The K&W Guide is a resource book I highly recommend for parents, students, and other professionals in the counseling field.  This book not only details the colleges and universities with accommodations for students with learning disabilities organized by state, it also goes through how to prepare for college interviews, and also how to request accommodations that each student needs on the college level.  The school profiles in this guide include what the learning disabilities program offers, what services they have (such as the cost for tutoring and use of extended time), as well as the contact information.  Graduation requirements and general admissions information is listed as well.  In my opinion, this guide is certainly necessary to have on hand if you are applying to college and your son or daughter is looking to receive accommodations beyond high school!

Last evening Aaron Academy hosted another successful parent workshop.  In attendance were 20 parents and professionals interested in learning more about how to appropriately communicate with their sons and daughters on the topic of sex education.  Role plays and an active discussion yielded a truly valuable workshop with practical strategies parents can use at home!

Last evening I had the privilege of attending a guidance counselors information session, facility tour, and cooking class along with 20 other counselors.  Four programs were focused on during the information session, including culinary arts, hospitality management, pastry & baking, and culinary management.  I was highly impressed by the number of options offered to students enrolled in each program at ICE.  The number of months to complete the program is highly flexible, as well as the time of day for courses. Overall, the event peaked my interest and I hope to pass the information along to the students, parents, and faculty of Aaron Academy.

This past Saturday I attended the RCSN, Resources for Children with Special Needs, annual camp fair along with the social worker, Martine Soren from Aaron Academy.  Providing viable options for the parents and students of our community is a critical piece for each child’s development and continued work on their strengths.  This year, Aaron Academy will host its first summer arts program housed within our building!  Pictured below is Lorraine Neal, who has worked diligently at organizing a successful program for middle and high school students.  She will serve as the Director of the program.  Please take a look at the link below to find out more about the Aaron Academy Summer Arts Program: http://aaronacad.org/summerprogram.php

For any additional camp information, please email msoren@aaronacad.org

Blythe Grossberg’s, Psy.D. (2010) book, Applying to College for Students with ADD Or LD: A Guide to Keep You (and Your Parents) Sane, Satisfied, and Organized Through the Admission Process, aims to allay the anxiety that many parents endure during the college process.  The book hones in on the college process, specifically for students who have diagnosed learning disabilities, and how to advocate and receive the accommodations each student needs. The checklists and resources listed are also of critical importance for helping each student keep on track toward reaching their individualized goals for post-secondary options!

Blythe Grossberg will visit Aaron Academy on Thursday, March 22nd for a workshop that will take parents of high school families through important chapters of her book. Please email anagy@aaronacad.org for more information.

The 9th grade Transition Seminar class completed a self-reported questionnaire today that highlighted their academic and social-emotional strengths and weaknesses. The class then wrote their most prominent strength on one side of the construction paper slip, while on the other side each student listed an area they would like to improve upon.  We affixed the strips into a continuous chain to affirm that they would check-in with each other during our seminar meetings on the progress they are making toward their improvement upon their weakness. Aaron Academy students continually work toward showing growth in areas of strength and weakness to lead to a successful transition after high school!

I had an exciting visitor at Aaron Academy yesterday, Ms. Erika Chernomorets, M.Ed., the creator of Motivate Me NYC!

Trained as a guidance counselor from Fordham University, Erika works to help students reach their full potential through mentorship, assessment, and putting an individualized plan in place.  Erika utilizes smart goals, reward systems, and looks at each child holistically in order to help each child reach their optimal level of functioning.  She works with students from 7th-12th grades and primarily focuses on social-emotional guidance, as well as academic assistance.  Her website is listed below:

www.MotivateMeNYC.com

As the students returned from their winter break yesterday, the 10th grade will begin understanding what a college application looks like during transition seminar class this week.  Students will gain knowledge of the distinction between institution specific applications in comparison to the common application. Currently, there are 456 participating colleges and universities that allow students to apply using the common application, including institutions in the United States and Europe. I look forward to aiding the 10th graders in gaining awareness of what aspects will be important in the college application process!

To recognize the Day of Giving, the Aaron Academy 9th and 10th grade students had a field experience in Bronx, NY at a food distribution warehouse.  Students and teachers were able to experience what it would be like to work and volunteer at a warehouse through sorting, packaging, and weighing food to be distributed to the needy.  In just a short time, the students packed 30 boxes, weighing in at 1,285 pounds to be distributed!  It was certainly an educational and meaningful way to spend our last day before for holiday break.

This past Saturday marked the first test administration of the ACT at Aaron Academy.  In total, 32 high school students from various high schools tested with great success.  We will have our next test administration on June 9th.