Making Change and the Circle of Courage

Is it possible to blend a token economy system and the Circle of Courage?  They seem at polar opposites, and yet…consider this. In the Long Pond Classroom, as part of the school-wide token economy system, we pay coins, plastic versions of US money, for participation points as we go along. We try to pay at the end of each class, which allows for two outcomes.

• 1. Students get immediate feedback about the quality of their participation, and 

• 2. Students amass lots of change which then needs to be converted into look-alike dollars to spend at the school store.  

This method of payment leads students to Mastery over their behavior and being able to earn participation points, as well as Mastery in math skills, being able to identify and count coins to change into dollars.  Once the money has been paid to students, it becomes their responsibility to keep track of it.  It is their job to put their money in their money pouches inside their 3-ring binders in their desks. Staff does not repay if the money is lost. At the beginning or end of the day, during home room, students can make change for higher value coins or bills.  This encourages students to be independent and take charge of their own money.  Students are also able to save toward certain desired and more expensive items, like DVDs or MP3 players.

Generosity comes in because the students have money to give to others when they are moved to do so.  It has happened a number of times that a student is short a few dollars for something they have saved for over a period of time, and the other students in the class have all chipped in so that student has the money needed to make the purchase.  Individual students have also generously offered other students money to help them buy certain items from the school store.  Their generosity comes from a sense of belonging in the Long Pond Classroom and caring about the other students in the class.  The students’ generosity stretches beyond the money to the desire to help their classmates, especially wanting to encourage peers experiencing behavioral challenges. 

So, we find that a token economy system can be applied addressing the four growth areas in the Circle of Courage: Mastery, Independence, Generosity, and Belonging.


Submitted by:
Suzanne Requa-Trautz   

"When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed."

~Maya Angelou

Mark Your Calendars

TIP of the WEEK: It's Not Just About the Calories

Many of you have asked that I talk in greater detail about getting through the holidays, specifically about how to explain to family members (grandparents in particular) about their child's diet. How many of you have heard the following- "It's only one cookie",  "It's a special day", "He's thin", "You don't need to worry about his diet anymore", "You're being too strict", "Just this once."

Grandparents want to spoil their grandchildren and in many cases that includes food. Not giving their grandchild special treats goes against their nature, especially when that child is saying that they're hungry. Will one extra piece of cake ruin their diet and make them gain 5 pounds? Probably not but it's not just about the calories. We have an obligation to create an environment for our kids where they can thrive and that includes managing their expectations regarding food. When our kids know what they are going to eat, how much and when, they can relax, they can focus on the rest of their lives. When extra, unexpected food is introduced they feel anxious, stressed and out of control. Giving a child or adult with PWS more than what they were told that they would get creates anxiety and anxiety leads to unwanted behaviors. You are no longer grandma or grandpa, you are a food source because you created an expectation. You want your grandchild to want to see you for your love and comfort, not because you might slip them some treats that they shouldn't have. Spoil them every time you see them, with presents and hugs and your company, not with food. If for no other reason than the more secure their minds are about what they are going to eat, the better behaved they will be. "Just this once" hurts them. It makes them feel unsafe and anxious and that is the last thing that you want your grandchild to feel about you. And if you think that this isn't fair, you're right. It's not fair that they can't have what the other kids have and that we have to be so careful about what we give them, but it is our reality and sticking to it will make your grandchild and your whole family better for it.

Submitted by:
Patrice Carroll
Manager of PWS Services

Health Education News

The school year is off to a great start and the students at Latham are deeply engaged in all aspects of the curriculum. In addition to the standard academic courses such as Reading, Math and Social Studies, Latham School recognizes the unique needs of our students and places importance on offering comprehensive Health Education as a part of the curriculum each year for all students. 

