May Outplacement News

Welcome to Outplacement News for Families, the latest resource for parents, guardians, and caregivers for students enrolled at LEARN's Outplacement programs. We are happy you are here, choosing a LEARN school education for your child.

This newsletter will be delivered electronically on the 1st Tuesday of the month and will include:

• Kudos Corner
• Resource Roundup
• Community Happenings
• & more!

Wow, we can't believe we are reaching the end of the school year! In the blink of an eye, our school year is nearing its end and as we wrap up the year, we still have so many fun things planned. Please be on the lookout for information regarding graduation celebrations as we have some students who are aging out of our programs this year who have been with us at LEARN for quite some time. These students will be greatly missed, but we are excited to watch them move into their independence!

In the last month, students at LTA have engaged in a number of exciting work experiences and activities. Of note, some some students attended a performance of STOMP at the Garde Arts Theater. Our students also go to the Garde weekly to work in the theater on tasks such as vacuuming, recycling, and other cleaning. The Garde has been a fantastic community partner of LEARN for some time now, and we are appreciative of the value this partnership brings to our students.

At OALA we have been busy celebrating our first Rotary Student of the Year, Ny'ir Jenkins! Ny'ir embodies hard work, leadership, and service to others. He will be recognized with our Rotary Students later this month through the New London Rotary Foundation. We also recently came together to celebrate our Educators of the Year with both the OALA and LTA teams. All of our amazing staff are the soul of what we do. We continue to celebrate this week for Educator Appreciation Week and National Nurses Day with fun surprises to show our deep appreciation for the amazing work our team does every day.

As we dive into the last full month of the school year we are ready to work hard and have fun!

🚨 Important Reminders:

• No school for students 5/26 for Memorial Day

We are committed to supporting the overall well-being of our students and believe mental health is an important part of overall health. We partner with Cartwheel to support the mental health needs of our students via virtual therapy with licensed clinicians.

Up until now, a student had to be identified and referred for these services by our school team. Now, parents/guardians can express interest directly in mental health services for their child by filling out this form bit.ly/LEARNCartwheel.

Our school staff can still refer a student to Cartwheel with parent/guardian consent. To learn more about this mental health program, check out this flyer.

Here are some signs to look for to determine if your child might benefit from mental health support:

• Changes in mood or behavior

• Changes in eating or sleeping patterns

• Declining academic performance

• Withdrawal from friends or activities

• Increased anxiety or stress

• Expressing feelings of sadness or hopelessness

• Experiencing transition (related to life, family, peers, school)

• Exposure to a traumatic event

For more information, please contact your students respective school clinician:

• Ocean Avenue LEARNing Academy -
• Abby Houseknecht (860-510-6515)
• Amy Woodruff (860-235-4885)
• Lindsay Skinner (860-373-1785)

• LEARN Transition Academy -
• Lindsay Skinner (860-373-1785)

Kudos to Ms. Dom's class for teaming up to create a restaurant experience for their classroom staff as a part of Educator Appreciation Week! Students set up a table, took orders, and prepared a wonderful breakfast for their classroom staff 😍 Thank you to Ms. Dom's students for their teamwork and making sure their classroom staff felt loved and appreciated this week!

Kudos to our Student Support Services Inspiring Educators of the Year, Amy Woodruff and Kim Eaves! A team member said of Kim, "each day she shows up ready to collaborate, learn, and works to make change possible." Amy's nominators shared "her impact reaches beyond the walls of our classrooms" in the work that she does. These two are well deserving of this recognition and we are proud to have them on our team! To get to know our award winners a bit more, we asked them a few questions, here's what they had to say.

