Dear Ivymount Families,
During April’s Autism Awareness and Acceptance Month, we celebrate the diversity of Autistic individuals, recognizing their unique strengths, talents, challenges and needs. Scroll down to read about some of the ways we're talking about neurodiversity and autism this month at Ivymount.
Tomorrow begins Phase 3 of our Return to Campus plan. At the end of this week, we will have 131 students on campus, 65% of our students. By the end of phase 5 (May 3) we will have 153 students returning, 76% of our students. The other 54 students (24%) have chosen to remain virtual or undecided for the remainder of the 2020-21 school year, which will continue as planned. We are actively working on our summer plans, which are likely to be similar to our current hybrid model. We anticipate a full return to campus in the fall with remote options for at-risk students or families who request this modification. We will continue to keep you up to date and provide information as soon as it is final.
In the meantime, we will continue to plan virtual events that everyone feels comfortable attending, including several this month. Congratulations to the PTA for holding a fun Spring dance last evening. See the PTA section below for more information on that and tomorrow night's Family/Caregiver virtual hangout.
We are pleased to share our 2021 Resource Guide below. We missed being together for what would have been our ninth Annual Resource Fair, but are pleased to still pull together helpful information on a number of topics and from 74 organizations in one place. Please share with others and post on your social media.
Finally, a quick note on how your voice makes a difference on important issues. A few weeks ago we asked families and staff to call or write to Maryland senators about salary parity for nonpublic school teachers. That final advocacy push helped pass House Bill 1365, which is now being sent to the governor's desk. It includes funding to increase salaries for direct classroom, related services, and other support positions. We appreciate your help to compensate our highly trained and specialized staff more closely to their public school peers.
Sincerely,
Susan Holt
Executive Director
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Upcoming Events
April 26
Professional Day
No School for Students
April 28
Sibling Night
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PTA Events
Save the Date
April 12
Parent/Caregiver Hangout
April 28
PTA Meeting
May 6
Parent/Caregiver Hangout
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Reminders for Return to
On-Site Instruction
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As more students return to campus this week, we have a few reminders to keep all students and staff safe while on-site.
Daily Screening
Ivymount will send Daily Screening Questions via Operoo. If you do not receive an email notification for the daily screening questions, please log directly into your account at www.operoo.com. The daily form will be available from 6 am until 10 am. You will receive an initial email at 6 am and then reminder emails at 30, 60 and 90 minutes. Completing the form will shut off the reminders.
Please complete the form each day before your student leaves for school. Read each question carefully and confirm your answers. If you answer Yes to any of the questions, it is important that you do not send your child to school and include a comment in the text box. Families should email studentcovidreport@ivymount.org if they are keeping their student home due to COVID-like symptoms, exposure, or confirmed COVID-19.
Stay-Home and Travel Policies
Students must stay home due to:
- a confirmed case of COVID-19
- any symptom of COVID-19-like Illness
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close contact with a person with COVID-19 or a person with a probable case of COVID-19.
- Our travel policy requires families to notify the Ivymount Health Screening Team if you plan to travel out of state domestically or internationally (travel to VA, PA, WV, DE and DC is exempt), get a PCR test upon return home and submit negative results before returning to campus.
On-site Symptom Response Plan
Families are expected to pick up students immediately if they exhibit symptoms while on-site. Parents should ensure the school has the best contact information to reach you quickly.
Email studentservices@ivymount.org to update emergency contact information, and arrange a contingency plan in the event that you are not able to pick up your student yourself.
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Students Discuss
Autism Awareness Month
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In Current Events class, Post High School students read an article about Sam Holness, who describes himself as “a triathlete that just happens to have autism.” They discussed the ways that Mr. Holness sees his autism as an advantage in his training and how he feels about competing in a sport with very few other Black or autistic athletes. Click here for a 2-minute video Mr. Holness made about his experiences and goals.
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MLN students were asked to think about what Autism means to them, what they wish other people knew or would consider, and what is something they want others to know about their unique strengths and needs. Students recorded their video responses on FlipGrid and were able to watch and listen to their peers' videos and leave comments for each other. Here are some student quotes:
“Autism means people’s brains work different. They have unique strengths, like math, science, engineering, and drawing.”
