IvyNotes - Nov. 17, 2019

November 17, 2019

Director's Note

STEAM month at Ivymount continues this week with a focus on coding. See below for how students had an introduction to coding during Robotics week by working with pocket-sized robots.

It was also an adventurous week for our MAP students, with one class visiting one of the world's most famous landmarks, and another planning all aspects of a donation drive that the whole school can support.

If you are searching for Thanksgiving baked goods please consider supporting Sunflower Bakery, an exciting enterprise that combines skills training with actual work experience. See below for details on how to order and how it benefits Ivymount and the community.

Wishing you an excellent week ahead.

Susan Holt,

School Director

Upcoming Events

Monday, November 18 to Friday, November 22

Sunflower Bakery Orders

Monday, November 18 to Wednesday, December 11

Animal Rescue Donation Drive

Wednesday, November 27

to Friday, November 29

No School for students & staff

Thanksgiving holiday

Monday, December 23 to Friday, January 3

No School for students & staff

Winter Break

Nov. 18 – 22

Coding Challenge

Learn the basics of coding with puzzles and challenges

Nov. 25 and 26

STEAM Bins

Choose from 10 engaging design activities to do in the classroom

Tiny Robots Take Over Library

Last week, Ivymount students learned about robotics through the use of Ozobots, miniature robots designed for students of all ages to learn basic coding in a fun and easy way. The robots follow lines on paper or digital screens, and detect codes based on color.

Students drew paths for the Ozobots to follow. As the the bots followed the path, they placed code where they wanted the Ozobots to perform a specific task. Now that's some hands on learning!

Next up, more coding challenges. Happy STEAM Month!

MAP Students Visit White House

Students in MAP Elementary room 236 have been learning about the United States Government. Their learning has focused on the branches of government, as well as historical landmarks and symbols of the United States. One of the most recognizable landmarks in the world was their destination last week - the White House.

Students went on a self-guided tour of the White House, where they learned about the history of some of the rooms and saw pictures of important historical figures who have visited over the years. During this time, students were also able to generalize some social learning skills; such as expected behaviors, making a Plan A and Plan B, and being flexible in unexpected situations.

Students Plan Donation Drive

MAP 6 ^th grade students are putting some heart into their skills development by planning a project that will help a local animal rescue organization. The project was started as part of an executive function/social skills class that uses materials from “On Target for Life,” an extension of the “Unstuck and On Target” curriculum. Throughout the course, students expand on their skills for flexible thinking, compromise, and planning.

“We decided a great way for them to use these skills and help the community would be to plan and carry out a donation drive,” said occupational therapist Kirsten Suhr, who leads the weekly class. Students voted for Last Chance Animal Rescue (LCAR) because they love animals and thought other Ivymount students, families, and staff would also support the project and its mission. They’ve collaborated to decided on major steps of the donation drive, the timeline, how to publicize it, and to create advertising materials.

For its mission of helping homeless dogs and cats find their “forever homes,” LCAR says its most needed items are:

Kongs for dogs
Cat and dog toys
High-quality canned cat/kitten food
Used towels, blankets, and linens (any condition)
Gift cards to any store or gas station (partially used is fine)

The donation drive will take place from November 18 to December 11. Items can be dropped off in the front office or placed in a large box that will be in the OT/PT suite near the second floor Movement Wall.

Holiday Pie Orders Support Ivymount & More

There's a way to make the Thanksgiving holiday delicious while also supporting Ivymount School and jobs training. It's the Sunflower Bakery Thanksgiving sale.

Sunflower Bakery's mission is to prepare individuals with developmental or other cognitive disabilities for employment in baking and related industries through skilled, on-the-job training.

Orders placed online by this Friday, November 22 at Noon will be delivered to Ivymount on Tuesday, November 26. (You can select Ivymount as your pickup location during check out or one of the other convenient locations.) Sunflower Bakery will donate 5% of its sales from the event to Ivymount.

Sunflower Bakery brought a pre-Thanksgiving thank you to Ivymount staff with samples of the holiday pies that will be created by students in its employment training program. The samples were yummy!

Order Pies Online

View the Menu

Want more information on all things PTA?

Are you interested in learning more about the Ivymount PTA? The Parent Teacher Association has a page on the Ivymount website, which includes a variety of resources, including information on upcoming events, PTA meeting schedules and notes, and more!

We encourage all parents to get involved!