November 17, 2024

A Note from the Director

Dear Families,

As part of IvyCares we were excited to celebrate World Kindness Day this past week. Scroll down to see some of our activities and lessons as we celebrate and invest in our culture of kindness.

November is bustling with events. Make sure to RSVP for Ivymount's sibling night and Project SEARCH info session this week. We're also pleased to offer an opportunity for families to order pies for Thanksgiving through Sunflower Bakery, which provides training and work experience to young adults. See below.

Finally, thank you to our artistic partner Music for Autism and our many staff volunteers for a terrific concert on Saturday. If you couldn't make it this time, we're planning another concert for the spring.

Have a great evening.

Susan

News you Need!

Dates to Remember

November 20

Sibling Night

November 20

Project SEARCH Info Session

November 27 - 29

Thanksgiving Holiday

No School for Students

PTA News

December 11

PTA Meeting via Zoom

7 pm

The PTA invites all Ivymount School families to participate in the next PTA meeting, which will be held online in December. Do you have ideas for events or other initiatives that you would like the PTA to look into?

Order Pies from Sunflower Bakery

Ivymount families and staff can enjoy a delicious menu of holiday favorite pies, such as Apple, Apple Crumble, Chocolate Pecan, Pecan, Lemon Tart and Pumpkin. Place your Thanksgiving order online by Thursday, November 21 at noon in time for your treats to be delivered to Ivymount on Monday, November 25. Select Ivymount as your Thanksgiving Pick-Up location during checkout.

Sunflower Bakery is an exciting enterprise that combines skills training with hands-on work experience to prepare young adults with learning differences for employment in baking and related industries. Every purchase supports Sunflower's workforce development training program. Do good by eating well!

IvyCares Inspire Gratitude & Positivity

Endeavors Staff Share Positive Affirmations

To celebrate IvyCares, the Endeavors Program staff created symbol-supported, accessible affirmations. These uplifting messages, designed to be inclusive and meaningful, are now displayed in the lower school bathrooms to inspire confidence and positivity for every student throughout their day.

Spreading Gratitude, One Gram at a Time

Students in the Aspire Program are practicing thankfulness by writing “Gratitude Grams” for teachers twice a day. These notes are a way for students to express appreciation and recognize the impact of their educators, creating a wave of heartfelt gratitude across our school community.

An Afternoon of Music

It was great to see the many people from the Ivymount community and beyond who joined Ivymount Outreach for the Music for Autism concert this weekend, featuring the Linden Piano Quintet! It was an afternoon full of fantastic music, featuring the intricate sounds of Dvorak, Brahms, and Shostakovich. Our guests of all ages intensely listened, moved to the music and even conducted!

Thank you to the talented musicians and Music for Autism's Kari Paludin, as well as Ivymount staff Amy Alvord, Ann Kern, Desmond Lowe, Jess Oginz, Howard Parks, Anna Piper, and Tracey Wright, who volunteered to help run the concert.

Register Now for November Events

Final Day to RSVP for Sibling Night!

Wednesday, November 20

5:30 - 7:15 pm at Ivymount

The mental health department invites siblings of Ivymount School students aged 6 and older to participate alongside their parents in sibling night this week. Please RSVP no later than midnight, Monday, November 18. This event is only for siblings.

Participants will engage in group discussions designed for their developmental age, focusing on their experiences as children with a sibling who has unique learning needs or a disability. Additionally, there will be a separate group for parents to share ideas on how to cultivate healthy relationships with all their children and promote positive interactions between siblings. Pre-registration is required to ensure a meaningful experience for the siblings, with at least three participants in each age group: early elementary, late elementary/middle school, and high school.

RSVP for Sibling Night

Learn About Project SEARCH

Wednesday, November 20

4:30 - 5:30 pm

at Ivymount or online

Project SEARCH provides employment readiness training for young adults aged 18 to 30 with intellectual and developmental disabilities through intensive internships and classroom instruction.

The early acceptance application deadline for the 2025-26 program year is January 10, 2025, with a further acceptance deadline of March 28, 2025.

Email psrecruitment@seeconline.org if you would like to attend online or in person.

REMINDER

LISS Funding Application Deadline

November 30

The November 30 deadline to apply for FY 2025-Round 2 Low Intensity Support Services (LISS) Program is quickly approaching! The LISS program is provided through the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) of the Maryland Department of Health. It provides up to $2,000 to assist eligible children and adults with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities with purchasing eligible services and/or items to address their needs. LISS financial assistance is awarded through a random selection process.

Did you know that LISS funding can be applied to many Ivymount Outreach Programs or other eligible services/items?

Click here for more information

PTA NEWS AND UPDATES

Help Plan the Next St. Pat's Dance

The St. Patrick's Day School Dance in the spring will be a celebration for all programs and ages across the entire school. We're excited to once again bring together our incredible community for an evening filled with music, laughter, and fantastic vibes.

We need a couple of volunteers now to help the PTA's VP of Events with the early organizing. The plan is ready but needs a few hands to get the arrangements underway. We will ask for night of volunteers later in our planning.

If you enjoyed last year's dance and can help make this a shamrockin' good time, contact Gillian Economou.

Share Your "I Can" Story

We're gathering stories of how Ivymount students, families, and staff embody the "I Can!" spirit. By sharing, we hope to inspire our community to recognize all they can achieve. We invite you to take a moment and share a sentence or two about a success that your student or family have felt through the programs and events of Ivymount School or Ivymount Outreach. SHARE YOUR STORY

Give the Gift of Successful Outcomes

Every student "CAN" achieve their goals. Your tax-deductible donation to Ivymount provides vital programs and services that enhance the strengths of those we serve. And it enables our staff to excel and develop innovative programs and practices that we share with the community.

Support Ivymount