April 7, 2024

A Note from the Director

Dear Families,

During April’s Autism Acceptance and Advocacy Month, we celebrate the diversity of Autistic individuals, recognizing their unique strengths, talents, challenges and needs. We look forward to continuing conversations about neurodiversity and showing highlights of student success.

Remember to register for upcoming events, including a virtual Project SEARCH information session transitioning youth on April 10, and a Sibling Night being planned by the Mental Health Team on April 16.

Two calendar notes: the calendar for the 2024-25 school year is now available. You can find it on the Calendar and Events page of the Ivymount School website. A reminder that April 10 is an inclement weather make-up day.

Have a great evening.

Susan Holt

Dates to Remember

April 10

Project SEARCH Info Session RSVP to psrecruitment@seeconline.org

April 16

Sibling Night

May 14

Professional Day

No School for Students

May 17

Ivymount School Prom

PTA Dates and News

April 12

Spring PTA Meeting

Onsite at Ivymount School

9:30 - 10:30 am

Solar Eclipse Safety Tips

As you may know, tomorrow our region will experience a partial solar eclipse. This is an opportunity to learn about a phenomenon experienced around the world, which many of our students will do safely from inside the classroom.

Looking directly at the sun during the partial eclipse could cause eye injury. We encourage you to explain the following important safety reminders to your students, which we will also emphasize at school:

It is not safe to look directly at the sun during the eclipse without approved eyewear.
Sunglasses, a camera or binoculars without a special lens do NOT provide enough protection. Learn more about eclipse safety:
NASA Eclipse Viewing Safety
MCPS Solar Eclipse QuickNotes
The eclipse will begin at approximately 2:04 p.m., peak at 3:20 p.m. and end at about 4:32 p.m. Since this coincides with dismissal, we will remind students about eye safety before escorting them to transportation.
If you prefer to pick up your student rather than having them ride the bus on Monday afternoon, please email attendance@ivymount.org and your program coordinator by Monday morning.

Let's work together to practice eclipse safety when outdoors.

171 Students Dive into Science

We were excited to welcome Ivymount students back to campus following a restful Spring Break! Endeavors students in room 171 wasted no time in diving back into their studies, as they began learning about forces in their science group. This week they had the opportunity to create their own chain reactions and identify and record information about the forces involved.

Nursing Team Adds New Member

L to R: Estelle Assala, Jaclyn Di Yeso, Morgan Wright, Ebony Coley

We want to share recent changes to our nursing team. Morgan Wright, RN, has joined Ebony Coley and Estelle Assala on the team. Morgan’s experience is in pediatric nursing; and she most recently worked as a travel nurse with assignments at UC Davis and Seattle Children’s Hospital. Please join us in welcoming Morgan to the nursing team!

Jaclyn Di Yeso has transitioned to a substitute nurse and consultant position as she pursues her educational and career advancement in the field of women’s health care. We wish Jaclyn success and look forward to continuing to work with her at Ivymount School.

Bring Your Child to Sibling Night

Ivymount School's mental health providers are hosting our annual sibling night on Tuesday, April 16 from 5:30-7 pm. Siblings will engage in group discussions, tailored to their developmental age, to discuss their experiences of being a child with a sibling with special needs. Additionally, there will be a group for parents to discuss ideas for how to develop healthy relationships with all of your children, and to foster healthy relationships between siblings. We look forward to seeing you!

RSVP for Sibling Night

Spring Lecture Series Continues

Join the Ivymount Professional Collaborative in person at Ivymount on Wednesday, April 24 from 6-7 pm for the second workshop in our Spring Lecture Series. Talking about Sexual Health with Individuals with Developmental Disabilities.

Kelly Offutt, Program Services Specialist and Speech Therapist, will explore topics related to sexuality that are related to school-age individuals. Expect to learn new ways to discuss these matters openly and comprehensively. Plus, ask questions and chat with fellow attendees.

RSVP to Lecture #2

PTA NEWS AND UPDATES

Attend the April 12 PTA Meeting

We hope you will plan to attend the spring PTA meeting this Friday, April 12. We're meeting onsite at Ivymount School from 9:30 to 10:30 am. Come to meet other families, learn about upcoming events and bring your ideas for Staff Appreciation Week in early May. We hope to see you there!

Staff Appreciation Week Planning Underway - Get Involved!

Interested in helping plan events for Ivymount’s Staff Appreciation Week (May 6-10)? Contact Tamar Levenberg at tamar.s.levenberg@gmail.com for information.