News for students, families & friends | | |
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From the Supervisor's Desk
In an effort to support the New Horizons community through connection and collaboration, we are looking to hold monthly "Family Gatherings." These gatherings will be informal meetings where we bring specific topics of interest to families, parents, and guardians. A variety of topics will be offered, such as: showcasing different community agencies and the services they provide; overviews of curriculum and classroom supports; ideas to support your student's goals at home from our ancillary groups; and other recreational opportunities. In addition to sharing information, we also hope these gatherings will bring a stronger sense of community to our program as families build relationships and connect with others.
Please take a moment to complete the attached five-question FAMILY GATHERINGS SURVEY to share your thoughts on what information you are most interested in learning as we begin our planning.
More information will be shared in the new year!
Respectfully,
Riley Denison
Supervisor, New Horizons
Northwest Education Services
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SCIENCE & ReadtopiaGO
by Ashley Davis
adavis@northwested.org
Office: 231.933.3560
This year the New Horizons classrooms at Traverse Heights Elementary School are using a new curriculum called ReadtopiaGO. It is a comprehensive early literacy curriculum for emergent learners that also builds knowledge in science, social studies, social-emotional learning and life skills. In November, students in Miss Ashley’s class learned about “Being a Scientist” -- who is a scientist, finding science all around us, and what it means to be a scientist. They incorporated science into all daily activities: reading, writing and center activities. The students really enjoyed doing experiments such as sink and float with classroom materials, mixing colors while finger painting, and learning about pushing and pulling while playing with cars and ramps.
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COMMUNITY RESOURCES
by Cherie Wilson, LMSW
cawilson@northwested.org
Office: 231.933.3573
This month the focus is on the Disability Network.
415 East Eighth St., Traverse City, MI 49686
Phone: 231.922.0903 | Toll Free: 866.869.8600
Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
With a mission "to promote personal empowerment and positive social change for persons with disabilities," they consider themselves the first stop for people with disabilities and their families. Disability Network helps coordinate the many different supports people need to live as independently as possible. Tailored to the individual, these supports may include connecting people to living arrangements, life planning, transportation, education, employment, accessibility, health care, disability rights and benefits and community resources.
If you are interested in learning more about the services available through Disability Network, please visit the "What We Do" section on their website DisabilityNetwork.org.
You can connect with Cherie any time by phone, email or clicking the orange button below.
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ONGOING COMMUNITY SUPPORTS
Salvation Army - Serving Grand Traverse, Benzie and Leelanau counties
1239 Barlow St., Traverse City, MI
Phone: 231.946.4644
Open Monday-Friday 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. (closed daily from noon to 1 p.m.)
Salvation Army - Serving Emmet, Charlevoix and Antrim Counties
712 Pleasant St., Petoskey, MI
Phone: 231.347.3531
Open to the public for walk-ins M-F from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. (closed daily from noon to 1 p.m.)
Salvation Army - Serving Wexford, Missaukee and Kalkaska Counties
725 Wright St., Cadillac, MI
Phone: 231.775.7131
Open Monday-Friday 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. Food Pantry 10 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Father Fred Foundation - Serving most of Northwest Lower Michigan
826 Hastings St., Traverse City, MI
Phone: 231.947.2055
Open 10 a.m. - 2 p.m., Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Northwest Food Coalition - Provides a complete list of where to locate meals or food pantries in your area. Visit the website or call 231.642.4702
Other Ideas for Toys / Gifts / Resources:
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Important Dates to Remember
Friday, Dec. 22 to Tuesday, Jan. 2: No School - Holiday Break
Wednesday, Jan. 3: School Resumes; Welcome Back
**Friday, Jan. 19**: HALF DAY for SE Students; Staff Training
Monday, March 25 to Monday, April 1: No School; Spring Recess
Monday, May 27: No School; Holiday
Friday, June 7: Last Day!!
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NURSE'S NOTES
Jamie Tornga, BSN, RN
jtornga@northwested.org
Office: 231.933.3570
We have started to see an uptick in the number of student illnesses across our classrooms. I wanted to pass along again the illness guidelines and would appreciate your help in keeping your children home if they experience any of these symptoms. If these symptoms occur at school, we will notify you, and your child will need to be picked up from school as soon as possible. They must stay home 24 hours after the symptoms have resolved.
In an effort to keep all of our students healthy, we appreciate your cooperation in following the guidelines for attendance at school. Please keep your child home if he/she has any of the following symptoms:
• Vomiting or diarrhea (should be symptom-free for 24 hours)
• High fever (usually 100 degrees or more; should be free for 24 hours)
• Sore throat that has lasted longer than 3 days
• Persistent cough
• Red eyes with drainage, itching or burning
• Any undiagnosed rash
• Head lice (may return after treatment)
• Extreme fatigue and/or irritability even in the absence of the above symptoms
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SHARED READING FOR KIDS WHO AREN'T INTO IT (YET!)
by Molly Wrzesinski, SLP
MollyWrzesinski@northwested.org
Office: 231.933.3560
By now, most of us have heard about shared reading and how it can promote both stronger literacy and communication skills in our students. But what if you have a child who just isn’t loving reading yet? Here are some tips to consider that may help as you are working with your child to encourage a love for reading. (These tips are largely adapted from an article written by Carole Zangari on the PrAACtical AAC website. The article is titled: “But He Doesn’t Like It!” 5 Things to Try with AAC Learners Who Don’t Like Shared Reading)
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Create books that feature your child. Seeing photos of themselves in a book can be motivating as they participate in different activities at home, school and in the community. If this is something you are interested in, please reach out to your child's SLP and we can help, too!
