LMA January Newsletter
January 2025
Good Morning,
I hope this newsletter finds you well! As we finish the month of January, in the New Year, please allow us to showcase some of the different learning experiences, and events occurring at LMA. We are officially half way done with the 2024-2025 academic school year, and the next 5 months taking us from Winter to Spring, on the doorsteps of Summer will be busy! LMA will start to prepare students and staff for NJ DOE state testing for NJGPA and NJSLA in the near future. LMA is also excited to welcome a number of new staff members, all here to support academic learning and therapeutic growth!
As we enter the new year, and the second half of the school year, now is a great time to prioritize short and long term goals. Our students have already started this in their assigned therapeutic groups with the creation of Vision Boards. LMA as a school community continues to create positive experiences for students including Student Council, Community Building Circles, Individualized Student Success Plans and identifying different layers of support we can provide LMA students for academics, therapeutic, and behavioral needs. All of these initiatives are in place to increase our Student Voice, and strengthen an already positive school community foundation.
The LMA Administrative team would like to give a very special recognition to the 1571 custodial department, especially Mr. Whitehead and Mr. Seale. Not only tending to the 1571 interior needs, but having their support in the parking lot at student arrival, and student dismissal to help maintain a safe environment for students, bus drivers, parents/guardians and staff on a daily basis, especially in these colder months!
Please take some time to review the Newsletter below. If you have any questions, or concerns, please reach out!
Reed & John
LMA welcomes Ms. Morrisroe - LMA WBL Teacher
LMA is pleased to announce our new WBL teacher as Ms. Morrisroe. She joined the LMA team this January, and while getting to know the students and staff are a top priority; she has also been looking at expanding our Post Graduate program with LMA students integrating, and learning more day-to-day operations. We are excited to welcome Ms. Morrisroe to the LMA team, and for all the future initiatives she will bring to WBL at LMA.
Below are some fun facts about Ms. Morrisroe:
-Loves to listen to country music.
-Has an identical sister who is also an educator.
-Attended Kean University
-Is a huge sports fan
-Has a bulldog named Bailey.
Janelle
LMA staff came together to vote on the January Student of the Month. Janelle was the clear winner for number of votes by LMA staff. Numerous LMA staff have been reporting how well Janelle is doing in class at LMA. We are proud of her growth and progress at LMA; taking full advantage of academics and therapeutic supports on a consistent basis.
On Monday, 1/27/2025 LMA students participated in a field trip to Liberty Hall, part of Kean University. Students toured the first Governor of New Jersey's home and learned about the geography of Colonial America, how increased taxes lead to the American Revolutionary War, and different codes that spies used to pass messages during the war. Students ended the day by signing up as a Patriot, Loyalist, or Quaker, and playing Colonial games.
Introducing the Lamberts Mill Academy Mentorship Program at Westlake School
We are excited to launch a new mentorship program where students from Lamberts Mill Academy (LMA) will visit Westlake School once a week to mentor, and connect with our students. This program offers a unique opportunity for collaboration, growth, and the development of meaningful relationships between students from both schools.
As part of the program, LMA mentors will engage in activities such as practicing conversation skills, playing games, exploring shared interests, and working alongside their mentees on pre-vocational tasks. To prepare for this role, the LMA mentors participated in a specialized training led by Registered Behavior Technicians and the Supervisor of Behavioral Health Services. During the training, they learned about the diverse communication styles of Westlake students and developed key mentoring skills, including:
- Understanding and empathy
- Active listening
- Emotional self-regulation and reaction management
- Encouragement and positive reinforcement
- Adaptability and problem-solving
- Building trust and fostering confidence
This mentorship program not only supports the social and emotional development of the Westlake students but also provides LMA mentors with valuable opportunities to build leadership skills and make a positive impact.
We are thrilled to see the relationships and growth that will come from this program and look forward to expanding it in the future to include more students and opportunities for collaboration!
Science classes get hands on
The Biology students dissected a perch and a frog. The class was able to view the internal organs of each species, label and describe the function of each. The Earth Science class is studying minerals and will be fabricating a “crystal” garden. Chemistry students will be creating molecule models for selected elements and participating in an “escape room” activity involving molecules. Marine Biology seniors are studying the oceans, bays, lagoons and inland waterways and the marine life in each and the preservation of all of Earth’s waters. Biology class will soon be studying the life activities of animals and body systems.
PE classes get warmed up with the LMA Badminton Tournament
January was a busy month for the students at LMA in Health and Physical Education. We started the new year off with the Fitness Unit by partaking in miscellaneous workouts such as stability ball training, step aerobics, and mindful meditation. The students are now working hard in the Badminton Unit. We have been covering all aspects of the game including serving, striking the birdie underhand/overhand, gameplay (singles and doubles), and game strategy. We are currently in the middle of the annual LMA Badminton Tournament with the winners receiving prizes. During the tournament we have been covering the importance of good sportsmanship, teamwork, communication, and hard work. We are very proud of how our students have been performing during this unit.
For Health we have just started to begin the Body Systems Unit with the students. Students have been learning about the importance of knowing all their systems such as the skeletal system, muscular system, digestive system, and so on. We will be covering every body system in its entirety and the importance of keeping said systems healthy.
What's new in WIN
This month in “WIN” (What I Need), students learned how to identify disorganized behavior in others and analyze how these behaviors may impede that individual’s success. We then upped the ante and analyzed our own disorganized behavior(s) and the natural consequence(s) that happen in our lives from these behaviors. Students self-reflected on their personal paradigms and created “glasses” that represented seeing the “positive” and “negative” paradigms in their lives. To expand on student voice in WIN, students were given an avenue on how to recommend topics and poems/songs for our weekly restorative practice “circles” activity. January 23rd was “National Handwriting Day” and students attempted to write their names in script. On this day we also learned the importance of a signature as we enter adulthood.
