The first week of school has been great!  It will be another week or so before we begin job sites and CBI sites, but we have been having a good time getting to know each other, and settling into a classroom routine.  We have several new staff members this year.  Returning are Ms. Mona Haidar, and Ms. Sue Brickey.  We’d like to welcome Ms. Cathy Yancura, Ms. Laurie Lambert, and Ms. Nehmat Dakroub.  They have been excellent additions to our program and we are excited to have them here!

We have several announcements and reminders we’d like you to be aware of:

• Please call to make an appointment with us if you need to speak with us personally.  Often times we are out of the building and we would not want you to show up and not be able to speak to us.  Also, arrival and dismissal times are not ideal for meetings.  Our students need our undivided attention during this time.  Thank you for your consideration.

• There are about 6 students who do not have their planners yet.  We use these every day and we will be keeping track of job sites, CBI sites, field trips, etc.  It is important for every student to have one so that they can complete the activities in the class.

• Please inform us of any allergies or medical concerns we may not be aware of.  The nurse is working on the medical information as we speak, but if there is anything we should know – please just drop us a line or give us a call.  We are aware of the larger issues, but may not know of all the allergies or the extent of those allergies.

• Bank accounts – we are ready to start setting up student bank accounts.  The money will be used for our CBI trips.  The money will be locked up, and will be in their own individual accounts.  We recommend sending $20-40 to start, preferably in singles;  this should last us until the winter break.  (This does not include larger trips such as bowling, dining out, etc.)  Students spend between $3-$5 at a time, and when they return to school, the activity is to balance their account.  You can begin sending money in next week.  We’d like to have everything set up by the time we are ready to start going out into the community.

• Marathon Walkers!  We have a fitness hour every day after lunch.  Currently the students are working on walking a marathon.  A marathon is 26.2 miles, which is 210 laps around the track!  We will have a celebration when we get there!!  They are very motivated and excited about this!

• Lunches – it’s great to see all the healthy lunches the students are bringing in!  As we go forward, please encourage your son/daughter to make their own lunch or to contribute.

• Save the Date!  I am working on a new project that will provide activities for our students to participate during after school hours.  Not every activity will be suitable for every student, but every student will have activities to attend over the course of the school year.  The first activity is scheduled for  Saturday Oct 17th, late afternoon or early evening.   We will be going to see the Goosebumps movie.  It’s scheduled release date is the October 16th, so as we move close to the date,  I will have more details and the requirements for students to attend.

That’s it for now!  Have a great weekend!