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Keep the reading short. Try to be mindful that cultivating a love of reading may take time. We want this to be a positive experience for your child. Pick a short book and finish while they are still enjoying the story. This might mean you only get through a couple pages, and that’s OK!
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Think about the books you are choosing. Does your child have a strong interest area? Are there certain characters, movies or toys they love? These might be good starting points for finding engaging material for your child. It’s OK to read 15 books about trains if it’s interesting and motivating for the child.
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Use props! Grab some materials that go with the story from around the house to give your child something to engage with while reading. Maybe a food puzzle that matches a book that involves things to eat, toys that match the content of the book like cars or trucks, or stuffed animals that are mentioned in the story.
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Make it fun. Read with excitement, use funny voices for characters, encourage children to help turn pages, and use drama and enthusiastic body language to help hold engagement.
Adapted from: https://praacticalaac.org/praactical/but-he-doesnt-like-it-5-things-to-try-with-aac-learners-who-dont-like-shared-reading/
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SOAR with Signs
Curious about more signs? There are several free resources available.
Signing Savvy will help you find almost any sign you can think of.
Rocky Mountain School for the Deaf is a great library of ASL stories that are fun to watch over and over again.
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Many of our students in our center-based programs use multi-modal communication. Learning signs to support spoken or augmented communication can increase comprehension and communication. However, it is important to note that American Sign Language (ASL) is a complete language in and of itself. These signs are taken from ASL and are used as a visual to support spoken and augmented communication. | |
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WHAT'S FOR LUNCH?
North Ed partners with Traverse City Area Public School to provide breakfast and lunch for our students. You can find all the school menus on their website.
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As of Nov. 30, Arts for All of Northern Michigan has closed its doors for the final time, and after 27 years of serving the community they will no longer be providing the arts and cultural experiences this community has come to enjoy. As they prepared for this time, they recently shared several community organizations that are eager to continue the work they have started with Arts for All. | |
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Disability Network
415 East Eighth St., Traverse City, MI 49686
309 1/2 North Second Ave., Alpena, MI 49707
Spirit Club: Demarie will lead arts projects, and Disability Network offers an inclusive virtual/in-person fitness program, including dance, boxing, nutrition, yoga, general workouts, and the continuation of beloved Karaoke Night events.
For details, contact Alanna or Demarie
Contact: 231.922.0903
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Mi Music Education of Traverse City
3003 N. Garfield, Traverse City, MI
Mi Music Studio will offer a special needs music exploration class once a month. This class will include rhythm, ukuleles, strings and pianos! The class will be held every last Tuesday of the month from 5-6 p.m.
To sign up, call 231.632.1636 or email tcviolinco@gmail.com.
Additionally, MI Music Education operates the MiMusic Scholarship Fund with a mission to provide music lessons and instruments to students with financial need and who are otherwise underserved in the community. This includes artist development programs focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion.
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Crooked Tree Arts Center of Traverse City
322 Sixth St., Traverse City, MI 49684
Phone: 231.941.9488
Explore exhibits, concerts, classes, lectures and special events at the Crooked Tree Arts Center, inspiring lives through the arts. Instructor Alyssa Jordan will lead the Mindfulness Stitching and Plush Pocket Pals class.
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Traverse City Elk's Lodge #323
625 Bay St, Traverse City, MI 49684
Phone: 231.946.6171
Traverse City Elk's Lodge #323 graciously supports the continuation of dances at their venue.
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POLICIES & PROCEDURES
Student / Parent Handbook | Procedural Safeguards Notice
Attendance
Students are expected to be in school on a consistent basis; however, we know illness, appointments and therapies sometimes happen during the school day. If your child will not be in school, you must notify the school office or their teacher directly by 9:30 a.m. Please call 231.933.3560
If your child will be out of school for an extended period, please let your child's teacher know so we can determine if there is a need for continuing their education outside of school during this time.
Extracurricular Involvement
If you would like your child to participate in any school-run, parent-initiated, extracurricular activities (sports, choir, school dances, etc.), you must give notice to your student's teacher three weeks prior to the event start date. We must have time to assemble the IEP team to determine if any additional supports are needed for safe participation.
Parents: Sign Up for Text Alerts
Northwest Education Services uses text messaging to inform our school community of school closures and other emergencies. Click the link School Closings & Alerts to learn more about how we communicate and keep you informed.
How to Sign Up:
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Text any one of these words to the number 67587: subscribe, optin, or yes
- Repeat this process for any wireless phone numbers that you wish to include
- You’ll receive a confirmation text message when you sign up
NOTE: If your cell phone number is not on file with the school, you will not be able to receive text messages. Text messaging service is limited to contact numbers tied to North Ed staff and student databases and is not available to the general public. If you are unsure whether your phone number is on file, contact the New Horizons office at 231.933.3560.
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New Horizons
933 Rose St., Traverse City, MI 49686
Tel. 231.933.3560 | NorthwestEd.org
Northwest Education Services
1101 Red Drive, Traverse City, MI 49684
Tel. 231.922.6200 | NorthwestEd.org
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