PPS Newsletter
March/April 2018
Notes from Jen, Jeff, and Becky
Denise Knowles started in PPS as the assistant to the Supervisors of Special Education. In her short amount of time, she has proved to be a great asset to the department.
PPS meeting
From your CSE chairs
Remember to complete ESY justification forms and get them turned in. The forms can be found on our PPS Google Site
ESY elementary programs, with the exception of the 12:1+(3:1), will be housed at Erwin Valley. Secondary programs, and the elementary 12:1+(3:1), will be housed at the High School. The dates are July 9-August 17.
Upcoming Trainings
TCIS refreshers
Wed, May 2, 2018
Tue, May 8, 2018
Thur, May 17, 2018
Save the Date
August Days will be 8/27 and 8/28
Summer of Innovation
April is Autism Awareness Month
Here at C-PP we support over 100 students who have an autism diagnosis. These students receive supports across our entire continuum of services. April is Autism Awareness month. In our district, activities to create awareness and celebrate these students and their staff have been numerous. You may have seen signs, bulletin boards, blue hair, painted rocks, cookies and a variety of t-shirts in all of our schools this month. This month our #PPSPride was all in for our students with Autism. Thank you for taking the time to learn about and support the needs of these students.
Hair Extensions for Autism
Next year they are looking to expand and sell pink extensions in October and green in March. If you are interested, please contact Kerri Tullo at ktullo@cppmail.com
BOCES Update
Stacey has made Employee of the Month for February, being chosen by his peers for his exceptional work ethics. This will be his 4th time this year being chosen! He is doing exceptionally well, not only in his work program at The BBB, but in every area of his school program, earning 100% almost every day on his daily behavioral tracking sheets. Way to go Stacey!!
Here are some comments from his peers:
*Stacey never fails to work hard with a good attitude.
* Stacey is the best worker Always!
* Stacey , he’s great with all and will drop all to do whatever needs to be done to do the job well.
* Stacey was like my sidekick. Whenever I needed him, he was always there.
* Stacey works hard and wanted to do eggs, but no one wanted to do bagels and I asked him why he volunteered and he said “I’m a Level 2, and it’s my job”.
* Stacey always comes right in and gets right to work, asks to do things and is always polite.
* Stacey always has a good attitude, never complains and gets along with everyone. He is also a very hard worker.
*Stacey always works hard and is kind and does everything.
* Stacey just did a great job.
A Mindful Meeting Place
Corning-Painted Post High School counselors created a mindful space for their students to destress. This student safe space has giant, plush, bean bag chairs and calm lighting. Next the counselors plan to purchase noise canceling headphones with play away audio devices. They will also be introducing Therapy Dogs on May 10th. Students are elated with the changes!
Work Based Learning
Debbie works at Lisa’s Pet Place, a local small business located in Painted Post. Debbie cleans the small animal cages one day per week in addition to working at the board of education building and Smith school. Be sure to visit Lisa’s at her new location between Pookie’s and the Value Home Center. Lisa has supported several of our students over the years when they have an interest in working with animals.
Congratulations!
Occupational Therapist Chris Austin had a project funded through Donors Choose where she received an iPad, case and screen protectors. She will use these items while working with students in therapy sessions.
Donors Choose funded 12:1+(3:1) teacher Tina Cavallaro's "Lucky Duck" project. They received five fun, cooperative learning board games, a ring toss and a couple cute animal fidget toys that are helping students work on waiting skills while playing the games. Students, and staff, are having a blast with the games.
8th Graders take on To Kill a Mockingbird
Mrs. Peterson's 8th grade ELA class has anxiously awaiting the trial to begin in "To Kill a Mockingbird" and it's finally here! Mrs. Peterson is so proud of this group and their courage. Some of the quieter students who typically don't like to stand out have volunteered to take on big roles. You rock!
Unified Sports
The Youth Activation Committee (YAC) is a student club led by advisor Julie Pierce. The club's charge is to create, promote, and conduct activities that encourage whole school engagement and interaction for students with and without disabilities. All their time and effort will contribute towards our new interscholastic sport Unified Basketball, which begins practices the first week of April, while games begin in May. The mixed gender team made up of students with and without disabilities will be coached by Claude Treusdell.
YAC helped to kick off the Unified Sports season by holding a Spread the Word to End the Word campaign at the High School on March 29th.
Here is a link to the promotional video they made: https://vimeo.com/262292799
Game Schedule:
5/3 at Elmira 4:30
5/8 Home vs. Horseheads 4:30
5/10 at Johnson City 4:30
5/15 Home vs. Union Endicott 4:30
5/22 Home vs. Owego 4:30
5/24 at Ithaca 4:30
Special Connections: Camps, Clubs and Recreational Activities
The Corning-Painted Post Area School District’s Pupil
Personnel Department hosted: Special Connections, Camps,
Clubs and Recreational Activities on Wednesday, March 28th at
Erwin Valley Elementary School from 5 to 7pm. Our goal wass to
help parents of special education students make connections
within the community. We will had presentations by the
Wildlife Rockstars, USA Masters Academy, and the
Southeastern Steuben County Library. Other community organizations were there
to share information on programs they offer were: YMCA, The Dave Clark Foundation,
Camp Badger, Camp Cory, and many more. Learn more about recreation and respite
opportunities through Arc of Steuben, Family Autism Center and Pathways Inc.
We will had lots of food and snacks available to those in attendance, as well as, door prizes. Approximately 30 families and 30 staff members attended. A good time was had by all!!
Cookies-n-Careers
Learning Life Skills in the Community
Ringing in the Chinese New Year
While studying Ancient China, Ms. Ferreira's 12:1:1 Middle School class made Dragon’s for the Chinese New Year.
Did You Know...
Sensory Friendly Games
SOS
Meaghan Julian (Earth Science) and Michele Cross (Special Education) recently attended a Science on Seneca (SOS) training for teachers on a very cold, raw Saturday. Science on Seneca is a middle and high school educational outreach program of the Finger Lakes Institute which is located at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. SOS is designed to provide students with the opportunity to use state-of-the-art equipment to conduct field-based data collection, i.e., physical parameters, lake chemistry, plankton collection, sediment dredge and particle analysis.
Students Are Having A Tail Waggin' Good Time at the Middle School
Helping Each Other To Transition
Sixth grade students were pleased to include the 5th grade 15:1 students from Carder for a lesson in finding surface area during their visit to the Middle School. Students calculated the surface area of a gift box using a net then used the correct number of mosaic tiles to decorate their boxes. When they finished, students wrapped up the project by writing a kind note for a teacher or staff member of their choice to include with the decorated boxes - along with a little chocolate - as a special treat! Students enjoyed seeing a real-life connection between math and art and were proud to do something sweet for some of the adults in the school.