LMA October Newsletter
October 2024
Good Morning,
I hope this monthly newsletter finds you well! As we close out the month of October, I'm excited to open this newsletter with all the exciting activities that have been taking place at LMA. The month of October has been busy, and productive! Students are getting used to their schedules by now, and are comfortable with the daily class routines. Some of our seniors have successfully completed the NJGPA Fall session this month, taking them one step closer to earning a high school diploma in June.
All staff participated in Professional Development on October 15, learning best practices for successfully completing a Community-Building Circle. Community-Building Circles will be taking place at LMA (1571 and NP Campus) on a weekly basis. Not only will the Circles promote positive school climate, but will allow students and staff to actively listen to one another, and express themselves in a non-judgmental space.
Student activity this month had 2 field trips with students visiting The Grounds for Sculpture, and the Gravity Vault. Students also had plenty of in-person presentations on site at LMA including a visit from UCC, a visit from Ms. Welch & Ms. Macaluso from Trinitas Outpatient discussing HIB, NJ4S R U OK? Presentation, the Week of Respect events, and a Staff vs. Students Volleyball game.
Please enjoy reading about, and seeing all the wonderful learning experiences students at LMA completed this past month! If you have any questions regarding our school, programming, etc. please reach out!
John Lopreiato
Supervisor of Instruction
Getting to know Ms. York, LMA's WIN Teacher
Alyson York joined the LMA family after working as a LLD math teacher at North Brunswick Township High School. Before her time in North Brunswick she worked for the Morris-Union Jointure Commission at their Developmental Learning Center in Warren. She grew up in Berkeley Heights and attended Governor Livingston High School. Alyson is an alumni of both Kean University and Montclair State University and serves as the President of the Daniel Ives Foundation. The "DIF" is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides grants, charitable contributions and community outreach to the Maplewood/South Orange community and beyond. She is looking forward to growing as an educator by learning from the students and her colleagues here at LMA. Alyson enjoys exercising, trying new restaurants, and traveling. She dislikes tomatoes, traffic, and people that walk too slowly down the center of sidewalks.
Jordyn M.
Jordyn, our October Student of the Month, has truly shone this month! Her initiative in organizing a successful bake sale demonstrated her leadership skills and commitment to our school community. She has also been a wonderful classmate, offering helpful assistance to her peers. And, of course, her enthusiasm and sportsmanship during the staff vs. student volleyball game were inspiring. We are so proud of Jordyn's hard work and positive attitude!
Ms. Schneider's Computer Science Class
Students finished their first unit strong with a “Design an App” project. Inspired by “Shark Tank” with the “Doorbot” (now known as “Ring”), students designed an app, and presented it to the class in true “Shark Tank” fashion. Students had to think of a problem the app could solve, decide who the problem affects, inputs and outputs used as well as the type of processing and the information the app would, or wouldn’t, store. Students modeled great social skills with active listening, public speaking, and using accountable talk practices.
Updates from Ms. York's WIN Class
During September/October in our WIN" class we have been highlighting multiple executive functioning skills and how to apply them in everyday life. LMA students reflected on the previous school year and set individualized, realistic, achievable goals for the 2024-2025 school year. The students have settled in with classroom expectations and routines to promote independence in the classroom and have been shown various ways to self-advocate so that they can truly take control of their own learning. WIN also reviewed the key words related to the UCESC district-wide collaboration project and then designed our own unique canvas tiles to be shared across the schools. We engaged in various activities and discussions throughout the “Week of Respect” that included information about bullying and how respect feels and looks like for everyone.
PG find their work groove.
Students in the transition program have successfully started their work based learning experiences. All of the students took a tour of their jobsite and learned about basic safety measures from the manager or their mentor. At Walgreens, students practiced stocking the shelves in the candy section. What a sweet gig! They learned about how each item has a bay, row, and position when it is put on the shelf. Furthermore, retail stores have a planogram, which shows employees where each item goes on a shelf. Students were able to see the planogram on the handheld device they were using when stocking the shelves. Finally, students are doing well learning the day-to-day operations of Chili’s in Clark, NJ. Students are working hard to prepare the restaurant for in-person dining, and curbside to get orders handled through the online system. LMA students are learning how to work together, Chili’s employee expectations, and appropriate work attire.
NJ4S - R U OK? LMA Presentation
On October 8, 2024 two representatives from NJ4S visited LMA to present on R U OK? and suicide prevention coordinated by our SAC. Below is an LMA student's powerful response to the presentation.
Yesterday we had an assembly, it was about “r u ok? Day” I think it was a very amazing assembly, I loved it. In the assembly we covered how suicidal people may feel, and what you can do to help yourself. Personally I've been through all of the phases, passive and active. I've been diagnosed with o.d.d, manic depression, anxiety, and ptsd. My story is very long and very damaging, but I am still standing here today. You can too. The only way to help yourself is to put yourself in a position that you may not want, but need. For example, since 5th grade I’ve had up and down suicidal thoughts, severe depressive episodes, and really bad self-harm. Then in January of this year, I was sent to a residential facility. My first three months were very difficult. I hated the staff and I hated being away from my friends. My clinician and I worked very hard on getting me where I needed to be. Now I am mentally okay, and I don't need the same level of care. I still need to work on a lot considering the trauma I experienced, but that means if your struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, you can get help too. R u okay? Day is honestly the best thing invented. During the assembly I felt very heard, and very understood, and as long as you speak your truth, you can too. And if no one told you, I hear you, I see you, and I love you. You are special, and unique, and deserve to stand out.
