April 2025 LABBB Newsletter

April Newsletter

LABBB Bowling

Sharing best practices and promoting inclusive opportunities for students with special needs

Executive Director's

Message

Dear LABBB Community,

While spring is showing on our calendars, we are planning for summer and next year! Time flies around here! Summer schedules are posted on the LABBB website. Reminder that all of LABBB’s extended year programs run from Monday through Friday for a full day. Specific information regarding your child’s programming will be shared by your classroom teacher and/or program coordinator.

There is much to share, LABBB has a lot of upcoming events:

Transition Fair ( Grace Chapel) April 10, 2025

LABBB Disney Trip - Orlando, FLA April 28- May 2, 2025

LABBB Prom - Marriott, Billerica, May 29, 2025

LABBB Graduation- Scottish Rite Museum, Lexington, June 5, 2025

***Special Olympics - Lexington High School Track, May 21, 2025

*** All LABBB students attend.

All are welcome - if you have questions about any of the events please do not hesitate to contact us

Secondary level students and families - please be on the lookout for the LABBB Prom flyer; this event will be held on May 29, 2025! Recreation opportunities continue for our middle and high school aged LABBB students. If you are interested in exploring any of these opportunities please contact your child’s teacher or program coordinator.

LABBB Evening Parent Meetings

Please complete the survey to help us plan out meetings for the 25-26 school year! ** Parent Survey

LABBB Evening Parent Meetings will continue on the same evenings as our monthly dances (Thursday evenings). This allows parents of middle and high school students to drop off their daughter or son at the Lexington Community Center (39 Marrett Rd., Lexington, MA) then attend the meetings upstairs. We also encourage our parents of elementary school students to attend these parent nights. These informative meetings provide time to discuss and learn about a variety of topics related to programming, MCAS, special needs planning, recreation, transition, post -22 planning, supplemental security income (SSI), financial planning and many other important topics. Keep your eyes open for a survey regarding parent night topics that are of interest to you. We want to hear from you!

Parent meetings for 2024-25 school year will take place from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the following dates:

Our presenters and speakers are scheduled, but may change…

April 3, 2025 ( NO Parent meeting)

May 15, 2025- Understanding Executive Functioning

LABBB’s Transition Fair date - April 10, 2025**** please note this was changed. We look forward to seeing you!

Please do not hesitate to contact me directly at pgirouard@labbb.net with any questions or comments.

With appreciation,

Pam

Transition Department: Creativity at Work

By: Amanda O’Leary

Over the past few years, one of our special community partners, Grace Chapel in Lexington, has been kind enough to allow LABBB to utilize their space for a variety of events, including our annual Transition Fair, professional development days, and staff meetings. We are also grateful for the handful of classrooms that we are allowed to call our own and utilize throughout the week.

Every Thursday and Friday, accompanied by community instructors and teaching assistants, small groups of students from Bedford and Lexington High LABBB classrooms converge at Grace as part of the LABBB Crafts group. While there, the students typically take part in a day of art, as well as access the community to work on transition related skills, such as safety in the community, ordering and purchasing snacks and/or lunch, shopping at local stores, and using the public library.

The students have the opportunity to explore their creativity by participating in self directed art projects. These may include coloring, painting, drawing, and other art assembly. As a group, the students have also been creating items to be shared with the public via craft fairs or school pop-ups. These items have included jewelry, ornaments, key chains, magnets, and puzzle art.

Over the past couple of weeks, with the support of staff, they have been collaborating on a new endeavor - flair pins! With the purchase of some button/badge makers, the students have been coloring in premade templates or drawing their own pictures on templates for different size buttons. Once the templates are cut out, the pictures are inserted into the badge cover and put into the button maker and with a few presses, an amazing button is made!

The students have been choosing messages of kindness, celebrating and embracing differences, as well as favorite sports, activities, Best Buddies, and Special Olympics to showcase their work. At the Special Olympics this year, these buttons will be available to “buy” (for a small donation), so that you too, can show off your best flair! Be sure to stop by and support the hard work that our students put forth each and every week!

The History of Occupational Therapy

By Lisa Poirier, MS, OTR

Whenever anyone asks me what I do, I sheepishly say “I am an Occupational Therapist.” I tend to do this because it is virtually impossible to describe and narrow it down during a brief period of time exchanging pleasantries with someone. I usually say things like “we help patients gain function after an illness or injury or promote independence in an educational setting.” OT is that and much more! Since April is OT Month, I wanted to honor our long and exceptional past. Occupational therapy has a deep, rich history that spans over 100 years leading us to our modern profession.

