Hello Families!

I know many of you are anxious to learn more details about the beginning of the school year, and they should be available later this week. I will be sure to let you know what the plans are for our program as soon as I know them. I can give you a few details though that might help….

1. All teachers in the district will be using “Schoology” and Zoom to deliver live and recorded lessons, as well as posted assignments. We will be receiving training on Schoology during our professional development and then we will be able to instruct families how to access our lessons and assignments.
2. Aug 31-Sept 3 will be half days in the morning. They will not be live lessons – they will be recorded lessons or a posted assignment
3. After Sept 3, we will be running on the middle school schedule, and students may be expected to be online first thing in the morning. We will be working out our program needs with our administrators, so this could change, but I wanted to mention it now because I KNOW we’ve got some night owls out there (me included)! It’s going to be a big adjustment for all of us – trust me! LOL
4. There will be another chromebook distribution for those who need a computer to access online learning – the date has not be set yet.

I hope you all enjoy the last week of summer! Both Ms. Cote and I can be reached through our email address or you can text us a message through Remind.

Mrs. Camp – campd@dearbornschools.org

Ms. Cote – cotem@dearbornschools.org

~Camp and Cote

Hello! I hope everyone is having a good summer. Hopefully you’ve been able to get out and have some fun in a safe way! I know everyone is wondering about what the start of school will look like. While I don’t have much information to share, I will share what I do know in hopes that it may ease some of your anxieties or answer a question or two!

1. The district will be providing their reopening plan towards the end of July, first part of August. The committee is working on three different plans for reopening.
2. The district will also be offering a 100% online option for those who do not feel comfortable sending their students back to a school building. Details will be provided in August.
3. We are currently in Phase 4 of the Governor’s reopening plan. In Phase 4, students in 6th grade and above will be required to wear a mask all day. This includes our students. Please be prepared to start the school year with a clean mask for each day of the week. Students may need to practice wearing them now if they haven’t already. Ms. Cote and I will be planning on how to safely provide a “mask break” to students, such as small groups outside, as we know this will be challenging for all of us. Please remember, our masks protect the students, the students masks protect us.
4. Should Michigan move back to Phases 1-3, we will be remote learning again.
5. For safety reasons, it is not likely we will be learning in the community this year (CBI/Job Sites).

Whatever happens, remote learning, in person, part time, etc., we are confident your student will be where they should be by the time they exit our program. Please don’t feel guilty if you need to keep your student home for any reason, we understand and we will get them up to speed when they return! We have most students for 8 years, in the whole scheme of things, this is just a drop in the bucket! The most important thing is that we all stay safe and healthy. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Last day of school…last blog of the school year! We made it! I’m very thankful to work in a district that has provided so much support to both the students and staff. It was a stressful time for parents and teachers alike, but I truly felt we were supported 100%. Now it’s time to relax and not think about it for a while!

Before we go….congratulations are in order!!!!!

Susie Grandas is Graduating! She has been the sunshine to everyone’s day for years and we will miss her terribly. She has plans to work at STEP once they reopen and I am sure we will see her for some special events in the future. Wishing you and your family the best of everything Susie – it’s been a joy watching you grow up over the years!

Tori Gontarski – Moving to Project Search. Congratulations Tori, all of your hard work and gained independence has paid off! I know you will do a great job at Project Search – but we will miss you so much! I am so proud of all the work you did during the school closure – cooking, cleaning, dishes – I love it!!! You’re amazing!

Bailey Dunsmore – Moving to Project Search. Congratulations Bailey – but who will laugh at all my jokes now? I have enjoyed having you in our class so much, but I know you are ready to move on and you should! Wishing you the best of luck! Please keep in touch with us so we know what you’re up to – and so I an give you a hard time! I’m really going to miss you!

Ms. Vickie is retiring! We have been so fortunate to have an amazing staff over the years. I’ve worked with Ms. Vickie in different positions since I started teaching. (Hard to believe that was 22 years ago!) She’s truly one of the best and she will be missed by the students and staff alike. I have a feeling she might come visit when she can! Wishing you the best Vickie – thank you for everything!

