director Armando Galella hopes will blossom into a creative way for many of Eden's participants to gain valuable vocational skills.

Eden is in an area of southwest Florida where hundreds of acres of stables are located. Over the past year and a half, Eden has developed an alliance with Triple V Ranch, a 30-acre farm in Naples that has two large barns and pastures accom­modating more than 30 horses. Its owner, Dr. Ginny Condello, is a psychiatrist who understands the value of equine therapy.

Eden students currently participate in therapeutic riding at Condello's ranch, as well as at Naples Equestrian Challenge, a program specifically for people with disabilities. Those relationships have demonstrated how children with autism can benefit from equine therapy and simply being near animals, especially horses, says Galella.

Over the past six or seven months, there developed a need for trained stable hands in the region, particularly at Triple V and other ranches in Collier County. Eden staff discussed with Condello the idea of training some of Eden's older teens, and a pilot project was launched this year. So instead of training at a fast food restaurant or grocery store, students are now learning how to use a special cleaning tool for barns. They'll next move onto other steps required to become a stable hand, including feeding and grooming horses.

"The repetitiveness of the stable jobs makes them very suitable for people with autism," says Galella. "The students are adapting well to the work, and they're doing the work extremely well." Galella plans to reach out to other ranches in the vicinity of Triple V to discuss their staffing needs, which he hopes will enable him to open the stable hand program to more students and to adult participants from Eden Florida group residences as well.