Website: https://www.ksb.kyschools.us
Location: 1867 Frankfort Ave, Louisville, KY 40206
Phone: (502) 897-1583

Fax: (502) 897-2850
Facebook: facebook.com/KYschoolfortheblind/
Twitter: @KSBWildcats

Three weeks into the school year and our students, staff and families are doing a GREAT job! Active learning is happening all over KSB’s campus! If you’ve been on campus recently you’ve probably seen the progress on the construction of our front entrance. Concrete has been poured and the overhang has been rebuilt. Progress is also being made on our new playground and will be ready for our students to play on soon. I hope you enjoy the long weekend!

• Monday, September 5-Labor Day (NO SCHOOL)
  

• Thursday, Sept 22 - How a Paycheck and a Government Check Can Work Together Online Workshop (10am or 5:30pm EDT) Do you know about Social Security’s Student Earned Income Exclusion where a student could earn up to $2,040/month and have no reduction in the SSI payment unless they earn over $8,230/year? The truth about what will happen to one’s bank account when working can set your students free! Learn More and Register Here

If you have any change in phone numbers, home address, a change in bus routine or you need someone added/removed from your child’s safe pick-up list; please contact Beth or Linda in the front office.

Our Elementary students have been learning about communities and how to be a good community member and interact with others this week. They've practiced taking turns and sharing, so be sure to look for ways to reinforce this essential skill at home.

This week all students in 6th-12th are finishing their reading of a biography book that they selected from the school library on an influential person in history. Students will be sharing out to the rest of their classmates about what made their specific person noteworthy. 6th & 7th grade social studies students are learning about early humans and ancient civilizations while the 8th grade is covering early U.S. History. The high school students taking World History are reviewing what life was like during the Middle Ages before we begin our modern history unit on the Italian Renaissance. High school U.S. History students are covering Expansion and Reform during the 1800’s. All classes have been using their technology daily as they become more proficient in using and getting accustomed to what works best for them.

This week in library class we read a book by Feather Chelle. Feather is an author who happens to be blind. Her poem explains how she associates colors with sounds, smells and tastes. We listened to sounds that went along with colors like burbling brook for blue or fireworks for red. We then ate a rainbow of colors to develop an association with tastes for colors. Brown (chocolate) and pink (cotton candy) were voted the favorite tastes of our rainbow! Feather’s book is available on Amazon and is titled The Colors of Darkness. ISBN 979-8549507210.

The Expanded Core Curriculum is built around nine core components. Students take classes dedicated to building these skills, and teachers also build these skills into academic lessons.

Here are the nine key pieces at a glance:

• Compensatory and functional academic skills, including communication modes: Compensatory skills are the skills students need to have in order to learn academic skills—students who are blind must learn braille, for example, in order to learn how to read. Other examples of compensatory skills include tactile symbols and sign language.

• Orientation and Mobility: These classes help to orient children who are visually impaired to their surroundings, and give them travel skills they need to move independently and safely in their environment. Navigating with a white cane, trusting a sighted guide, and occasionally working with a guide dog all fall into the Orientation and Mobility category.

• Social Interaction Skills: Since sighted children learn nearly all social skills through observation of their environment and people, this is an area where students with vision loss need careful, conscious and explicit instruction. For young kids, things like circle time, where students learn concepts like sharing are helpful. For teenagers, giving them the opportunity to just hang out with one another is vital.

• Independent Living Skills: People who are visually impaired need to organize their daily lives in specific ways in order to live independently. This area includes the tasks and functions people perform in daily life to optimize their independence — skills such as personal hygiene, food preparation, money management and household chores.

• Recreation & Leisure: Skills to ensure students’ enjoyment of physical and leisure-time activities, including making choices about how to spend leisure time. This area includes keeping physically fit as well.

• Career Education: Students with vision loss benefit most from an experiential learning approach. Structured visits to community sites and discussions with people who perform various jobs, enable them to understand concepts and specific skills that are needed to be successful in those jobs. Considering the national rate of unemployment or underemployment of working-age adults who are blind is disproportionately high, this area needs attention throughout the school years to help students with vision loss develop marketable job skills.

• Assistive Technology Assistive technology is a powerful tool that can empower students with vision loss to overcome some traditional barriers to independence and employment. Things like screen readers, for example, enable children who are visually impaired to access information online.

• Sensory Efficiency Skills These skills help students use the senses, including any functional vision, hearing, touch, smell and taste, to access skills related to literacy and concept development.

• Self-Determination Becoming an effective advocate for themselves is critical for students with visual impairments and complex disabilities. Self-determination skills are developed based on an individual student’s own needs and goals.

Borrowed from https://www.perkins.org

1. Challenge unhelpful thoughts using a thought diary.
2. Assess your emotions using a simple body scan technique and asking yourself “How am I feeling?”.
3. Write down your thoughts and feelings in a diary.
4. Write down 3 good things you have achieved today.
5. Engage all your senses with an activity that you are doing.
6. When you experience negative thoughts, identify thinking errors.
7. Use problem-solving to help you find solutions to a problem.
8. Practice some mindfulness and try to be present with what you are doing.
9. Deep breathing is great for reducing physiological and psychological arousal.
10. Progressive muscle relaxation can help to reduce stress and anxiety.

Due to unforeseen circumstances our field trip to the Family dollar this week was postponed until 9/6/2022. Students have money to spend, thanks to the generosity of the KSBCF. The Recreation schedule for next week on the Residential Parent page as soon as Mr. Menza returns. Field trip forms for students who have not yet returned one have been emailed to families again. These may also be accessed on the Residential Parent page. The form has been changed so that you can complete it online and not have to sign and return. For recreation questions or concerns, please contact Angelo Menza, recreation leader.

Please note that dormitory prepared dinner menu is posted on that recreation schedule, as well. For questions about the dormitory dinners, please contact Charity Woolums, 2nd shift supervisor.

Expanded Core Content standards have been assigned to students based on their individual needs and current skills levels. These will be the focus for September. Most students are only assigned one task (some two) to work on. Once mastery is shown, Ms. Woolums will work with the houseparent to determine the next skill focus. If you have any questions about this program, please contact Destiny Woolums, houseparent coordinator.

The Varsity Track meet on Thursday, September 8 at Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired has been cancelled. Varsity Track Athletes will practice Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday until 5:00PM.

Varsity Goalball Sign Ups are through September 30. Please contact Jessica Belcher (jessica.belcher@ksb.kyschools.us) with any questions.

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