For those heading to Project Search, I’ve been told that there will be an informational meeting this summer. The plan is to continue the program at Beaumont, they are just working out the details. That being said, you are not obligated to move to that program if once you attend the meeting, you don’t feel like it is the right fit. If you will be 26 next year, it will be your last year to have the opportunity to go, so that is something to think about. But if anyone attends the meeting and decides it’s not for you, you will still have a place in our class (and we would be happy to keep you!).

Planet Fitness Students – For safety reasons, we will not be attending Planet Fitness next year. Please remember to cancel your memberships once the gyms open again. (You have not been charged during closures) It is my hope that we will be able to resume Planet Fitness in the future, as so many students benefited from that program, but for now we need to be safe.

That’s a wrap! Have a safe and healthy summer!

Hello Families!

We made it to the last week of school. What a year it’s been!! I hope everyone is able to have a little bit of fun this summer, but please be safe! Our family always heads up to Silver Lake in the summer, I haven’t cancelled our reservations yet, I’m holding out hope that we will feel safe going, but…………… In the meantime I sure have been enjoying the little things, like family bonfires and watching Ryan on the slip-n-slide! I hope you are able to do the same.

The last work packet was sent out last week. Our transportation department did the deliveries, so you should have those already. We will be sending the last News 2 You activities via email, as transportation could only deliver through the 2nd. These are “extra” for those who want some things to keep busy over the summer. I know a few of you were enjoying them and making the recipes – it has been fun to see everything the students have been doing! As a reminder, please save all work and turn it in when we are able to meet again.

I know the big question on everyone’s mind is what will happen in the fall? We won’t know the answer to that until the Governor has met with her committee and we have direction from the State. I have been hearing that information might be available to us towards the end of July. I will make sure to keep everyone updated as soon as we have a clear idea of what will happen.

For those who have students moving on to Project Search, the information I have received is that Beaumont does want us back, but they like everyone else, have to determine the safest way to do that. I know it’s unsettling not to have a plan for the fall, but right now the plan is to move forward with the program. You will likely get a call from Ms. Fogarty or Ms. Jafer when more information becomes available.

That’s it for now! I will post one more time on Friday – our last official day of school! I will keep replies open on Remind this week and then turn them off on Friday at 3 p.m. If there is any information to share over the summer I will likely send it through remind.

Have a great week!

Hello! A few weeks have gone by since our last blog post. I’ll be honest – I just plain forgot last week. I must not have had anything to say! LOL! We are cruising along and the end of the year is approaching. We’ve got a few fun activities planned for those of us who join us on our google hangouts! We were happy to see some new faces this week!

Google Hangouts – We will be grouping the students into two different groups beginning this week in order to make it a little less chaotic and so that the students have more time to talk to their friends. I imagine we will do a big group hangout at the end of the year so that everyone can say goodbye for the summer. We never expected such a great turn out for these and we are so happy! Instructions from the district is no more than six students on a google hangout at a time, so we need to follow those guidelines as well. Here are some other helpful hints:

Microphone Off /Mute – going forward, we ask that everyone put their microphone on mute once they join the group. All of the different backgound noises make it difficult to hear everyone, and difficult to talk over. Little noises that you might not notice come across very loud on the computer – and when there are 15 noises at once…….ahhhhhhh! Also, the background noises cut the sound in and out, so you might miss what someone is saying. Just click the screen at the bottom of the page and you will see the microphone icon pop up. Just click on it. When a student is called on, he/she may unmute himself to talk, and then mute it back when he/she is done. You might want to take a few minutes to practice at the beginning of the next meeting. We have the ability to mute people, but the problem is once they are muted we can’t unmute them, and we’d like everyone to have the ability to talk during the hangout.

Text Comments – in the upper left corner you will see a little lined note pad. If you click on that – you can make a comment via text. Sometimes, if there is a lot of chatter, I will answer a question to a parent in that manner. Feel free to use it if you have a question! (Or if you have asked a question – keep an eye on the notes, I may have answered it there)

Tile View – in order for the students to see everyone at the same time – you can change the view to “tile view” on a laptop or pc. Unfortunately, this does not work on phones or iPads. To do this, click on the bottom of the screen, and on the right , you will see three dots for more options. You will then go to “change layout” and select “tiled”. This makes the screen look like the “Brady Bunch” intro with all the faces on the screen at one time.

Logging off – it’s important that students log off at the end of the meeting. We can’t leave until they do! LOL Everyone has been doing a good job – we’ve only had a few stragglers. If you log your son/daughter on and then leave the room (which is great!) try to check back after 20-30 minutes. Now that we will be in smaller groups, each group will be approximately 30 minutes – give or take.

