We are grateful for all our SKILLs students and families.
We hope you have a wonderful Holiday! Here are some moments from our amazing annual Thanksgiving Potluck. Thank you to all the families who contributed. Dear SKILLs Families, It has been a wonderful few weeks at SKILLs! SKILLs students have been actively working to explore and improve their communities. Students have also enjoyed the company of seniors from CA! SKILLs students have served as "tour guides" for seniors who have spent the past few weeks learning about SKILLs classes and community partners. SKILLs students have emerged as welcoming leaders, while also practicing their communication skills! Take a look at this new project from Google, focused on making speech recognition accessible to everyone. Students will be dismissed at noon on Wednesday, November 27th. School will be closed on Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th for Thanksgiving. Students will be dismissed at noon on Friday, December 6th. Jacqueline Bediako Assistant Division Head, SKILLs Let's Work!Internships are in full swing at SKILLs, and students are earning their paychecks and taking pride in their hard work! See below for some photos! Jennifer Dinney, Chair of Vocational Services Let's Get Social!Let’s Get Social! Are you interested in hearing about programs and activities throughout NYC to support socialization and skill building for your child? If so, check out the "Let's Get Social!" column in each newsletter! INVICTUS ENTERPRISES Invictus Enterprises offers students work readiness, job training, and employment opportunities to people of all abilities. They offer courses such as: “Introduction to Culinary”, “Microsoft Coding Community Class” and “Building your own Business: Entrepreneurship Community Class”. For more information check out their website: https://www.weareinvictus.org/class-schedule Contact them at [email protected] Community Building BlocksFor clinical block this semester students in the Jets cohort are focusing on projects that increase their sense of community, within SKILLs. One aspect of this class has been supporting students to work in small groups and identify a project to improve their community (i.e. building new shelves, coat racks, stools, planters, etc). The groups have demonstrated advocacy, teamwork and problem solving. Students listened to the opinions of their peers, compromised and worked as a team to conceptualize and create these items. David Oren School Psychologist On November 7th and 8th students at SKILLs participated in Family Conferences. Students talked about their work and school life with their families, teachers and therapists. The meetings were a great opportunity for students to practice their skills related to self-advocacy, communication and listening comprehension. Students did a fantastic job sharing in their meetings! School will be closed on Monday, November 11th, 2019 for Veterans' Day. Students will be dismissed at noon on Wednesday, November 27th. School will be closed on Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th for Thanksgiving! Please remember to contact Sally Ord ([email protected] or 917-443-9532) if you have any contact from CSE 9 regarding IEP meetings or evaluation requests. Also, learn more about Foodie Friends, an inclusive weekly cooking program for young people aged 14-22. It will take place on Wednesdays at the Essex Market on the Lower East Side. More information can be found here! There will be a PSA meeting on Wednesday, December 4, 2019 at the Cooke Academy (60 MacDougal Street) beginning at 6:00 pm. A talk focused on "How To Prepare Your Child For Sleep Away Camp" will be delivered by Mike Kunin. Food, beverages and care for your son or daughter will be provided. Enjoy the long weekend everyone! Jacqueline Bediako, Assistant Division Head, SKILLs Let's Get Social!Let’s Get Social! Are you interested in hearing about programs and activities throughout NYC to support socialization and skill building for your child? If so, check out the "Let's Get Social!" column in each newsletter! Gigi’s Playhouse GiGi’s Playhouse is a community and education center specifically designed to celebrate and support individuals with Down syndrome and their families in New York City (106 West 117th Street, New York, NY 10026). All of their programs are designed to empower individuals with Down syndrome to be their own best advocates. https://gigisplayhouse.org/newyork/new-york-programs/ Check out some of their adult programs: GiGiFIT – Focuses on improving areas of fitness through activities in strength, endurance, joint stability, balance, movement control and more. GiGiFIT promotes wellness through nutrition, pushing through barriers and building self-confidence. Fantastic Friends: A fun night out to facilitate social interactions between adults with Down syndrome, their peers and the community. Supports the development of social skills and language through peer to peer interaction in a casual and fun setting. All adults welcome from ages 18 and up. GiGi’s Career Development Programs: Our Career Development Programs prepare adults with Down syndrome to gain meaningful employment or volunteer opportunities in their community. These programs teach Confident U. Healthy U. Whole U through communication, work habits, job skills, fitness and nutrition. These programs promote an environment of inclusion and acceptance for individuals with Down syndrome. Recommended for ages 18+. Humanities 101 visits the borough of Queens: This past October, students from the Mets, Jets, and Giants cohorts traveled to the borough of Queens. Students traveled in small groups with one staff member and decided which subway train and route to take to get there and back. Some of the places that were visited included a bookstore known as Book Culture (located in Long Island City), the Queens Library at Court Square, and the brand new Queens Library at Hunters Point. The students had brief discussions with their peers about what genres of books they enjoyed. They also had opportunities to learn about different genres, such as graphic novels and manga. Students enjoyed some nice views of the Manhattan skyline from Long Island City. Enjoy the following pictures below of students at the brand new Queens Library at Hunters Point! Devin Power SKILLs Head Teacher, Humanities 101 Xavier at the Front DoorFor students who are eligible for OPWDD services, families and students are required to attend an OPWDD Front Door session. These sessions provide families with an understanding of OPWDD’s mission and purpose, types of supports and services available, and where you can get assistance. On October 25th, 2019, one of our students, Xavier attended the 35th Annual Queens County Developmental Disability Family Support Conference. In this conference, Xavier sat in a two-hour Front Door presentation, in which he obtained a certificate. This certificate is important in accessing services through OPWDD, and obtaining a Care Manager through Care Coordination Organization. Following the Front Door Session, Xavier attended the Resource Fair to better understand the programs available for people with disabilities. Xavier spoke to various program representatives and directors to learn about programs, understand what is available for him, and how he can apply to them after he graduates. See the pictures below: SKILLs Students Present to NYU StudentsMary Clancy, Division Head at Cooke Academy High School, teaches a graduate-level course at New York University for teachers obtaining their special education certification. One of the class topics is “Transition” and each year, SKILLs students are invited as guest speakers to speak about their internships, life as a young adult, and transition plans to graduate students. Allia, Emma D, Jadin, Celines, and Catherine talked about their future goals, their current and past internships, and independence in the community and at home. They described their classes at the SKILLs Program, what they do in their free time, and their goals after they graduate. All of the students also shared the importance of Cooke in their lives, and how much the Cooke community has helped them with gaining more academic skills, and providing them opportunities for work. See the pictures below: |
Cooke
|