September Newsletter

LABBB

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

Executive Director's

Message

Dear LABBB Community,

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year!  LABBB is celebrating 50 years and we recognized this wonderful accomplishment with our  opening day celebration! LABBB’s history is a treasure and testimony to the commitment and belief in students, developing skills and staying true to our mission  and core values. .  Our core values include partnership with home and school, fostering independence that enable our students the provision of quality programming that maximize their strengths, improving our communication that is respectful, open and collaborative, supporting the integration of mind body management as well as promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, and where opportunities to participate in physical activities and  music or art are promoted.  Our message is one of belonging, inclusion and independence! 

The Program Directors and I are initiating  ‘Dialogue with the Directors’.  All are welcome!  We will be hosting these as drop-in meetings to discuss what is on your mind- while we will not be answering specific student related questions, we hope to engage in dialogues with parents and/or community members about how to keep LABBB”s mission strong and vibrant for another 50 years!   These meetings will be held at the LABB Central Offices at 70 Blanchard Rd., Suite 206, Burlington, MA and will be held on October 23, 2024 from 1:30 - 2:30 pm; January 29, 2025 from 9:30- 10:30 am and April 1, 2025 from 9:30 - 10:30 am.  We hope that you will consider joining us.

As we celebrate a new year,  I must express my sincere appreciation to all of the parents, caregivers and guardians who believe in the work being done here on behalf of your children!  My sincere appreciation to all of the LABBB staff, past and present!    While there are continued challenges, their incredible work and commitment, creativity, dedication, and resilience continue to be  remarkable. 

Recreation opportunities continue for our middle and high school aged LABBB students, under Paula Rizzo’s expert guidance.  If you are interested in exploring any of these opportunities please contact your child’s teacher or program coordinator. 

LABBB Evening Parent Meetings

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  will take place from 7:00  p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the following dates:

October 17, 2024

November 21, 2024

December 12, 2024 (NO Parent meeting)

January 9, 2025

February 6, 2025

March 13, 2025

April 3, 2025 ( NO Parent meeting)

May 15, 2025

LABBB’s Transition fair date - April 14, 2025

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

Back to school and back on TRAC 

By: Sara Carver - Transition Specialist

As we get back into the school year, we welcome our students back not only to their classrooms but to the community placements they access to develop transition-based skills. In the past, we’ve often informally referred to these days in the community as “work days.” However, as we expand our transition offerings to encompass the varied aspects of adult life, we realize this label does a disservice to the plethora of skills we address. DESE notes that transition services must support the individual’s ability to live, work, and participate in the community. By focusing solely on work or vocational opportunities, we are only viewing a piece of a picture that needs to be fully imagined to achieve a meaningful post-graduation vision. In reality, student off-campus days incorporate a plethora of Transition Readiness Activities in the Community, or as we’re beginning to call it TRAC. Vocational exposure and exploration continue to be a primary component of these days, in addition to community navigation, researching interest-based recreational opportunities, networking in local communities, and increasing functional living skills. In a recent consultation call with adult service agency providers, they relayed that some of the primary determinants of success as an adult include navigating the transportation services available in their town, being able to advocate for their personal safety needs, and collaborating with their home team to seek out niche individualized employment opportunities. For the majority of our students, these TRAC opportunities end up being some of the most coveted pieces of their schedule. We look forward to another school year increasing our students’ access to be an included and valued member of their community. 

Welcome to the New School Year!

Hello LABBB Families and Community Members,

I am excited to introduce myself as the new interim high school program director and extend a heartfelt welcome to our vibrant LABBB community.

For those who may not know me, I began my journey with LABBB at Lexington High School in 1998, marking this as the start of my twenty-seventh year with the Collaborative. Over these years, I have served as a classroom assistant, middle and high school teacher, and most recently as a program coordinator. I am thrilled to embark on this new role and continue working with all of you.

This professional transition comes alongside some personal changes for my family, as my oldest son begins his junior year of college and my youngest son starts his freshman year, now leaving us as official “empty nesters.” Just as the Allen household is experiencing new beginnings, LABBB is also celebrating its 50th year of dedicated service. I am eager to collaborate with students, parents, and staff to build on our successes and foster an environment of growth and excellence. Our devoted staff are committed to supporting each student’s academic and personal development, ensuring every learner has the resources and encouragement they need to thrive.

Thank you for your ongoing support and involvement. Together, we can make this school year memorable and successful. I look forward to meeting many of you soon and working towards our shared goals.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller



Warm regards,

Melissa Allen

LABBB Collaborative

70 Blanchard Rd, Suite 206, Burlington MA. 01803| LABBB.com