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Banyan Bulletin
Parent Newsletter for Banyan High School
Strong roots. Strong minds.
To educate students with learning disabilities by identifying individual strengths and abilities, continuously monitoring individual progress, and adapting the curriculum to to meet each students changing educational needs.
Principal's Pen - Sentence Stems as Exit Tickets
A sentence stem is the beginning of a sentence. Think of the stem of a plant. It's not the whole plant, just the beginning of it. It helps students get their sentence started. Sometimes we use the term sentence starter interchangeably. Sentence stems give students the inertia to get their thoughts going. Then their sentences bloom.
Sentence stems help students in the class room in the following ways:
- Promote Discussion: Sentence stems can be used to guide class discussions.
- Encourage Reflection: Teachers can use sentence stems to encourage students to reflect on their learning.
- Support Writing: Sentence stems can also be used in writing assignments to help students structure their thoughts and ideas.
We will be using certain sentence stems in all of our classrooms to provide reinforcement of thinking and comprehension concepts at the end of the lessons as an "exit ticket".
The three sentence stems that we are introducing are as follows:
- I learned that.....
- I'm surprised that.....
- I noticed that....
- This makes me wonder about.....
Please feel free to use the language at home to engage with your student as the more repetition the better to engage our students in language!
Transition Series: Presentations for Parents from our Transition Department
Transition Zoom Presentations on Wednesdays from 7 - 8:30pm.
https://banyanschool.zoom.us/j/4540497431
Please join us this year for a series of presentations provided by our Transition Department regarding preparing our students for their post-secondary experiences. This presentations are in addition to those presented by ARC and will be held in the evening virtually using the above link. The information for each presentation is listed below.
November 29: SSI (Social Security Insurance) and Medicaid - YES you can work!
January 10: DDD (Division of Developmental Disabilities) and DVRS (Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services)
February 7: Disability Housing Options
March 6: Partial and Full Guardianship, Supported Decision Making and Power of Attorney & Healthcare Proxy
April 10: Special Needs Trusts and NJ ABLE Accounts
May 8: Becoming a DAC (Disabled Adult Child) - How Benefits Change and Improve
Living with LIFE Academy - Transition Fair
You are invited to participate in Banyan High School's 2nd Annual Transition Fair on Saturday, December 2, 2023 from 10am - 2pm. The fair will be located inside of the Lady of the Holy Angels Roman Catholic Church (next to Banyan High School), 473 Main Street, Little Falls, NJ 07424. There is a big parking lot. Unfortunately, the church does not have wi-fi, so please bring a personal hot-spot if you require wi-fi.
We will be providing FREE childcare in the cafeteria/gym of Banyan High School from 10am - 2pm for those who need it. There will be holiday crafts/activities, water as well as regular/gluten free pizza (between 12-1pm) Each child will get 2 slices of pizza.
This will be a wonderful opportunity for parents and students to learn about and connect with the following types of adult services organizations:
- DVRS (Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services) Providers
- DDD (Division of Developmental Disabilities) Support Coordination Agencies
- College/Technical School Programs for Students with Disabilities
- Residential Agencies
- Day Habilitation Programs
- Disability Law Firms
- Special Needs Financial Planners
And Introducing....... Ashley Rogalski: Occupational Therapist
Hi there! My name is Ashley Rogalski and I am so excited to be Banyan High School’s newest occupational therapist! This is my fourth year as a school-based OT. Before Banyan, I worked in a middle school and private sensory gym in Manhattan, helping children and teens develop a variety of skills including (but not limited to) fine motor, graphomotor, sensory processing, self-care, executive functioning, pre-vocational and self-regulatory skills. I also have experience with a variety of special programs and protocols including Zones of Regulation, Therapeutic Listening, Handwriting Without Tears and Astronaut Training.
I received my B.S. in neuroscience with a minor in German from Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and my M.S. in OT from New York University. When I’m not at school, you can find me playing with my cat, Leo, trying out new recipes in the kitchen, taking pictures, traveling, and spending time with my friends and family.
It has been a pleasure getting to know the wonderful staff, students and families at Banyan the last 4 months. I look forward to a great year together and am especially looking forward to basketball season. Go Bulldogs!
Classroom Spotlight: Using Storyboard That in History
Students in United States History 1 are learning about the thirteen colonies. In one of the first lessons the students learned about the lost colony of Roanoke and the theories of what happened to the colony. Each student picked a theory they believed to be true or a theory they believe that wasn't listed. They showed their chosen theory by creating a cartoon on Storyboard That.
Storyboard That is a tool to create storyboards, graphic organizers, comics, and powerful visual assets for use in the classroom and brings students creativity to life. The application includes many layouts, and hundreds of characters, scenes, and search items. Once a storyboard is created, the student can present via PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Apple Keynote, or they can email the storyboard, post to social media, or embed it on a blog.
We have included a few examples of student work here!
PTSO Parent Corner
We would like to invite all of our parents to join our PTSO for Banyan High School! The PTSO hosts many events for our families, such as the upcoming Bingo, and provides events for our students. If you would like to join, please use the links below:
Here is the link to the PTSO membership on Google Form
PTSO are collecting dues and payment will be accepted via paypal and check/cash. Checks made payable
To Banyan High School PTSO
Paypal: BHSPTO@banyanschool.com
Suggested amount $45
Our next virtual PTSO meeting is November 28th at 7:00 PM. Please join using this link:
https://banyanschool.zoom.us/s/88365883157
Please join our amazing parent/teacher organization!
Important Upcoming Events
Here are some important upcoming events:
- Family Bingo Night - TONIGHT at 6 PM
Jack's Walkabout Club - Saturday, November 18th at 11am at South Mountain Reservation. It's an easy hike. We hope to see some lingering fall foliage. And we want to see you there, too! Here are all the details: http://www.jackswalkaboutclub.com/next-hike.html
- Harvest Feast - November 21 - during the school day
- Thanksgiving Break - Single session 11/22, No school 11/23 - 24
- Banyan Transition Presentation - November 27 at 7 PM Yes, You can Work virtually. Join virtually using this link: https://banyanschool.zoom.us/j/4540497431
- Virtual PTSO Meeting - November 28, 7 PM
- Banyan Transition Fair - December 2, 10 - 2 PM
- Social 4 Life - December 6, Holiday Shopping Willowbrook Mall 3 PM
- Ally's Elves - December 9, 11 - 3 PM Verona Community Center
- Winter Concert - December 14, 7:30 PM
- Banyan Family Devils Game - January 17 at 7 PM. Sign up using link below: https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Banyanschools
Creating a Storyboard
Winter Concert coming soon!
Learning about the Environment!
Banyan High School
Website: www.banyanschools.org
Location: 471 Main Street, Little Falls, NJ, USA
Phone: 973 785-1919
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Banyan-School/100063632976200/