We would like to introduce you to Mrs. Cronin's Transition Program classroom.  The Transition Program was developed last year. The concept and principles are so important for so many of our students that they created another classroom.  Our program started in September and is designed for students that are age 18-22.  Our students work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and come to school on Thursday and Friday.  The focus of the program is stated in it's name: transition. 

Our curriculum is designed to move forward from traditional academics to a more hands on/functional approach. Each unit is based on learning opportunities that best suit individual students as they transition from the teenage years of high school to young adulthood.  All students focus on the skills that will make them the most independent in all areas of their lives: vocational, domestic, recreational and adult learning. The continuous collaboration from the various departments at LABBB offers each student a multi-layered approach when working through a specific unit.

We recognize that communication is an important part of a successful program. Therefore, the students have been exposed to forms of communication using technology.  We have covered Internet safety with an emphasis on social media.  Our students have obtained an email address, learned how to write casual letters and have begun to use google calendar. Visit our blog! It is an access point into our class for students, teachers, parents and visitors. The blog communicates our daily activities via posts/ twitter feed, student assignments, teacher materials and contact information.

Blog: LABBB Transition Program

Twitter: @labbbtransition

"Cold & Flu" season is upon us! There have been a number of students and staff with colds already. This is an important time to make sure we all get plenty of rest, nutritious food, and practice good hand hygiene so that illnesses do not have the chance to spread. If your student feels ill during the evening, especially if they require the use of medication, that's a sign that they need a day of rest from school. 

If your student has a runny nose, congestion, or a persistent cough that interferes with his/her ability to learn effectively, even in the absence of fever, you may want to consider keeping him/her home for protection, and to prevent the spread of any infections. Children frequently will not have a fever once they wake up in the morning because their bodies have been resting, but that does not mean that they are not ill or infectious to others. 

The town of Lexington will be holding a few different upcoming flu clinics.  There will be an employee flu clinic held at St. Brigid's Church on November 20th, and the final public flu clinic will be at Lexington High School on December 3rd from 4:00-7:00PM

Please let us know if you have any questions regarding this.

On Fridays, it's time to catch up on some academics for the week using an art project.

It's time for Math

One

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Last year, the students in Room 112 at Chenery Middle school, began participating in a weekly Cooking Group throughout the school year. This year, we teamed up with Ms. Roberts, our Speech Teacher, to further incorporate augmentative communication strategies into our cooking activities. Each week the students participate as a group to make a snack or small dessert related to the classroom theme.

For the month of October, our theme in Room 112 was "Falling into Learning." All of our recipes were somehow related to the season of fall, including apples, pumpkins and Halloween! Some of things we made included: Scarecrow Cupcakes, No Bake Pumpkin Pie, and Apple Pie Crescent Rolls.

Although the recipe differs, Cooking Group follows the same format each week to provide repetition and routine for the students. First, we review the ingredients in the recipe and the students are given a chance to tactilely explore each one. From there, they move on to following step-by-step instructions to create the snack or dessert. Using both low and high-tech augmentative communication, students request turns to add ingredients and read steps from the recipe.  

After the recipe has been completed, each student participates in a comprehension worksheet related to the activity. Using a total communication approach, students answer questions about the week's recipe including what they made, how they helped and if they liked the snack or dessert.

Cooking Group has been a great opportunity for the students in Room 112 to work on increasing their independent communication skills through a variety of augmentative communication devices. Cooking also illustrates how teachers and specialists can collaborate in the classroom to promote group learning. It doesn't hurt that there is a delicious end product every week!

The students have thoroughly enjoyed Cooking so far this year and are ready to zoom into the Thanksgiving season!

 

I am very excited to be joining the LABBB community as an art therapy intern. As an undergraduate student at Lesley University, I have come this fall to do art in classrooms throughout Lexington High and Bedford High. My goal is to integrate art-making into goals determined by students' individual needs, as well as strengthen group dynamics in classrooms.

Art therapy has a capability to achieve personal insight beyond other therapies, but it also allows for great conversation and interpersonal skills to develop around art. Projects that are focused on this can facilitate great conversation, and leave students feeling a sense of pride for their work. This pride often translates to other parts of their lives, increasing self-esteem.

Students' first project asked them to line up emotional cartoons based on good or bad feelings, and then associate a color with the feeling in front of them. They each used a chalk-pastel color and worked together to fill the timeline. This strengthened their ability to work together as a class, and asked them to make associations between feelings and colors. 

On Friday, Oct 31st, Vocational Counselors Stephen Goodwin and Tom Brown, along with several LABBB students, attended the

This Career Fair was a wonderful opportunity for our students to apply the interview, communication and self-advocacy skills that they have been practicing at school. We were extremely proud of the students who attended, as we observed them initiating conversations, making eye contact, and providing information about their work experiences to the many employers present at the fair. All the classroom role-plays, handshakes, and mock interviews paid off!! 

Over twenty employers were represented at the fair, including Eastern Bank, Boston Children's Hospital, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Mass Department of Transportation, and TJX Company.  We will be following up with the contacts we made.  In fact, some of our students have already heard back from some employers.  This event was a huge success, and our students gained great experience. 

October 23^rd was Diwali and the LABBB integrated preschool was able celebrate it with help from a classroom parent.  Parul Khemka was our very special guest and volunteered her time to come in and teach the students and staff about Diwali. 

Diwali is India's biggest and most important holiday of the year. The festival gets its name from the row (avali) of clay lamps (or deepa) that Indians light outside their homes to symbolize the inner light that protects us from spiritual darkness. This festival is as important to Hindus as the Christmas holiday is to Christians.

Diwali is celebrated with family gatherings, glittering clay lamps, festive fireworks, strings of electric lights, bonfires, flowers, and sharing of sweets.  We celebrated Diwali by having each student decorate their own clay lamp.  The clay lamps were a gift from Mrs. Khemka. The students painted them, added some glitter, and many also glued on some gems. They worked very hard on their clay lamps and they all looked so beautiful. The students were very excited to be able to take home their clay lamps or deepas. 

The students and staff were then invited to enjoy some Indian sweets that Mrs. Khemka brought in for us to try. They were delicious.  The students and staff had a great time.  We would like to thank Mrs. Khemka for her time and generosity.