New York State School for the Blind

presents...

This publication is for families, districts and other community agencies to share in the joy and education of NYSSB students.

November 2007

Our mission, through day and integrated residential programming in a safe and nurturing environment, is to provide a foundation of learning to enable each student to become a contributing member in a diverse society, to achieve their highest level of independence and to afford them the ability to live in a least restrictive environment.

We will do this by providing excellence in education and in residential programming, and by promoting a learning environment that puts achievement and independence within the reach of each student.

Goal #1: Students receiving special education services will meet high educational standards.

Goal #2: Students with disabilities will integrate with their non-disabled peers and community members throughout their education experience.

Goal #3: Students with disabilities will transition into living and working in as integrated a community setting as possible.

Goal #4: NYSSB will demonstrate good stewardship of its human, fiscal and physical resources.

Goal #5: All services for which NYSSB is responsible will meet high standards and continuously improve.

SUPERINTENDENT’S CORNER

By James Knowles

“Having all the money in the world isn’t much good if you can hardly get out of bed in the morning to enjoy it”

Author Unknown

Now that the warm weather is fading it becomes more and more difficult for many to regularly exercise. What we must understand, however, is that exercise is not a sometimes thing. We must understand that there is a direct benefit to looking after our physical bodies. We will live longer. More importantly, we will enjoy greater vitality, and our quality of life will be substantially better.

Creating an excellent balance in our lives means we don’t treat our health lightly. A little daily exercise is part of the prescription. Here’s the good news. We don’t need to run marathons or work out in the gym for three hours every day. About twenty minutes is all we need. And there are lots of ways to do it.

One of the easiest ways to exercise is to enjoy a brisk walk. If we just take fifteen minutes and walk at our workplace or in our own home our bodies will thank us. Get a friend or colleague to walk with you. To achieve the best results, exercise for thirty minutes a day including stretching.

Exercise does not need to be boring. There is a multitude of ways to create variety. Set a thirty-day goal. Do what ever it takes to get through this time period. Give yourself a reward for not missing a single day. Remember we shouldn’t overdo it in the early stages and if you should have a medical condition, check with your physician first.

Here are some proven benefits from working out regularly:

· Exercising improves our sleeping habits.

· Exercising increases our energy level.

· Exercising relieves stress and anxiety.

· Exercising protects us against injury.

· Exercising promotes a healthy posture.

· Exercising relieves digestive disorders.

· Exercising enhances our self-image.

· Exercising expands our longevity

With all these benefits, why wouldn’t we want to exercise?

Educator of the Week

by Laraine Caton

Maybe you missed it or maybe you don't live in the Buffalo area. Either way we wanted to share with you our own "Coach" Tom Wigton as the Educator of the Week for WGRZ Channel 2 News in Buffalo for the week of 11/26/07. Please visit the link below to see his clip.

http://www.wgrz.com/life/advertorial/educator/eduthisweek.aspx

We’ll Miss You!!

We always hate to say goodbye, but 2 of our good friends have retired. We wish you well!

Anita Loveland – Housekeeping

David Warner - Speech

We also must say goodbye to one of our teachers who is leaving for a new job and a new adventure. Good luck to Dan Dolph!

News from the Vision Resource Center/Braille Challenge

by Judi Piscitello

Our NYSSB students now have a Vision Resource Teacher in addition to their classroom teachers! The purposes of adding this new position at NYSSB are many. The Vision Resource Teacher is available to both classroom teachers and parents, to provide resources as needed regarding the unique needs of students with visual impairments. The Vision Room also doubles as our Parent Center/Family Room, where parents and other family members can meet, relax, and check out the resources. NYSSB Family Association meetings will be held in the Vision Resource Center/Vision Room.