Our students deal with various health challenges on a daily basis, and face many potential health problems in the future. By providing an opportunity for learning on a regular basis, Latham seeks to help to build fundamental health knowledge and skills that are essential in reducing risk behavior and increasing healthy habits that promote a lifetime of overall wellness. Latham’s comprehensive and sequential health curriculum is designed specifically around the complex special needs of our students, including Prader-Willi Syndrome. By tailoring our Health Education to address both the needs of our students and the state curriculum standards, students at Latham are able to continuously build awareness of the various aspects of healthy living. As students progress through the program and transition to new classrooms, the health curriculum offers new perspectives on health related topics to ensure students have the skills they will need to make healthy choices as they enter adulthood.

The four Curriculum Framework Strands that make up the core part of the program are as follows:

• Physical Health

• Social & Emotional Health

• Safety & Prevention

• Personal & Community Health Information

During the first term thus far, each class has focused on various aspects of Human Growth & Development, building on their understanding of body systems and how both healthy and unhealthy choices may affect those systems. Some classes took an inside tour of the body, while others experienced what it would be like to have certain disabilities or medical challenges through hands-on experiments.  These activities helped students relate to others in their community and allowed them to experience first-hand how the body might feel if it was affected, which can often be hard to imagine for students that have difficulty with abstract ideas.

For the rest of this term, our students will be engaging in a unit on Nutrition, one of the most important topics for both our students and our country today.  In addition to the serious health implications that improper nutrition can have on our students with Prader-Willi Syndrome, across the country nearly one-third of children are considered obese or overweight. It is important that all students understand the health consequences of obesity, including chronic diseases, and have the information and skills they need to make healthy eating choices.

I look forward to sharing more updates with you as we progress through the year!

Sincerely,
Mary Ware
Physical Education & Health Teacher

In Honor of Veterans

I travel a lot. Normally, I am heading to places I love to visit-- warm, sunny locales or exciting cities of historic proportions.  Sometimes it is a vacation, often it is in my role as a representative of this agency. Last month, I did something different. I had the opportunity to visit Flanders, specifically Ypres, Belgium and the Normandy Landing Beaches in France. The weather was appropriately miserable-- wet, cold and windy.  And the mud!  It struck me then that I was embarking on a journey to pay my respects to men and women who did not survive the battles of the World Wars. They did not return to their community to be welcomed home by families, hug their children, kiss their parents, joke with their siblings or grow old with their spouses. The cemeteries of stark, white stones, many marked as unknown, stretched off in precise lines in all directions. I thought to myself, each of these was someone’s child. And I wept. 

I know every day a parent in the armed forces has to leave their family for their next assignment. I know that places a huge burden on the parent, grandparent or caregiver left behind.  So thank you, all of you. You deserve so much more than one day in November in your honor.

Submitted by:
Chris Gallant

In Flanders Fields

by John McCrae, May 1915
 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow


Between the crosses, row on row,


That mark our place; and in the sky


The larks, still bravely singing, fly


Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
 

We lived, 

felt dawn, saw sunset glow,


Loved and were loved, and now we lie


In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:


To you from failing hands we throw


The torch; be yours to hold it high.


If ye break faith with us who die


We shall not sleep, though poppies grow


In Flanders fields.

TIP of the WEEK: Surviving the Holidays

That time is upon us, the time of family gatherings, television commercials promising us that the gifts we buy will equal eternal happiness and, of course, endless amounts of food. So how do we get through the next few months and maybe even manage to enjoy yourself?

• 1. Do your homework. If you are going to a holiday party, find out what food will be there and ask if it can all be kept in one room. If the host is not willing or able to do that, stay home. Give yourself permission to say no. If staying home will cause the family equivalent of world war 3 then arrange for your child to come for a short period and then go home with another family member or caregiver.

• 2. Assign one person at a time to watch your child at all non-routine events. It is a well known saying that if everyone is watching then no one is watching.

• 3. Keep routines the same as much as possible. Choose one event for the season. More is not better and everyone will have a more enjoyable holiday season if routines are kept and days are predictable.