While ancient Greeks used daily activities or “occupations” to improve health and wellbeing, the development of the vocation was on its way to become a formal profession during the turn of the century.

During WW1 civilian women, or “reconstruction aides” were sent to help service members heal from “neurosis” and “shell shock.” They found that engaging them in “occupations” improved their mental health and sense of purpose.

In 1914, one of the most influential founding members of the profession, Eleanor Clarke Slagle, started a community workshop at one of Chicago’s hospitals, where she would work with mentally ill patients and conduct research. Her observations were that people could change their habits and ultimately improve their function, and so the profession evolved to focus on not only mental health but the connection to “work, rest and leisure tasks.” Furthermore, she founded our professional organization in 1918, which is now called the American Occupational Therapy Association.

OT’s were also influential during and after WW2. While the original blueprint for this profession was in mental health, more emphasis was now placed on physical rehabilitation to treat wartime injuries. Keeping the focus on function, OT’s would commonly engage patients in tasks such as arts and crafts, woodworking, sports and games, and gardening. We also worked with service members to help prepare them for new employment opportunities. In psychiatric hospitals, patients became part of the maintenance staff for pre-vocational training.

Over the next decades, “purposeful activity” as a means to improve function became the prominent pillar of our profession. We continued to work in hospitals, psychiatric hospitals, and ultimately the school system.

As a result of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), school aged children were ensured a “Free and Appropriate Education,” or FAPE. Essentially, FAPE was mandatory access to education for all children, regardless of their disability. OT’s continued to develop evidence based practices as a result of this practice area.

Occupational therapists work within a diverse scope of practice in many settings with people of all ages. You can find OT’s in hospitals, jobs sites, schools, clinics, private practices, mental health settings, and even robotic clinics! In schools, we can help with a variety of skills, not just handwriting. We are instrumental parts of a school team, with many specialty areas. We promote function and independence in a variety of domains such as assistive technology, health and wellness, social participation, activities of daily living, and community skills, to name a few. We continue to strive to help our students adapt, maintain and improve their independence in all of their functional settings. I am proud of the contributions our OT's have made over the past 5 decades and I look forward to what the next decade will bring.

Celebrating Differences

By: Abby McNulty

In room 704, we believe that everyone deserves to be celebrated regardless of their abilities, background, or unique traits. On March 21st, we embraced this belief by participating in World Down Syndrome Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness and promoting inclusion for individuals with Down syndrome.

Our lesson began with learning about Down syndrome—a condition caused by an extra chromosome that makes people unique but does not define their abilities. We explored inspiring stories, including that of John Cronin, the founder of John’s Crazy Socks. John, who has Down syndrome, built a successful business spreading joy through colorful socks. His story reminded us that individuals with Down syndrome can thrive in their careers, make meaningful contributions, and bring happiness to those around them.

To celebrate, each student picked out a unique pair of socks from John’s Crazy Socks, symbolizing our commitment to embracing differences. We matched our socks, put them on, and came together for a group picture—a powerful reminder that inclusion and kindness create a stronger, more connected community.

This lesson was not just about raising awareness for Down syndrome; it was also about recognizing and celebrating everyone for who they are. Our classroom is a place where differences are not only accepted but also valued. We hope this message spreads beyond our walls, inspiring others to see the beauty in diversity and the power of inclusion.

“You make the world a better place when you celebrate differences!”

Clinical Corner: The Power of Emotional Balance: Lessons from Inside Out 2

By: Chris Weig

Throughout the academic year, the clinical team is encouraged to address specific topics with our students. Sometimes these lessons must be modified so that each student can absorb and truly learn the information we are trying to teach. In Mr. Muller’s Lexington High School classroom, a recurring topic or theme that comes up as one that could be “refreshed” is emotion, and showing the class Inside Out 2 with accompanied interactive worksheets seemed like a potentially effective way to address it.

In our Inside Out 2 unit, students explored the complex world of emotions, learning to identify and describe feelings while understanding how they influence thoughts and behaviors. A key focus was on emotional balance—our ability to manage emotions and remain calm in stressful situations. Through discussions and activities, students discovered that maintaining emotional balance can improve relationships, enhance mental and physical health, and lead to better decision-making.

Emotional balance is crucial in our daily lives, affecting everything from sleep patterns to communication skills and work ethic. When we acquire the skills to recognize our emotions and understand their impact, we gain greater control over our actions and responses. This self-awareness helps foster stronger relationships, encourages healthier coping strategies, and supports overall well-being. By working together, much like the emotions in Inside Out 2, we can create a more harmonious and effective way of handling challenges.

