Empowering All to Achieve
NTDSE
SATELLITE NEWS East Prairie Celebrates America Submitted by Mrs. Donna Kaatz The fourth and fifth graders at East Prairie School have studied the different states in the United States. The culminating project was to choose a state and complete a research project about that area. Our students selected the state of California. Each of the students completed part of the research and developed a booklet all about California. In addition to the booklet, the students were required to complete a project about their state. They could make a relief map of their state or make a replica of an important landmark found in their state. Our students chose to make the Hollywood sign as well as the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a lot of work but we had fun.
Congratulations Graduates! This spring we had 11 students graduate from our NTDSE Satellite classrooms. Many of these students have been part of the NTDSE family since their early childhood years! We are proud of Nick, Cooper, Nikol, Amanda, Sufyan, Shawn, Will, Veronica, Ana, Mat, and Tyler! We know that all of you will go on to do great things at Niles North and Niles West High School.
Spring 2016 In this Issue: East Prairie Celebrates America Congratulations Summer Social Skills Hersey Days
Empowering All to Achieve
NTDSE
Hersey Day Submitted by: Mr. Ron Kowalski and Tom Mikolajczyk
John Hersey High School just hosted the 39th annual “Funner Olympics.” Originally the program was called the “Fun Olympic Events” which involved track and field events. Just seven years ago, the “Fun Olympic Events” was renamed as the “Funner Olympics,” by a student attending Hersey High School. Along with the name change, new activities, games, and a sensory room were introduced. Now the “Funner Olympics” focuses on circus games, sports, face painting, bubble play and other activities that are engaging for a variety of ages. Participants of the “Funner Olympics” include over 200 hundred students with cognitive and physical delays who attend school near Hersey High School. Each child with a disability is paired with a peer buddy who is part of the Hersey’s Service Over Self (SOS) program. Almost 100 Hersey students host 50 booths that include games, activities, and various sensory experiences. The event is organized by the help of 33 student leaders who are enrolled in the SOS leadership program. All together 333 Hersey High School students participate in the Funner Olympics. Hersey students help with fundraising during the school year which pays for T-shirts, food, equipment, and elementary guests in attendance.
Summer Social Skills Submitted by: Mrs. Karyn Udany, NTDSE School Social Worker This year, the Satellite classrooms have practiced a variety of social skills that focused heavily on the concept of Social Thinking. Social Thinking incorporates strategies and methods to help children make sense of the social world around them. Using various curriculums as a guide, the students learned social skills through video modeling, leisure activities, and conversation practice. The students learned group skills such as keeping your body in the group, thinking about others, and following the group plan. They also worked on recognizing boundaries and understanding the people that belong in each of their social circles. Each child had many opportunities to practice these skills in social group, speech group, and while following their daily schedules. This summer, you can work on maintaining these social skills with your child. Schedule social outings with friends, play games with your child to practice turn taking, encourage conversation at the dinner table, and emphasize following the group or family plan. We navigate the social world all day long. There are opportunities to practice social skills everywhere!
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