The newsletter for and about Woodland Developmental Center SPRING 2018

The Woodland

The Woodland Developmental Center is operated by the St. Clair County Regional

Educational Service Agency.

Diana Maison, PrincipalBrian Jex, Assistant Principal

499 Range RoadMarysville, MI 48040

Main Office: (810) 455-1011

To report an absence: (810) 364-7757

Busing: (810) 364-7757

OnlineThe Woodland Word is available online at www.sccresa.org. Click on the Woodland Developmental Center button on the RESA homepage.

Lunch menuLunch menus are available online at www.sccresa.org (Click on the Woodland button on the left-hand side of the homepage) or in the school office.

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Olympics of any sort are important

The Olympics are great things, whether talking about the recently ended Winter Olympics featuring some of the world’s greatest athletes, or our Special Olympics featuring

some of the greatest athletes we know personally. Our students and staff here had an exciting opportunity during the Winter Olympics to have a video chat with Teri Billins, aide in classroom 208. Teri was in South Korea with family to watch her son, Chad, perform with the USA men’s hockey team. Athletics are important at Woodland. Students and staff went

to Unified Basketball in late February. We’re all looking forward at the end of May to Unified Bocce Ball and the Special Olympics Summer Games. At our Special Olympics, everyone is a champion.

Woodland aide sees son at OlympicsTeri Billins spent a chunk of February: In Pyeongchang, South Korea, watching her son, Chad, play in the Winter Olympics on the USA men’s hockey team. “We’re so thrilled. It’s unreal,” said Teri, an aide in room 208 at Woodland. The Marysville native currently plays professionally for a Swedish team. For the first time in two decades, no National Hockey League players competed in the Olympics. Chad’s two brothers and their father, Jason, also play hockey. Teri does, too. Teri said 10 family members attended the Games. Teri said of her son, “He is so pumped. He played in the NHL for 10 games with Calgary, but this is a way bigger honor, playing for your country.” Chad, 28, a defenseman, also played for Ferris State University and the Grand Rapids Griffins, among other teams.

The Woodland Word | Spring 2018 2FROM THE FOOD SERVICE DIRECTOR

Free breakfast and lunch help our children learnThe Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 establishes requirements for schools to have healthy and affordable school lunches available for all students. Most are aware that school lunches are available but some may not know we provide breakfast as well. Research shows that starting the day with a nutritious breakfast helps students stay alert and perform better in school. At Woodland, we participate in the breakfast in the classroom program. This means that all Woodland students have a FREE breakfast available to them every day. At the

start of our students’ day at 9 a.m., all of our students are served whole grain foods, fresh fruit, fresh dairy and more to get their day off to the right start. Food is served in their classrooms. Breakfast menus are sent home with students each month and are available on our website. Any questions regarding the food breakfast program may be directed to me.– Sarah Hill, Food Service Director(810) 455-4289 • Hill.Sarah@sccresa.org

FROM THE SCHOOL NURSE

We’re here to help with your student’s healthMay times throughout the school year, students may have a change in medication, or experience an illness that requires hospitalization or requires surgery. If any of these situations occur, here are some steps that will help us better care for your student.If your student is prescribed medication to be given at school, please send the script from the doctor with instructions that include medication name, time medication is to be given, medication dose, and any special instructions. If your students’ current medication dose or time changes,

please send in a new prescription noting the new instructions. Prescriptions from physicians are required for all medications including over-the-counter medication such as Tylenol or Motrin. This also includes creams and ointments. Medications must have a current pharmacy label with the correct instructions on the label. The medication label must match the prescription provided by the physician. All medications must be brought to school by a parent/guardian or given to the bus driver. Medications cannot be transported to school in notebooks or backpacks, the exception being Diastat and Epi-pens. If your student is hospitalized for surgery or illness, please be sure your physician provides you with a note authorizing the student to return to school and describes any restrictions to activity, equipment, swim, gym, or weight bearing. If you know your student will be having surgery, and especially orthopedic surgery, please call the teacher or myself and we will send a release form home for your physician to complete. These forms are very detailed and specific to Woodland students and especially those students involved in the MOVE program. Any physician prescription or authorization to return to school can also be faxed to (810) 364-3251 attention Louann Rinke, BSN, RN– Louann Rinke, BSN, RN, School Nurse(810) 455-4364 • rinke.louann@sccresa.org

Contacting WoodlandIf you have questions about Woodland, you can call the office directly at 455-4011.For questions aboutbusing, call the transportation department at 364-7757. This is also the number you should use to report an absence for your child. If you would like to speak with your child’s teacher, you can be connected by calling the office.

Parent mentors now available If you are a new Woodland parent or a parent just wanting more information or guidance, we are happy to connect you with a “parent mentor” who can answer your questions and share their experiences and knowledge. Please call Diana Maison at (810) 455-4376 for further information.

Visitors asked to sign in at officeParents and otherWoodland visitors are reminded that they must sign the sign-in sheet when visiting the school. This helps us ensure the safety of our students.