Judi Piscitello, our Vision Resource Teacher, is also chair of our first annual Regional Braille Challenge Committee. Read more about this national event to promote Braille skills in students and Braille awareness in the general public at http://www.brailleinstitute.org/BrailleChallenge/. The Braille Challenge™, a program of the Braille Institute, is a two-stage academic contest designed to motivate school-age Braille readers to excel in reading and writing Braille! New York State contestants may take the Preliminary Contest any time during the first two months of 2008 in one of two ways: 1) Compete with peers at a Regional Event (here in Batavia at NYSSB or in Long Island at East Meadow School District), or 2) Take the Challenge Individually with a TVI in their home school. Winners of the Preliminaries are invited to the Finals in Los Angeles in June, to match Braille skills against their peers in the U.S. and Canada!

The Challenge is divided into five academic levels:

Grades 1-2: Apprentices compete in the following contests: Spelling, reading comprehension and proofreading

Grades 3-4: Freshman compete in the following contests: Spelling, reading comprehension and proofreading

Grades 5-6: Sophomores compete in the following contests: Reading comprehension, proofreading, spelling, speed & accuracy.

Grades 7-9: Junior Varsity Students compete in the following contests: Reading comprehension, proofreading, speed & accuracy, charts & graphs.

Grades 10-12: Varsity Students compete in the following contests: Reading comprehension, proofreading, speed & accuracy, charts & graphs.

Students must be at or near grade level to be eligible for the contests that help qualify for the Finals in Los Angeles. But if they’re just beginning to learn Braille and/or are not near grade level, they are encouraged to take the Rooky Challenge at NYSSB! This Rooky Challenge will be customized to match the ability levels of the students competing, both from NYSSB and from schools across upstate New York. Everyone wins in the Rooky Challenge!

In addition to the contests themselves, our Regional Braille Challenge Event will include an introduction to Laughter Yoga - a great way to make friends and get some aerobic exercise all at the same time; an exhibition of NYSSB student artwork and photography; a vendor area display of Braille-related technologies; a Braille literacy workshop for parents, teachers, CSE chairpersons, and CBVH counselors; and other activities yet to be planned!

What’s Happening in the Classrooms?

Unit 1

Jamie Hermance, Kathy Babcock, Tricia Severino

November was a month filled with learning for Unit 1! We learned about the history of Thanksgiving and the reason why it is celebrated each year. We discovered that we are thankful for so many things in our lives. Eating turkey each year for Thanksgiving is standard and we now know why we eat foods like turkey, squash, potatoes and corn as part of our Thanksgiving Feast. We have so much to thank the Native Americans for! Veteran’s Day is also celebrated in November. To show our appreciation for our veterans, we sent them e-cards thanking them for fighting for our country and for our freedoms.

As December and Christmas approach, we hope we will continue to keep in mind everything that we have and are thankful for.

Unit 2

Rebecca Oshlag, Karen Courter, Jolynne Rada, Grace West

We’ve been busy keeping up with our schedule, activities and work. We had a lot of fun this month talking about Trees. We learned how they change colors and fall to the ground, and best of all we got some hands on experience when we got to go out and play in all the leaves we have on campus. We really enjoyed getting a little messy and making some Turkeys with our hands and our feet! As we were celebrating Thanksgiving and all the things we are thankful for, we took some time out to help those who are less fortunate. Some of the students went out into the community to go shopping for toys for our Salvation Army Toy Drive and other students got to do some community shopping to get food for the Salvation Army “Banquet in a Box”.

Unit 3

Jackie Cackett, Sue McGregor, Tammy Pestlin

November was another busy month. The theme we talked about this month was the "Science of Me". It was our month for the Big Event, too!! We planned many fun activities that had to do with Body Parts and our Five Senses. The "Bodies in Motion" center was where the kids did the Hokey Pokey, Hand Jive, If You’re Happy and You Know It and Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes. That got all our body parts moving. The Craft Center had us creating a movable person. At each joint where the arms, legs, head, and/or hips connected together was a fastener that allowed the body part to move. Our Sensory Center was split into three parts - Taste, Touch, and Smell. We had models of the body and some of our parts the kids could feel and touch (an eye, the heart, an ear and the brain). There was a table set up with sandpaper, a towel, a hairbrush, and other materials to feel against their skin. The Smell table had scented lotions, minty toothpaste, powder, oranges, lemons and limes for the kids to smell different scents. Our Taste area had sweet (cookies, chocolate pudding, etc.), salty (pretzels & chips), and sour (lemons, limes, and pickles) items for the kids to taste. It was a true sensory experience and a great way to get our bodies moving!! A fun time was certainly had by all!!

