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 | | April 1, 2011 |
| Katherine Hamm Poetry Jam Showcases Original Works |  | | | | |  Today, students of the Katherine Hamm Center proudly presented their "Katherine Hamm Poetry Jam" during their 2011 spring performance. Dressed in black with brightly colored berets, these "cool cats" each took their turn at the microphone to recite their original works and traditional poems while the audience snapped their fingers in appreciation. To prepare the older students, teachers used a poetry study and helped them practice their language, reading, and speech skills for their recitations. Younger students recited nursery rhymes, and all full-day students including preschoolers, performed a song for the final act. Thank you to Nicholee Ward for her originality in planning and preparing for the Poetry Jam, Ellen Estes for her backstage management, Janice Rice for her piano accompaniment, and especially the students for all their hard work!
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| THANK YOU Goes to all our Volunteers | | | | | | In celebration of National Volunteer Week, April 10-16, we would like to say THANK YOU to all our fabulous families and friends who dedicate their time, energy, and enthusiasm to help shape the lives of all the children in our School.
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| April is National Occupational Therapy Month | | | | | |  During the month of April, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants are recognized for assisting people of all ages “live life to its fullest” by helping them participate in the activities that they want and need to do. Through the use of everyday activities (occupations), therapists support the ability of individuals with disabilities, illnesses, or injuries to perform daily tasks as independently as possible. They work in a variety of practice settings, including schools, hospitals, out-patient clinics, community centers, homes, and work environments. Occupational therapists make a contribution in the following practice areas: 1) children and youth; 2) health and wellness; 3) mental health; 4) productive aging; 5) rehabilitation, disability, and participation; and 6) work and industry. For more information, please refer to the American Occupational Therapy website at http://www.aota.org/Consumers/Professionals/WhatIsOT.aspx or contact Roeline du Plessis.
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| Wardlaw Students Initiate School's Kindness Campaign | | | | | |  "Kindness is catching...pass it on." This is the theme that three inspiring students hope spreads throughout the School as they spearhead a Kindness Campaign kicked-off during the recent Reading Incentive Program. The idea developed during Ursula McIntyre's reading class in which the girls discussed the dangers of bullying and the importance of being kind. They suggested that the School participate in the Kindness and Compassion campaign being promoted by 11Alive and inspired by Rachel's Challenge. Please view the video at the left that the girls scripted to demonstrate kindness in action in our School.
During the campaign, students can earn paper links for acts of kindness that will be added to a chain, demonstrating the positive impact kindness can have on people's lives. At the conclusion of the campaign on November 11, the girls will deliver the Speech School's chain to the World Congress Center where it will be joined with chains from other schools, businesses, and communities.
Rachel's Challenge is named for Rachel Scott, the first person killed at Columbine High School in April 1999. Her acts of kindness and compassion coupled with the contents of her six diaries have become the foundation for this nationwide program. For more information please contact Ursula McIntyre.
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| News from the Board | | by Debbie Dreas, Staff Board Liaison | | | | When the personnel committee of the board met on March 15, they were asked, “What is the most critical resource of the Atlanta Speech School?” Their unanimous answer was the staff of the School. The board as a whole concurred at its meeting on March 16. As I sit in meetings of the whole board and the education committee, this respect for the skills and devotion of the staff comes across loud and clear.
You may know that there are many facility improvements that are in the works or will be soon. Over the spring holidays, work began on the main parking lot. In addition to making ingress and egress safer, the design allows us to pick up several critically needed parking spaces. To improve climate control and to help us conserve energy, the HVAC system will be replaced in the oldest sections of the building. This work will begin in early June with completion anticipated in early August. Two new classroom spaces will be completed to accommodate the Stepping Stones’ transition kindergarten class and the upcoming changes to the Kenan 3-year old classes. These classrooms will necessitate some other changes, including the relocation of Ken Cressman’s office and the textbook room.
A study was completed on the sound attenuation work needed in the Wardlaw classrooms to decrease the background noise level and to help optimize learning conditions for the students. As time permits during the summer months, the contractor will address the bleed through of sound from the music and PE rooms into the classrooms, as well as sounds from the HVAC system. If all the work cannot be completed this summer, it will be addressed over the next 12 months. Also, artificial turf will be added to the playing field surface of the playground. This option will provide a safe surface for different sports as well as reduce the wear and tear on the building from mud and wood chips being tracked into the School. Last but not least, another change coming in the near future is on-line applications and admissions for the different school programs. The board agreed to purchase software to implement this change for the coming year.
I continue to marvel at our Board of Directors. They have an excellent understanding of all of the different programs and services offered by the Atlanta Speech School, and they consistently demonstrate a willingness to give both their time and talents to help us meet our mission.
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| 2-Day Training Walk | | | | | | It's not too late to join in the Atlanta 2-day Journey training walk this Saturday, April 16. Please join other staff members as we prepare for the BIG walk on Sept. 24-25 to help raise money to fight breast cancer. The training walk is a short three miles, but you will have a chance to be inspired by the community of care. distance -- 3 miles -- but is to support colleagues and loved ones who have had or are battling breast cancer. For more information visit the team page at www.2daywalk.org/2011walker/wisewomen or go to www.itsthejourney.org and follow the prompts for a specific donation. For more information, contact Terri Carroll.
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| Wardlaw Students Collect Funds to Fight Hunger | | | | | |  Over the last several months, 3rd level Wardlaw students participated in a service project to help families and individuals disadvantaged by poverty by providing food to feed their families. Shelly Corgel's, Leigh Record's, and Laura Wiener's classes participated in a "Read to Feed" project in which they raised nearly $2,200 to donate to Heifer International, an organization that gives families livestock, trains on their care, teaches families how to improve their nutrition, and instructs them how to generate a sustainable income.
In order to better understand how they could help the families, these classes engaged in research projects on the animals, wrote reports, made posters, and presented to their classes. They voted that the money would be spent on: two llamas, two water buffaloes, three goats, two sheep, two pigs, shares of a camel and a heifer, rabbits, swarms of honeybees, and flocks of chicks, ducks, and geese. Addtionally, Mrs. Corgel drew on her experiences during her summer vacation in Africa and shared pictures of her trip, helping personalize the families who are benefiting from this network of hope and generosity.
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3160 Northside Parkway NW, Atlanta, GA 30327 • Phone: (404) 233-5332 • Fax: (404) 266-2175 | |
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