The Woodland Word | Spring 2018 3

Hoops for Heart event promotes healthy livingIn February, Woodland students participated in the annual Hoops for Heart Red Out event. Hoops for Heart is a national fundraising program designed to help children with heart disease while educating students about the importance of a healthy heart. Hoops for Heart promotes physical activity, heart-healthy living, and community service to children. Throughout the month of February, Woodland students raised money for the American Heart Association. For more information, please contact Tracey Houston at tracey.houston@sccresa.org.

FROM THE SOCIAL WORKER

Parents can find a helping hand nearbyAs the school social worker at Woodland, I am available to assist parents and guardians by linking them with community resources, assisting with outside agency collaboration, providing information on applying for guardianship and requirements for students turning age 18. I can also make KIDS (Kids in Distress) referrals in the event that a student and siblings need clothing. I am happy to answer any questions parents/guardians have and I am knowledgeable about the resources in our community to meet the needs of our students and

their families. Please contact me.– Rory Ayotte, School Social Worker (810) 455-4366 • ayotte.rory@sccresa.org.

Calendar• March 30-April 6 –

Spring Break

Training Table RestaurantThe Training Table restaurant insideWoodland is open to RESA staff and Woodland parents. Please call (810) 455-4434 a day ahead to make reservations.

Hours: Tuesdays andWednesdays 11 a.m.–12:30 p.m.

Price: $4.75 adults, $3.75 clients

Salad bar is served each Tuesday. The menu changes each Wednesday.

Woodland athletes take their skills outdoorsA Special Olympics winter event took place Jan. 30-Feb. 2 in Traverse City and Schuss Mountain. Twelve athletes attended. Events were snowshoeing and alpine skiing. Multiple medals and ribbons were won by our athletes. The event was sponsored by Wertz Warriors.

The Woodland Word | Spring 2018 4

Unified dance project takes things to an X-Treme degreeTwenty-five Woodland students teamed up with the local non-profit dance team called X-Treme. They practiced at Woodland for 5 weeks. Their performance was Feb. 17 at Port Huron Northern High School at the Port Huron X-Treme’s dance competition.

Two Unified Basketball teams from Woodland participated in a tournament Feb. 24 at Western Michigan University. One team won gold, while the other team took fourth.

LINKS program sees our kids making new friends with other kidsWoodland staff take three students from our young SXI classes (room 101 and room 105) twice a month to participate in Mrs. Bowns’ kindergarten classroom activities at Washington Elementary School as part of our LINKS program. We have been doing this since the fall and we notice many positive benefits for our students as a result of the peer to peer interactions.

Our staff also look forward to taking students to Washington Elementary to participate and observe the interactions between Mrs. Bowns’ students and the students from Woodland. It is also a great opportunity for the students to make new friendships and to learn the importance of respecting and embracing one another’s differences. We appreciate Mrs. Bowns, the staff and administration at Washington Elementary School for allowing us this opportunity. We hope to expand the LINKS program even more in the coming years.

The Woodland Word | Spring 2018 5MOVE PROGRAM by Deborah Lawniczak

Classrooms hold up students for their work, attitudeThis edition of Mobility Opportunities Via Education (MOVE) is highlighting Kaitlynn D. from room 106 and Nick R. from room 216. These classroom teaching teams are proud of the skills their students are gaining and maintaining using the MOVE curriculum.

Room 106 likes to talk about Kaitlynn D. and all the things she can do. When upright in her Pacer, Kaitlynn shows efforts to move her legs. In supported sitting, Kaitlynn does very well maintaining head control and eye gaze in order to participate in Eagle Eyes activities. Kaitlynn is also communicating to staff her desire to continue an activity she likes.

Not sure who likes to brag about Nick more, his classroom 216 or the Physical Therapy department. Nick is a happy, social young man who enjoys chatting with staff and peers, especially about sports. He works hard to do his best and likes helping others. To stay physically active, Nick enjoys riding his adaptive trike and walking in his Pacer.

PTO fundraisers pay off in our classroomsIt’s been a wonderful year for the PTO so far. Our fundraisers have done well and we have been able to buy many items for the classroom wishlists. We were able to support nine of our students for Christmas. We also were able to purchase a video camera for the school so Janet does not have to keep videos on her phone anymore. So, thank you to all parents and staff for supporting us. The staff luncheon will be March 22 and our restaurant will be doing the fixin’s: Chili, cornbread, veggie sticks w/dip and cherry crisp for dessert. We love doing this for our wonderful staff. I want to remind everyone to go to our Woodland PTO Facebook page. There you can see what we are doing and post pics from events and see them also. Right now there are videos and pictures from the Winter Olympics. There are still coupon pages for sale for Hungry Howie’s -- a great deal. Also, you will be getting notices for pizza night at Hungry Howie’s in students backpacks to remind you of Pizza Night. We earn a percentage for the PTO for every pizza sold to our families. If you are an Amazon user, you can sign up for Amazon Smile Along with Shoparoo, where you submit pictures of your receipts. Both fundraisers give money to us and they don’t require any effort. Easy peasy! If you have any questions regarding the fundraisers, let us know.– Laura MacDonald, PTO President