• 4. Take time for yourself. You set the tone and your stress level will make or break the day. As hard as it may be, ask for help from friends and family members. Even if it is simply to have someone watch your child while you take a bath or wrap presents or spend an hour doing nothing at all.

We all experience stress during the holidays and the excess amounts of food and disruption of routines make it that much more difficult for PWS families. Planning ahead and giving yourself time to relax will help you and your family have the holiday that you deserve.


Submitted by:
Patrice Carroll
Manager of PWS Services

Social Media and the Sandy

Facebook. Twitter. Texting.  Must I know what you are doing every moment of the day? That’s been my complaint—I just don’t need to know all of this and frankly, I don’t want to. But given the storm named Sandy that just paid us a short (thankfully for us) visit, I truly am grateful to know how people are doing who had a more direct interaction with Mother Nature. 

Thank you to neighbors, friends, relatives, first responders and yes, even strangers  who took a moment to pass along information on those stranded or frightened. One only has to look at the photos of NJ or NY to know that this was a storm of historic proportions. The posts, tweets and messages are getting through in ways that phone calling or driving there can’t.  Thank you for finding a way to use social media responsibly, creatively and heroically!


~Chris Gallant

Leadership: Theme at Latham School 2012-13

In addition to the work teachers at Latham School do every day with their students in the classroom, this year teachers are being recognized for their leadership skills to help solve challenges that often go beyond their everyday lessons. This includes helping to create a culture of care built on connections, where students experience school not only as a place to learn and feel safe, but also to care about themselves and each other.  Staff and students work together as part of an exciting learning community.

Each week at the faculty meeting, staff members are recognized by the administration and their peers for demonstrating leadership skills. In the past few weeks, Suzzane Requa-Tratz , Brittni Taylor and Katie O’Hara were honored.

Suzanne Requa-Traut is our math teacher and has made an outstanding effort during the start of the school year as she helped to write and participate in a number of the quarterly and IEP meetings. She also has developed an exciting math program where students experience all the ways math is around us every day. Students now think math is cool! Suzanne is true team player and has been willing to help out in any way that allows students to achieve success! Thanks Suzanne!

Brittni Taylor is the Marconi classroom teacher. She is one of the best and always finds a way to make learning fun and exciting! Ask her students and you soon find out learning is one great adventure! In addition her role as a teacher, Brittni recently presented at a meeting regarding the progress of her students. She effectively helped to deepen the understanding of how to best meet the educational, behavioral and social needs in the classroom. She summarized complex information in front of numerous service providers who were from many different disciplines. Thanks Brittni! We are so glad you are a Latham teacher!

Katie O’Hara was also recognized by her peers and the school administration for her outstanding efforts to help students achieve success. She not only continues to develop and teach exciting lessons in the classroom each day, but is willing to find solutions regarding all the challenges we face as a school community. This has included encouraging other teachers and staff to talk together as peers and help each other find positive solutions to any challenge. After school, Katie’s positive energy goes beyond the classroom walls as she initiated and developed an exciting fall biking club with the help of Mary Ware and other staff. Thanks Katie for being a great teacher and person to all!

"Light tomorrow with today."

~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

TIP of the WEEK: Students Helping Students Understand PWS

We had our first meeting last week of a new group facilitated by myself and our assistant principal and what happened next exceeded my wildest expectations. Kids were talking to each other about their behaviors and explaining to staff that " my mind gets stuck and that's why I'm having a hard time listening to you right now". I couldn't believe the wonderful things that I was hearing! One young man, did an impromptu training of his own in front of the entire class. He explained the syndrome in the way that he understands it and even wrote notes on the board. It goes to show that when we raise our expectations, more often than not, they step up to meet them. It is an honor to be a part of "What is PWS?". Stay tuned for more updates about this amazing group.

Submitted by:

Patrice Carroll

Manager of PWS Services

Halloween at Latham!

 
When black cats prowl and pumpkins gleam,
May luck be yours on Halloween.
~Author Unknown