Please feel free to contact me at any time if you need help with any of this. I have my phone right next to me and can help you while we are in the meeting if you are trying to get connected, or need help with settings, etc.

Coloring Contest – The coloring contest was emailed to you and at the end of last week. If your son/daughter would like to participate, please let us know and Ms. Cote will come by to pick up the pictures on Thursday May 21st. It should be taped to your front door. To keep everyone safe and healthy – please do not answer the door, but I’m sure a wave from a window would be wonderful to see! (Due to time constraints, this is not something we can send via “snail mail”)

BINGO! We are going to play a virtual Bingo game on Wednesday May 27th! We will need to know who will be playing by Wednesday, May 20th. Ms. Cote will drop off the bingo cards the same day she picks up the coloring contest. This is the only way we can make sure the students have different cards! There will be PRIZES!!! Depending on the amount of participants, there should be 2-3 winners per group. If your son/daughter wants to play – let us know ( I will send a remind text out and you can reply to that text). If something comes up and you can’t play, that’s o.k., but it’s better to get a card now instead of wishing you had.

That’s it for now! Any questions, contact us at any time. We hope you are all safe and healthy!

~Camp and Cote

How is it May already? This leaves me with mixed feelings as normally this time of year, there is excitement in the classroom, the days become filled with fun, end of the year activities, and the countdown to summer begins. Even though there is still uncertainty in the air, I am looking forward to warmer days, sunshine, planting my flowers, and the ability to get out and about more with the nicer weather on it’s way. Soon, the school year will officially end, which will hopefully allow for all of us to relax and enjoy the summer months the best way we can.

Everyone should have received a text through Remind earlier today. We’d appreciate it if everyone would respond when they have a moment. We are required to make contact with families 2x a week and this is one of the ways we can do that – but your response is needed! You can reply right on the remind app, as I have left replies “on” for the duration of the school closure.

Next week, we will host a google hangout. It is scheduled for Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. The email/invitations will be sent out today. All you have to do is follow the link in your email. This will be a great opportunity for the students to see each other! We will send an “agenda” next week.

For those of you who requested their work packets to be mailed – your materials are on their way! However, we have gotten word that the post office is extremely behind and some areas are only receiving service every other day. The district is looking into other ways of delivering materials in a more timely manner.

Thank you to those who have been sending us pictures and videos! We love it – keep them coming! It really makes us so happy to see everyone! Hope to see you next week during our google hangout!

As always, if you have questions or concerns about anything, please feel free to contact us at any time!

~Camp and Cote

Hello! It was good talking to everyone this week as we made our way through the contingency plans. In speaking with many of you, you indicated that you would like your son/daughters work packet mailed to you. Printing goes out every Wednesday – so please look for those towards the end of the week next week. Directions are included, but if you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.

Moving forward, we will be making contact with families and/or students twice a week. The requirement is that it is a “two way” contact, so it will be in the form of a phone call, text or email (anticipating a reply), or a google hangout. (Currently, our google hangouts are on hold due to a technical issue so it may be a bit longer before we can schedule one.) Phone calls may come from a teacher or a classroom paraprofessional. (I know they are excited to talk to the students as well!) However, if you have specific questions about your son/daughter or their progress, please direct them towards me or Ms. Cote.

If you are in need of a Chromebook for your student, there is a Chromebook distribution scheduled for April 28th at Howe School. I will provide the details in a remind text when I get them. Anyone who indicated they needed a computer or laptop on the technology survey is already on the list to receive one. Please note, this is a loan and not a giveaway. LOL!

Also, we love pictures of students doing their work, pictures of their completed work, and of them following the schedule that was provided to you. (Doing dishes, laundry, cooking, etc.) Keep them coming! We’d like to see as many students as we can!

News 2 You – Many of you indicated that you loved News 2 You and I have seen pictures of students making the recipes included in that packet. This makes us so happy! News 2 You will be sent to your email every week! I’ve already sent next week’s copy to Ms. Cote for the mailing.

In May – there will be a special “BINGO” activity to complete between May and June 12. Students should complete as many boxes as they can and return to school for a special prize! This will be sent via email/mail the week of May 4th. Something fun for everyone!

