Crossroads School March CROSSROADS CONNECTIONS 2011

CROSSROADS CONNECTIONS
Crossroads School
Student of the
Month
is
Crossroads Student
Erick Fuentes
Erick is congratulated for
achieving 100% on his
weekly spelling tests, four
consecutive weeks!
Way to go Erick!
Please do not forget to
call our Main Office if
your child will be out
sick or late.
March 2011
Scotch Plains Students Visit
Service Learning a Beneficial Experience
Three students from Terrill Middle School
in Scotch Plains chose Crossroads as the
venue to do their Service Learning Project,
a requirement for Mr. Picciottoli’s Social
Studies Class. On March 10, 2011,
Amanda O’Hara, Jocelyn Michnowski and
Rachel Voetzel spent the day in three
classrooms. After a brief orientation with
Principal Michael Kowalski and Supervisor
of Instruction Judith White, the girls were
given a tour of the school and assigned to
specific classes. They eagerly interacted
with students and staff while reading
Rainbow Fish and painting a coordinating
tee shirt.
Judging from the lively discussion, the opportunity was a success and a learning experience for all involved!
It is always exciting for us to fulfill our mission of educating the public about autism
Our hope is that the information gained
will remove some of the misconceptions
and prejudices that exist in society.
SP-F Terrill Middle School student Amanda O’Hara
assists Crossroads students with an
art project in Ms. Alzate’s classroom.
Prior to leaving, the students met with
Mike and Judi to process some of the information they had learned; ask questions
and to comment on their observations.
PHONE
908 232-6655
FAX
908-232-6877
April Calendar
April 6th
1:00 pm Dismissal
April 22 – 29
Spring Break
A Miller Minute: Symbolic Play
As children develop representation skills,
parent-child play begins to include the
creation of pretend roles. Through symbolic
play, independence and communication
skills are fostered. Here are some activities
to try:
Doll/Car Systems
Dirty Doll/Car with washable markers
Have children wash the dirty doll/car
Make it reciprocal by dirtying your our
hand and repeat the above steps.
Doll: Expand to dressing, feeding, sleeping, playing, walking, running, etc…
Car: Expand to car going up/down ramp,
car going in tunnel (box), car going fast,
car going slow, pushing car to each other,
etc…
Once these systems have been established
make them reciprocal (i.e. your turn and my
turn). Next, we need to use “PLOP” (i.e.
perform it with other people, in different
locations, with different objects, and in different positions). For maximum comprehension, do not forget to narrate what is being
done (ex. Doll is dirty, car is going up the
ramp, etc). HAVE FUN!
Classroom Corner: Going Green in Room 110
Ms. McLaughlin‟s class in Room 110 was ready for
St. Patrick‟s Day utilizing technology to the fullest. Students made Irish
Soda Bread in class, reading the directions from the interactive Smart
Board. They touched text and pictures on the board and the directions
were read aloud using our Boardmaker program. The SmartBoard kept
the kids moving and engaged while exposing them to the thematic traditions. They are also reviewing March terminology on the iPad, and
playing March Bingo to keep up on vocabulary.
After all, everyone is IRISH on St. Patrick‟s Day!
Matthew Skolnick Donates Bar Mitzvah Money
Thanks to the generous efforts and donations of Matthew Skolnick, our paraprofessional staff will become CPR/AED certified. Matthew, a 13 year old from
Mountainside, approached Crossroads last year to express his desire to contribute
the proceeds from his Bar Mitzvah Project, a charity soccer tournament. to our
school. Matt‟s curiosity about autism was peaked when he met one of our
younger students and his parents. He felt compelled to learn more about the
disorder and to help in whatever way he could. The “Coaches vs Kids Soccer
Tournament” was held on September 25, 2010; attendance and sponsorship
were outstanding , everyone had a great time ( and yes, the coaches did win).
Finally, Matthew„s goal of creating autism awareness was realized and supported!
STAFF DEVELOPMENT
On March 21st Crossroads conducted a
full day Professional Development for
all teachers and paraprofessionals. Paras
were provided six hours of training in
our “Boardmaker and Beyond” workshop.They explored this application
while learning how to create communication aids and other visual supports for
students. Everyone enjoyed the handson experience of creating picture
schedules, social stories and language
boards. Simultaneously, the teachers
and related services staff focused their
efforts on the building wide project of
developing a goals & objectives document with the newly adopted Common
Core State Standards.
PARENT TRAINING :
Well Received
Matthew Skolnick
and friend, Patrick
Eicke are seen here
presenting a donation to Principal
Michael Kowalski
and Supervisor Judi
White.
Hillcrest Academy North
Students Visits Crossroads
Students from Hillcrest Academy North, a
UCESC high school, visited Crossroads on
On Friday, March 25th, certified NonMarch 17th to share an activity with our
students. Our students were given an extra
Violent Crisis Intervention Instructor
special coloring book, designed and printed
Rosa Mariano-Brandao provided an
by the Hillcrest students, just for them! At
overview of the Nonviolent Crisis InCrossroads, we welcome high school stutervention Program for Crossroads
dents
who are interested in learning about
parents & caregivers. The full day class
autism. This is a “win-win” situation ;
consisted of instruction about ways to
which enhances social skills development
identify anxiety, signs of escalating
for all participants while using an engaging
behavior and proactive strategies used
activity as the vehicle.
to diffuse potential crisis situations. All
attendees had the opportunity to
practice various techniques, ask
questions and share about common
concerns about managing the behavior of their children at home. Breakfast and lunch were served and the
day was deemed a success by all!