A Note from Sabrina
Dear Families,
Wow! It is March...the time we begin to think of Spring and new beginnings. At school it is when we begin planning for the next school year (as crazy as that seems)!
At Arbor we have been planning how to better our motor room space, and our pre-vocational "enrichment" room so that students have clear structures to engage in learning in these spaces. Our OT, Janet Rudzinski, has taken the lead with these areas! We also continue to use our Wednesday late start time for planning purposes, and group learning together.
Many of you have recently had your child's IEP meetings- we have had a "slew" of meetings in the last 6 weeks. Everyone is excited to have new goals to be working on with your children, and we hope to continue to partner with you in supporting your children to master them.
I hope you are all making some fun plans for our spring break, whether that entails staying local or doing some traveling.
Best,
~Sabrina
A Word from our Primary Classroom
The primary class has been working hard this past month on "working together". We have been practicing walking together as a group when we transition out of the classroom, taking turns with our classmates, cleaning up after ourselves after meals & play, and learning to complete a class job.
We will be continuing to dive into our unit of study of "working together" and being a part of a community as we grow a garden at Arbor! We will be learning about plants and how plants grow. We will also learn about what the weather does to help plants. We will use our turn taking skills we are practicing to help us take care of the plants.
We are all also practicing how to wait appropriately. Waiting can be challenging when we are waiting to leave and walk to snack, waiting for our turn, or waiting for a direction from a teacher during groups. We will continue to spend parts of our day in small groups to practice these skills.
~Ms. Christina
A Word from our Intermediate Classroom
Hello Intermediate Families!
This month, our community outing was to McDonald's and it was a huge success! All students ordered and paid for their own meals while we were there. Everyone also sat so nicely eating their meal. We will continue to practice ordering our own food during community prep group at school! Our next community trip will be Thursday, March 2 to McDonald's again.
During our reading group, we have focused on traveling and learning all about the 50 states. Students have enjoyed creating fun crafts and participating in differentiated learning tasks based on the state we are learning about that day!
We are all looking forward to the warmer weather coming up as we love getting outside to play on the playground during recess.
Looking forward to a fun filled March!
~Ms. Jessica
A Communication Tip
What does it mean to model? Modeling means that we communicate to a child in the way that we want them to communicate. We can model using verbal language or using augmentative communication systems. We may point to different icons on a device as we speak. Or, we might provide a verbal model for an appropriate response.
For example, during meal or snack times, modeling may look something like the following:
With a device: "What do you want to drink? --> "It looks like you want juice" (model on device want juice)
Verbally: "What do you want to drink? --> "I want juice" (be sure to use the first person "I"!)
Opportunities to model:
Dinner or snack time
Getting ready in the morning
Brushing your teeth
Out in the community
Playtime
Anytime!
Here are some resources to learn more about modeling to facilitate communication, including video examples!
~Sara & Jamie
Visual of the Month: Toileting
Toileting: Use the attached visual to help your child gain independence in the bathroom. When helping, try to talk as little as possible!
Some Resources
Everyone at Play: Kohl Children's Museum: March 19th
Extended School Year (ESY)
You all should have received registration information for TrueNorth ESY as well as for afternoon "camp" with NSSRA. Please be sure to register soon, if your child is eligible and you would like him/her to attend. Reach out if you have not seen that information in your email, or if you need assistance.
NSSRA/TrueNorth Camp Registration
Thank you!