Until next time – take care! Talk to you next week!

~Camp and Cote

Hello!

Just a quick note to let you know that beginning next week, we will begin contacting families twice a week in order to check in and to monitor the progress the students are making towards their goals. Plan on hearing from either me or Ms. Cote once a week, and possibly one of our paraprofessionals once a week.

Work packets and a suggested schedule were sent via email earlier this week. Since we have moved from “enrichment activities” to “remote learning”, this is required work the students should complete and be working on daily. Additional activities will be posted on our Facebook page and will will also use Remind as ways of posting activities and contacting families. If you haven’t received it or if you are unable to print it, please reach out to us so we can make sure you have access to it. Students who are on a medical leave will be receiving a packet next week.

You can contact us through our email addresses or the remind system, whichever you prefer. If using remind – texts after 3 p.m. may not be seen until the next day. I have turned off “comments” for the blog, as they are very difficult to respond to. We don’t always see them and I’m not able to respond from my phone, which I use a lot for work. Email and remind is the quickest way to get to us.

Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns! We’ll be talking to you next week!

~Camp and Cote

Hello! I hope this finds you all well! By now, you should have all received an email from us containing the next work packet. This work should last for the remainder of the year. Included in the packet you will find:

Suggested Daily Schedule – provides structure to the activities students should be working on daily, as well as a specific focus for the day, as well as how they relate to transition. (Daily Living Skills, Personal Hygiene, etc.)

Instructional Packets – three instructional packets + 2 News 2 You Packets to provide daily instruction throughout the remainder of the year. Please pace yourself, 1-2 activities a day is plenty. When you see your daily schedule you will see the other activities you should complete in addition to this.

Healthy Lunch and Exercise Journal – a log so that students can continue learning about food choices and keep up their healthy habits. Students should also aim for 30 minutes of exercise a day whether it be by playing basketball, riding a bike, going for a walk, etc. Please tell us what you did! (Camp Zip is still providing free yoga classes on Tuesdays and Fridays – follow the link on our Facebook page “Dearborn Transition Program”

It’s important that all students work on these packets as we now move from “enrichment activities” to “remote learning”. We will have to document progress and we will be checking in on their progress. If you have not received your packet, or you are not able to print your packet, please let us know through email or remind. I can’t promise a packet to you immediately, but I know the district is working out a way for us to print and mail. We are very thankful that the State is allowing us to continue to teach our students this way rather than having to extend the school year, or the school day. We know it is not the same, but please do your best to complete the work and return it to school in the fall. We miss you all!

We will be in meetings all week this week, there may be more information to share, but until then, we hope everyone is doing well and we will talk to you soon! Please continue to follow us on Facebook for more enrichment ideas.

Take care!

~Camp and Cote

Hello! By now, everyone has heard that schools will be closed for the remainder of the year. That means, school buildings will be closed, but Ms. Cote and I will still be here, we will still be providing activities for the students, and we will still be available, either by email, through our Facebook page, and through Remind. I have allowed “replies” to remain open on the Remind system and you can reply to anything that we send out. The reply will only go to me, it will not be visible to the entire group.

So….what’s next? Students should be making their way through the first packet of work, and it’s my guess they are pretty close to being done. Next week, we are considered to be officially on Spring Break. There will not be anything that goes out next week. However, after spring break, we will be sending another packet of work for students to complete over the remaining 8 weeks of school. As of right now, we plan to send the work via email, however that might change as we work to make sure all students will have access to the materials. Additionally, we will be required to check on student progress, and we will do that through the Remind system. Again, please save all work and turn in when school resumes in the fall.

Facebook – this is going to be a really important resource for you. Even if you create an account and use it for nothing but following our page, it will be worth it. We post at least two activities a day, while trying to be mindful of not overwhelming the page. You don’t have to do every activity, but I do think that there’s something for everybody. If you have a smart phone, laptop, iPad or computer, you have access!

Ms. Cote and I have been trying to reach out and talk to each of our students. If there is a language barrier, we have asked our Social Worker, Mariam Alouie to contact you just to make sure everyone is doing o.k.! We will continue to reach out over the closure – please don’t be afraid to answer a blocked call. It’s probably one of us just checking in!

We miss everyone and know we will get through this together – just separately! 🙂 “Talk” to you after the break! 🙂