Thanksgiving turkeys were sent home to help decorate your homes. The wooden turkey was painted in Art therapy class. The kids chose which colors they wanted to use on their turkeys. They liked that they were able to stand on the table. The turkey wall art was a special design from Tammy and Sue with rolled up colored construction paper. It made them more of a 3D picture to decorate your homes for the holiday. December is right around the corner......can't wait to see what it will bring!!!

Unit 4

Reggie Neubert, Diane Bassett, Kathy O’Neil

Unit 4 had an exciting month. At the beginning of the month our classroom changed due to the increased enrollment at the school. We said “goodbye” to Justin R, Chris, Richard and our Special Education Assistant Jeff and we said “Hello” to Michael from Mr. Hagen's classroom.

The students in Unit 4 learned about the First Thanksgiving. They listened to primary resource material written by William Bradford the governor and another participant, Edward Winslow. Students prepared traditional foods from the First Thanksgiving in non-traditional dishes and invited Unit 5 and Unit 10 to our feast. Some non-traditional foods served were Pumpkin Spiced cake and corn cereal, dried cranberries and marshmallow treats shaped like ears of Indian corn. Students from all 3 units helped to prepare some of the foods. Students in Unit 4 portrayed the Hopkins Family who was present at the First Thanksgiving. Travis, portraying Mr. Hopkins, welcomed all guests and invited them to “partake of the beautiful harvest”.

Students in unit 4 are also tracking “Traveling Dave”. “Traveling Dave” is Dianne's brother. He travels around the world as a nurse and is sending us greetings and information from the many ports he visits. We have received post cards and/or letters from four destinations, Frankfort, Germany, Lisbon, Portugal, Sao Miguel, Azores and the Bahamas. Each time we hear from Dave we track his progress on a map and discuss the country he has visited.

This month Unit 4 completed a service project for the Salvation Army called, Banquet in a Box. Students each used their shop money and purchased one item from the local supermarket needed for a Thanksgiving Dinner. Items purchased were margarine, juice, stuffing and fruit. Students also collected food items from staff members and delivered 6 boxes of food to the Salvation Army.

Unit 5

JoMarie McMullen, Rachel Ciociola, Mark Herrmann

It's been another busy month for the students in Unit 5. Academically the students have been working on writing skills. They have learned about punctuation and how it helps sentences to flow and how they assist us in understanding the meaning. We worked on voice intonation to describe questions and exclamations. We also talked about the purpose for writing. The students identified enjoyment, information, persuasion, and expression of feelings as reasons why we write.

We have continued with our unit on the Civil War for Social Studies. The students studied Lincoln's presidency and the Emancipation Proclamation. They named the advantages and disadvantages each side had during the war, and the military role. They also learned about the Black Codes and the Reconstruction period. For Science, the students have been studying the Earth. They learned about the movement of the planet, day length and seasons changing. We also discussed and located latitude and longitude lines and the equator.

Measurement was the topic for math. The students identified different types of measuring devices (measuring cups, spoons, ruler, tape measure, etc.) and practiced using them. They learned that some measuring devices measure liquids, while others measure dry items. We use different devices to measure how large/small objects are. The students had fun using each device.

We also participated in a "Taste of Thanksgiving" with Units 4 and 10. The students chose to dress up as either a Pilgrim or Native American. They made costumes to wear and brought a popcorn treat to share with their friends. Everyone had a wonderful time pretending to celebrate the first Thanksgiving.

Unit 6

Steve Hagen, Bryan Bradt, Judy Wetzel

This month, in relation to the holidays and our job exploration program, we studied the various aspects of farming and food production in the United States. We started with several lessons on the indoor and outdoor chores/jobs performed in all four seasons. Then we looked at the crops available throughout the 50 states, through all the months of the year. Our nation certainly consumes a lot of food and modern farming is quite complicated.