To build emotional balance, we must actively engage in self-reflection and recognize how our emotions shape our experiences. Encouraging students to pause, assess their feelings, and consider positive coping strategies empowers them to navigate life’s ups and downs more confidently. By incorporating these skills into daily practice, we help students cultivate resilience, strengthen their emotional intelligence, and develop a mindset that supports both academic and personal success.

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

LABBB is thrilled to announce that Raeanne Brazee, former LABBB nurse covering LHS, Belmont, Bedford and Burlington High School has accepted the Nurse Leader position for LABBB Collaborative. We are also excited to introduce Shannon Thorpe, who will move into Raeanne’s role. Shannon comes to LABBB from Salem school district with an extensive background in critical care, cardiology, gastroenterology and surgery. Moving forward, please reach out to Shannon for health related issues if your student attends Belmont, Burlington, Bedford or Lexington High School.

Nurse Leader

Raeanne Brazee, M.Ed. BSN, RN

Office: 781-861-2400 x 1005

Fax: 781-844-5220

Email: rbrazee@labbb.net

Bedford, Belmont, Burlington & Lexington High Schools

Shannon Murray Thorpe, RN,BSN, NCSN

Main Office: Lexington LABBB

Phone: 781-861-2400 x 1009

Mobile: 781-844-5220

Email: Sthorpe@labbb.net or HealthOffice@labbb.net

Elementary,

Middle School & Arlington High School

Sarah Weintraub, MPH, BSN, RN, BA, CPN

Office: 781-316-3376

Mobile: 781-760-3065

Fax: 781-394-8116

Email: ahshealthoffice@labbb.net

LABBB Recreation

Spring has sprung at LABBB. We are already halfway through our after school recreation programs. Everyone seems to enjoy being outside when waiting to leave or return from activities.

We have a fun spring/summer activity planned for June 3rd. LABBB will be taking a trip to a Red Sox Game for the Disability Pride Celebration at Fenway. This is for our die-hard Red Sox fans since it will be a long day.

The trip starts at 3:00 at Lexington High with a Red Sox trivia game. We will head into Fenway Park on a C&W bus, then eat outside/inside the park for dinner. Students can decide what they would like to experience for Fenway dinner food. We will enjoy the game (hopefully a win) then head back to Lexington High School for pick up by parents. Please see the flyer attached.

Upcoming Events:

April 3: LABBB Spring Dance
April 11: Monthly Mini Golf
April 14: Last Day of Zoom Bingo
April 29: May 3: Disney Trip
May 15: End of Year Dance, Beach Theme
May 16: Monthly Mini Golf
May 19: Last Day of Monday Bowling
May 20: Last Day of Tuesday Bowling
May 21: Last Day of Wednesday Rec.
May 29: LABBB Prom
June 3: Trip to Red Sox Game
June 5: LABBB Graduation
June 6: Last Monthly Mini Golf

SAVE THE DATE: May 29,2025

LABBB Prom, for students in graduating years 2025-2030 (17-22 year olds).

REMINDER: The LABBB Recreation Brochure and monthly trips/dances flyers will ONLY be in our emailed LABBB newsletter and on our website (www.labbb.com). They will no longer be sent to LABBB family homes via USPS.

Remember to follow @LABBBREC on Twitter

LABBB Parent Resources

This information is offered as community resources that may be of interest to our families. LABBB does not have any specific affiliations to these programs.

The Buzzin’ Bean! Opening soon, family of a LABBB student.

This isn’t just a café — it is the beginning of a dream. A dream of building a future filled with purpose, love, and belonging — for our son, who is autistic, and for the vibrant community that surrounds us. Like so many parents of autistic children, we’ve envisioned creating something that celebrates inclusion, purpose, and possibility as our children grow into adults. We hope to create a space where our son and others can thrive in their abilities.

At the core of every strong community is heart, and that heart is inclusive. It’s diverse. It’s buzzing with connection. The Buzzin’ Bean exists to honor that spirit—shining a light on the talents, passions, and potential of all individuals.

We’re building more than a business — we’re building a place where joy is shared, kindness is served, and every person is celebrated for who they are.

Calmer Con - Boston

https://www.calmercon.org/

Calmer Con is specifically designed to meet the needs of those with sensory processing challenges, autism, and anxiety concerns while providing an authentic comics and pop culture convention experience.

ACEing Autism – ACEing Autism

https://aceingautism.org/

Discovery Museum - Acton

www.discoveryacton.org

Discovery Museum Announces Schedule of Free Events for Visitors with Disabilities for the First Half of 2025

Questions can be emailed to sheilman@discoveryacton.org

Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY)

mpyinc.org

SNAP Arts Programs

https://snaparts.org/programs/

Discovery Museum

fun@discoveryacton.org