“Autism is the reason I was sent to Ivymount. Autism can make a person really funny, maybe not emotionally mature enough. That is why I was sent to Ivymount so they could help me. I am doing well. I am learning to cope and be a mature person. I hope others like me are doing well.”
“One way Autism can be good is that you give people a chance to realize we are all different in many different ways.”
“I wish people considered that people should come together and try to become friends. I want people to take time to get to know the person and show how you appreciate who these people are.”
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Related Services Travel Change |
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New: For families considering travel to Delaware, please note that Delaware no longer allows the provision of speech, occupational, and physical therapy by out-of-state therapists; however students located in Delaware may still receive mental health services.
We understand that some families are choosing to travel outside the DMV for periods of time while remote learning is in session. While we are grateful your student can continue to attend classes while traveling, we want to ensure that you understand the impacts of travel on your student's individualized education program (IEP) and the provision of related services.
Related service providers’ licensure and ability to provide services are regulated by each state (where the student is currently located), and we are not necessarily able to provide telehealth services to your student if they travel or currently reside outside of Maryland, DC or Virginia. This impacts the requirement that we provide your student with their full IEP, and may require us to schedule an IEP meeting with the local education agency. Please consider these impacts before making travel plans and notify us prior to traveling. Thank you for your understanding and support.
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Siblings of Ivymount students (or their relatives and close family friends) age 6 and older are invited to participate in sibling night on Wednesday, April 28 from 5 - 5:45 pm. Ivymount Mental Health Providers Michael Stromberg and Bari Turkheimer will lead a group activity to give siblings an opportunity to express their feelings and hear from others who may have similar experiences and questions. Please click to complete a quick form if you would like your child/children to attend so that the team can customize the discussion to those attending. **Pre-registration is required.**
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Outreach Launches Resource Guide |
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We weren't able to gather for our annual Resource Fair this year in February, but Ivymount Outreach is excited to launch an easy reference tool for you to find the supports you need now and in the future.
Our online resource guide contains information on 74 diverse organizations that provide specialized services to meet the unique needs of families throughout MD, DC, and VA.
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Find Information About
Behavioral Services, ABA
Schools, Education, Advocacy
Social, Recreational, Fitness
Transitioning Youth, Young Adults
Accessibility, Inclusion
Therapeutic Services
Camps
Financial Planning, Insurance
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Shareable Online Flipbook
Easy to Use
Descriptions & Links
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Parent/Caregiver
Hangout Tomorrow
Monday, April 12
5 - 6 pm
*We are having an earlier hangout for those parents and caregivers who are unable to join later in the evening.
Join Zoom Meeting
Meeting ID: 874 6596 9355
Passcode: 210977
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Families Enjoy
Spring Dance Party
DJ Aaron from ASquad Productions set off some dance fireworks last evening at the PTA's virtual spring dance party. Students and family members enjoyed the macarena, the freeze dance, truth or dare, and 90 minutes of popular music that had everyone on their feet.
One student posted that seeing friends and hearing three songs by a favorite artist in one night was "epic!"
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Teacher Appreciation Week Preview
This year, the PTA is sponsoring daily school-wide events during National Teacher Appreciation Week, May 3-7, to honor all 275 of our Ivymount staff members who have worked so incredibly hard under challenging circumstances over the last year. Whether your student will be on campus or learning from home, everyone will be able to participate. While we won’t be able to host our traditional Staff Appreciation Luncheon this year due to social distancing requirements, we will be continuing our tradition of honoring each member of the staff by presenting them with a thank you gift card.
We depend upon the generous donations of Ivymount families to fund the purchase of staff gift cards, as well other surprises we have planned for staff during that week . Donations of any amount are very much appreciated. To donate, go to:
Among our plans for the week:
- A day when students wear Ivymount School green or Ivymount Spirit Wear to show how much they and their families appreciate their educators
- A day for students to bring in or email “I appreciate you” notes, artwork, or photos
- On Wednesday, when all students are virtual, students can make thank you signs and hold them up to their screens.
- Families will be asked to provide store-bought, individually wrapped snacks for Grab ‘n Go Snack Bars that will be open for on-site staff all week.
The PTA will share more details soon. We are excited to be able to honor our incredibly dedicated and hard-working staff for all they do.
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All Ivymount parents and caregivers are invited to join the next PTA meeting.
Wednesday, April 28
PTA Meeting
7 - 8 pm
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Ivymount
School & Programs
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