Also, in relation to the holidays and our social studies unit, we attended the Native American Day at the Buffalo Natural History and Science Museum. Here we participated in 10 presentations and/or activities with students from all over western New York. They also gave us a private session where we got to handle and feel the Native American costumes: beads, furs, silver decorations, walrus whiskers, deer toes, dyeing techniques, etc. What a great history lesson!

Outside our classroom now hangs a group of 6 sharks suspended from the ceiling panels. A sign reads Welcome To Our School (of sharks!). The sign also details their names, lengths and feeding depths. And we must not forget the most exciting part of the month, welcoming our new friend Thane to the classroom!

Unit 7

Dan Dolph, Ray Follett, Christine Sadler

We kicked November up a notch, Emeril style, and had a Cajun Thanksgiving dinner – BAM! We loved all the spicy food and the Southern Potato Salad and we’ve actually become great cookie bakers! We like to do our planning and Tuesday shopping at Martin’s so that we can practice our cooking skills every Wednesday. We read a good story about Thanksgiving and also watched an educational video on Native Americans and the very 1^st Thanksgiving. Andy has been busy with Chorus at the High School and is looking forward to the big Holiday Concert. All of the students really enjoyed the Roller Skating unit in APE. Even though some students were a little scared at first, they all ended up doing great and having fun! We ended the month saying goodbye to our teacher. Dan left us for a new job and we will miss him.

Unit 8

George Sawyer, Amy Gromlovits, Kim Shephard

November was a good month for our Unit 8 students. The school was visited by the Sierra Club. They brought their taxidermy collection to NYSSB for the students to see and touch. Our students were able to physically examine dry, preserved animal specimens of birds, mammals and amphibians. This was an opportunity for our students to get an idea of what physical features these creatures possess. This month, our students helped shop for and prepare a meal for themselves. Tacos were chosen as the main course. Everyone had a chance to take part in cooking the various ingredients that make up this delicious meal. Our students enjoyed participating in this daily living skills experience. The theme of the month was "Our Bodies". We had an opportunity to learn about our body parts, our five senses, and our bodies in motion. These concepts were reinforced through our "Big Event".

As November ends, our thoughts are beginning to focus on the upcoming holiday season in December. Look for our December report to find out what we experienced and learned.

Unit 9

John Carroll, Patty Fernaays, Jill Harkness

We began the month by remembering our Veterans, past and present, and all the sacrifices they made for us. We made crafts for Thanksgiving (books, wreaths) and talked about all the things we're thankful for. Families were our number one choice again this year, although Jessup's dual cassette player was in the running for awhile. The theme for the month was 'The Science of Me' and we read books about our feelings, did body awareness activities and learned about our senses. We also had a great time at the" Big Event".

Unit 10

Anne Bird, Mary Beth Demmer, Jeff Fletcher

A new classroom, Unit 10, was added in the month of November! We welcomed a new student, Quinton, to our "new" class, along with classmates Justin, Chris, Richie, and Sharyann. Everyone acclimated quickly as we forged ahead with a Thanksgiving theme. For ELA, we read two versions of a story about "Squanto", and compared/contrasted each story. In Social Studies we used a globe to track the Pilgrims' route from England to America. We used some hands-on Math to measure ingredients to make Indian pudding - which everyone agreed was very tasty! The unit culminated in a Thanksgiving "tasting" feast, with Pilgrims and Native Americans from Units 4 and 5. The students from Unit 10 chose American Indian names and dressed in traditional Indian costumes. Several students gave short speeches about what they were thankful for. A good time was had by all!

UPCOMING PROGRAM THEMES:

November: Our Bodies – The Science of ME!

December: The Arts – Creating, singing and dancing.

