Hello families! Here is our classroom news for the first week of March! Can you believe Spring Break is two weeks away? This year is going fast! Here’s what you need to know:

Ramadan: We understand that students may be tired when they come to school. We are doing our best to accommodate students who are fasting by implementing extra breaks throughout the day and providing alternate activities during lunch. Students are still expected to participate in classroom lessons and to attend job sites when scheduled.

Curriculum: We are about to begin curriculum that deals with social boundaries, relationships and behaviors. I understand that discussing relationships can be a sensitive topic, and want to assure you that any curriculum regarding relationships will be approached in a way that is both age and developmentally appropriate. My goal is to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate their personal relationships in a healthy, positive, and respectful manner. The relationships we will be talking about are: family, friends, support person, co-workers and acquaintances, and strangers. Students will learn to identify which type of behaviors are appropriate/not appropriate for each.

March “I Can” Statements:

• I can wash my hands before eating
• I can interact with my friends appropriately
• I can complete a task from start to finish
• I can choose how I will spend my free time
• I can make decisions about what I eat based on my health needs

Weekly Schedule:

• Monday – Job Sites
• Tuesday – Yoga with Ms. Jackie (March Only)
• Wednesday – Classroom Day
• Thursday – Strength Training with Ms. Jackie
• Friday – Zumba with Ms. Patti

Upcoming Dates:

• March 11 – Parent Teacher Conferences – Sign up link sent out on Remind
• March 24-31 – Spring Break – No School
• Every Tuesday – Early Release – 1:50 p.m. dismissal

Have a great weekend!

~Mrs. Camp

Hello Families!

Just a few comments and/or reminders to start off our week!

New Student – We want to welcome our new student Ali. His first day was Friday! We are so excited to have him and look forward to getting to know him and his family!

Cell Phones – Students are doing a great job turning in their cell phones in the morning. Their cooperation has been refreshing! No one has argued or complained….and they are talking to each other instead of looking at a phone during leisure time!

Yoga Class – For the next three Tuesdays, the students will be participating in a yoga and stretching class with Ms. Jackie. Students who wish to participate should come to school in comfortable clothing or they may bring a change of clothes for the class.

Parent Teacher Conferences – March 11 from 2-5 p.m. I will set up a sign up this week if you would like a conference with me.

Upcoming Dates:

• March 24-31 – No School – Spring Break
• Every Tuesday – Early Release. Dismissal at 1:50 p.m.

Weekly Schedule:

• Monday – Job Sites
• Tuesday – CBI (Yoga class March 4, 11, 18)
• Wednesday – Classroom
• Thursday – Strength Training with Ms. Jackie
• Friday – Zumba with Ms. Patti

Hello! Unfortunately, the cell phone usage in the classroom has gotten out of hand. Going forward, students will place their phone in the phone bin at the start of class and will be able to retrieve it at the end of the day until further notice. If you need to get a message to your son/daughter, please call or text the classroom phone at 313-701-7985.

Hello Families! Friday turned into a very busy day for us and I was not able to get this out to you before we left! We had a great time on Valentines Day, the pizza was delicious and it was a great time for the students to socialize. Again, thank you for the thoughtful donations to our classroom that make these events happen!

CBI: We did not go out on CBI today due to the temperature. Our plan was to split up the time between Barnes and Noble and Target, which means we have to walk between the two stores. With the temps in single digits this morning we decided it was in everyone’s best interest to stay back. Hopefully we don’t have to many of these types of days left!

Blue Folders: Information coming home on the left side of the blue folder needs to be returned to school. Information on the right side is for you to keep at home. There are just a few families who are returning information that was meant for you to keep.

Upcoming Dates:

• Feb 25th – No School – Professional Development Day
• March 24- 31 – No School – Spring Break

Weekly/Recurring Classroom Activities:

• Monday – Job Sites *Students going to Goodwill may go to Bellacino’s for lunch ($)
• Tuesday – CBI ($) / Early Release
• Wednesday – Job Sites *Students going to Goodwill may go to Bellacino’s for lunch ($)
• Thursday – Strength Training with Ms. Jackie
• Friday – Zumba with Ms. Patti / Express Poultry Job Site

Just in case there is a snow day tomorrow (no promises!)….