• How would you describe our LEARN community?
• Kim: Dedicated, supportive, and inspiring
• Amy: A great group of people who are compassionate, always learning, and always finding opportunities to shine.
• What is your favorite thing about working at LEARN?
• Kim: Our students make the world go round, but I also really love and appreciate the comradery, teamwork, and friendships across our staff
• Amy: There are so many things I love about working here, but I think one thing that jumps out is the sparks of joy we get to see here! Every day I am able to find moments of joy with a student or a group - I'm able to see their light shine and I love being a witness to that
• Outside of work, what might we find you doing?
• Kim: Hanging out with my family!
• Amy: Hanging out, playing or hiking with my dogs
• What is your favorite local coffee or lunch spot?
• Kim & Amy: Washington Street Coffee House in New London
• What is a fun fact about you?
• Kim: I have lived in 3 different countries
• Amy: I grew up on a farm and I am terrified of cows

Warmer weather means more chances to get outside and move our bodies! Getting out on a walk with your students is a simple and effective way to model use of their AAC device. You can tell each other what to do, comment on your walk, and asks questions. Here are some examples:

• Comment
• "Nice day"
• "Feel good"
• Ask
• "Where go?"
• "What that?"
• Prompt
• "Come with me"
• "Stop here"

Find more resources for AAC modeling in everyday routines ⏩ AAC Modeling Resources

Cartwheel offers a free summer wellness guide that includes 12 budget-friendly summer activities to support family well-being! From Cartwheel; "summer brings sunshine, free time, and more opportunities for family connection. However, this season can also present it's fair share of challenges, including negative impacts on mental health." Check out their guide to help support your family this summer!

• Click Here to access the guide in English
• Click Here to access the guide in Portuguese
• Click Here to access the guide in Spanish
• Click Here to access the guide in Chinese

CTFSN will host a 7-part workshop series focused on empowering caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities with the essential skills and knowledge needed for effective self-care. Space is limited and advanced registration is required.

📆 Date: Wednesday, May 9th (first session)

⏰ Time: 12 PM

🎫 Register/RSVP: Email Rachel Keesley to Register

SCSU Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders is hosting a virtual monthly discussion series, Science of Autism Series. The May session is Environmental Risk in ASD: Substantive Results and Methodological Issues with Eric Fombonne, MD.

📆 Date: Friday, May 9th

⏰ Time: 9 AM

🎫 Register/RSVP: Register here to Join Virtually

Cartwheel is offering free webinars to help empower caregivers, family members, and school staff to best support their students!

The next webinar is titled How Trauma Affects Youth & Family Mental Health and How to Support Yourself and Your Kids.

📆 Date: Tuesday, May 6th

⏰ Time: 7 PM

🎫 Register/RSVP: Register to join virtually

Visit McCook Point Park on May 17th to celebrate our beautiful planet Earth at Earthfest 2025. The event will include live performances, 20+ environmentally focused organizations, family-friendly activities, food trucks, and more!

📆 Date: Saturday, My 17th

⏰ Time: 10 AM - 2 PM

🎫 More Info: Visit The Event Page

📍 Location: New London Elks, 81 Washington St, New London, CT

Visit McCook Point Park on May 17th to celebrate our beautiful planet Earth at Earthfest 2025. The event will include live performances, 20+ environmentally focused organizations, family-friendly activities, food trucks, and more!

📆 Date: Saturday, MAy 17th

⏰ Time: 11 AM - 3 PM

🎫 More Info: Visit Their Website

📍 Location: McCook Point Park, Niantic, CT

Come enjoy a morning of golf where every swing of a club supports the children of The Miracle League of Southeastern Connecticut! Participants may register as an individual for $150 per golfer or $600 per foursome. For more information, visit The Miracle League of Southeastern Connecticut's website linked below.

📆 Date: Friday, June 9th

⏰ Time: 9 AM

🎫 Register/RSVP: Register Here

📍 Location: Pequot Golf Course - 127 Wheeler Road, Stonington, CT

The United Way Mobile Food Pantry is at Ocean Avenue LEARNing Academy every 4th Wednesday of the month! This pantry is walk-up only and we strongly encourage folks to bring bags or a cart if able.

📆 Date: Wednesday, May 28th

⏰ Time: 4:30 PM - 5:30 PM

🎫 Register/RSVP: No registration required

📍 Location: Ocean Avenue LEARNing Academy - 660 Ocean Ave, New London, CT

The United Way also hosts their Mobile Food Pantry at other locations throughout the month. Looking for more information? Visit their website here ⏩ https://www.uwsect.org/calendar