January: Machines – Simple, Compound, Manual & Power

February: Numbers & Numerals – Googol, Count, Nemeth

March: Store – Groceries, Books, Movies & Clothes

April: Plants – Forest, Earth Day, Trees & Gardens

May: Vehicles – Cars, Trains, Trucks & Airplanes

June: Pets – Dogs, Cats, Bird & Fish

July/August: Water – TBA w/ Fun in the Sun Day

News from the Art Room

By Jacquelyn Rease

Some students are still finishing up their Navajo weaving projects but many of the wall hangings are already on display. John Deja from maintenance was also kind enough to make us some wooden turkey centerpieces. Many of the students had the opportunity to paint a centerpiece to take home for Thanksgiving. All of the students are also hard at work to make an original piece of artwork to display in our first school-wide art exhibit that is happening in mid-December. Also, the second edition of the school newspaper “NYSSB Times” is due to hit stands by the end of the month. Look for many exciting articles including an interview with David, another interview with John Carroll and a report on Stevie Wonder by Brittney.

News from the Pre-Vocational Workshop

By Mark A. Faulkner

This month we started a new adventure in cooperation with the YWCA. Three of our students are working as Volunteers at “My Sister’s Closet” (a used clothing store located within the YWCA). Our students are sorting, adjusting and organizing the garments to be sold. We hope to expand the work experience there as our students really enjoy the opportunity. Our students also participated in the production of wooden Thanksgiving decorations. The parts for this were supplied by the Maintenance Department and later painted in Art. We also started the NYSSB Traveling Shredding Service. With two heavy duty shredders on a wheeled cart we can now come to anywhere on school property to handle your shredding needs. We are anticipating December and hopefully some snow.

The Described and Captioned Media Program

from Judi Piscitello

Have you ever had the frustration of being in another room near the end of a movie, missing what was happening visually and therefore never found out how the movie ended? That’s what blind and visually impaired folks experience all the time, unless they have someone describing the visuals to them or they are watching a described video. For blind and visually impaired learners, described media provides a description of what is visually happening on the screen without interrupting the regular audio portion of the media. The Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) provides services designed to support and improve the academic achievement of students who are blind, visually impaired, deaf, hard of hearing, and deaf-blind. These services include (1) a library of free-loan described and captioned educational media, (2) a clearinghouse of information related to educational media access, (3) a gateway to Internet resources related to accessibility, and (4) a center for training and evaluation of any service provider desiring to appear on the DCMP’s approved lists of description and captioning service providers. The service is free, as the DCMP is funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the National Association of the Deaf. Go to: www.dcmp.org for additional information and a list of titles, or to register online go to: www.dcmp.org/register.asp.

IMPORTANT DATES:

December 24^th to January 4^th – Off for Holiday Break

January 7^th 2008 – Welcome Back to School!

January 21^st – Off! Martin Luther King Day

February 18^th – Off! President’s Day

March 20^th to 24^th – Off for Easter

April 7^th to 18^th – Off for Spring Break

May 23^rd & 26^th – Off! Memorial Day

June 26^th – School Year Ends

July 14^th – Summer Session Starts

August 22^nd – Summer Session Ends

Editor: Bethany Burgess, LMSW

New York State School for the Blind

2A Richmond Ave.

Batavia, NY 14020

585-343-5384 or Toll Free 1-877-697-7382

Website: http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/nyssb/home.html

NYSSB is located in Batavia, NY, just off the I-90 in between Rochester and Buffalo. Applications are accepted year round and we serve NYS students ages 5-21 who are legally blind and multiply disabled in a day school and integrated 5-day residential program. Services available include the following therapies: OT, OT Feeding, PT, Speech, Audiology, Music, Art and Recreation. Additional services available include: Teachers of the Visually Impaired, Behavior Specialist, School Psychologist, Medical Social Worker, Braille, Assistive Technology, Orientation & Mobility, Adapted Physical Education, Pre-Vocational Workshop, Dietitian and 24 hour nursing services. We have a 10 Month school year and 6 week Extended School Year program available. Please call us, visit our website or e-mail us at nyssb@mail.nysed.gov for more information. Here is a list of frequently called numbers for your reference:

NYSSB Contact Information