Valentine’s Day is Friday! We will have a pizza party followed by cupcakes! Students do not need a lunch but should bring a drink and their usual snacks. Students are welcome to bring cards and/or candy to pass out, but it is optional. A note with a list of names was sent home last week. In addition, our groceries were delivered and we will enjoy a pancake breakfast that morning!

No School: President’s Day Monday, February 17th.

I hope everyone stays safe and warm with the approaching weather. Please watch the news stations and phones for school closures.

Hello! I hope everyone enjoyed the day off yesterday! We have a few events next week, please see below for details:

February 11th – Tuesday – CBI trip to Panera Bread. The students selected the items they would most likely order, and we made our own “menu” to select from. Prices are rounded up on the menu just to provide an easier way of estimating prices. Students have been successful bringing in a $20 bill and bringing home change if you don’t want to worry not sending enough money.

February 14th – Friday – Valentine’s Day Pizza Party. We will have cheese pizza from Jets. This will be FREE to the students thanks to the many donations from our families. We are so thankful for you! If students would like to bring cards or candy to exchange, they may do so. I will send a list home today with student names if that is helpful. Some parents just like to write who the card/candy is from and leave the “to” field blank, but that is up to you.

February 17th – Monday – President’s Day – No School

February 25th – Tuesday – Professional Development – No School

Here are some pictures from our cooking class today. Students made individual pudding cups that will be topped with cool whip for our movie snack! Everyone had a part! This is something simple that students can do with minimal guidance at home! To see their smiles and laughs as their independence grows, is one of the best parts of my job!

In today’s lesson, students practiced:

• opening packages
• pouring
• measuring
• finding the right utensil (whisk, spatula)
• stirring/using a whisk,
• counting (six scoops per cup),
• food safety (hand washing/no licking the utensils!)
• food storage

Hello families! The students did an excellent job shopping at Old Navy today! The theme was “athletic wear/athleisure” and the students learned where and when that type of clothing is appropriate and when not to wear it (a job interview!). All students were asked to participate whether they were purchasing an item or not. Today’s objectives:

Objective 1: Find an item of clothing that you LIKE and that is in your size

Objective 2: Try on clothing in fitting room – determine whether too small, too big, or just right

Objective 3: Determine the price of the item, and whether you want to purchase the item

Skills worked on:

• Finding correct department: mens vs. womens
• Finding correct size
• Using a fitting room
• Determining whether an item fits, is too big or too large
• Looking at price tags, determine price
• Looking for sales
• Scanning an item when unsure of the price
• Budgeting: determine whether you want to spend the money on the item or if you have enough money
• Understanding that you might not find what you are looking for, or your size might not be available

It was a great learning experience and the students had a great time! There was one special student who was so excited about her “find” she was giggling in the fitting room and I could hear her say “I love this so much”. That one moment made the entire trip for me!

I asked everyone to wear what they purchased tomorrow so we can get a group picture, I will try to post those tomorrow!

Everyone brought home a receipt so you are able to make returns if necessary.

Here is a group shot from our trip to Henry Ford College last week. The students had a great time, worked hard, and loved being on the campus!

Hello families! Just a few announcements to end this short week!

• Field Trip: Permission slips are coming home for a Feb 5th field trip to see “The Lion King – Mufasa”. Please return with money by January 31st.

• Cell Phone Use: Students are managing their cell phone use wonderfully in the classroom. Having a cell phone and being able to talk to friends is a very age appropriate activity and one that I encourage. Part of having a cell phone is being responsible with it, and following whatever guidelines you as a family have set up, along with school policies, etc. It has been brought to my attention however, that students are borrowing cell phones from other students when they don’t have one. This seems to be taking place on the bus, so while I can’t control what happens outside of Hype, I encourage you to speak to your student about not letting others borrow their phone. This is also a very important life skill as students work towards independence and leaving our program. They could easily be taken advantage of should the wrong person get a hold of their phone. Unless there is an emergency, they should not be handing their phone over to anyone.

• Cooking and Breakfast: Next week we will be back to cooking and having breakfast in the classroom on Friday’s. We will have pancakes for breakfast and making grilled cheese later in the day. Students should still bring snacks and fruits and vegetables to supplement their meal.

Upcoming Dates:

• February 5th – Trip to MJR to see The Lion King – Mufasa
• February 17th – No School – Winter break/day off
• February 25th – No School – Professional Development
• March 24-31 – No School – Spring Break
• Every Tuesday is an early release day – dismissal at 1:50 p.m.