The High Road School of Norwalk is a state-approved special education day school serving students with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges. To best meet the needs of this population, we’ve created a small, structured leaning environment that focuses on personalized academic, behavioral, and transitional goals to ensure our students’ growth. And our scholastic program- serving students ages 7-21 in Fairfield county and surrounding areas meets all state-mandated guidelines and regulations as we work with each student individually to help them either reintegrate into the public school system or proceed towards graduation.

Our talented team of highly trained special education teachers modifies the curriculum in accordance with the graduation requirements of each student’s home district. Supplemented by the expertise of skilled and caring therapists and support personnel who work with our students’ on an as needed basis, our program concentrates, above all else, on the success of all of our students on all fronts- in school, at home, and in the community. To help them achieve this success, as much as possible and as often as possible, we maintain a low staff-to-student ratio that allows ongoing customized instruction, and we strive every day to nurture the warm and caring atmosphere of our school, characterized by an unwavering commitment to each student’s academic, social, and emotional development

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High Road Schools of CT Presents Informational Workshops for Parents and Guardians March 2012

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3Rd Annual Juan DeJesus Memorial Basketball Game

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November Parent Workshops Calendar

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Presentation for Parents & Guardians: Emergency Mobile Psychiatric Service (EMPS)

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Parents Know Best: Working to Find Success For Children and Families.

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Open House

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Parent Workshops

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Community Projects

The High Road Schools of CT has always strived to teach the students to give back to their communities to help them feel connected to the world out side of their families and school. So many of our students require a great deal of support in their academics or social skills and have often felt out of step with the people and places around them. By getting them involved in community projects it gives students the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone and learn how their contributions can impact others in a positive way. In the process the students raise their self esteem and widen their world view. 

Students from the High Road School of Wallingford – High School had a wonderful opportunity this past holiday season to make an impact on their community by holding class fundraisers that raised a total of $700.00! They took the money and bought toys for the Smilow Cancer Center in New Haven who were thrilled to receive such items as x-box games, board games, arts and crafts supplies to name a few of the things that brightened up the holidays for the children.  The students participating in the Building Maintenance and Trade program at the high school also built a beautiful pine toy chest to donate to the center as well.

High Road Student Learning Center Upper school students were busy this year putting on a Hoop-A-Thon to benefit our local Make a Wish Foundation in memory of a beloved staff member who had a soft spot in his heart for this organization. They also raised $700.00 to donate to them so that Make a Wish can continue to make critically ill children’s wishes come true.

Our regional basketball fundraiser brings all seven school sites together to raise money for High Road’s Juan DeJesus Memorial Scholarship. Our competitive sports team, High Road Hornets, plays against the High Road Staff in a lively competition held at Albertus Magnus College. Parents, districts, staff, and friends come together to root for the students and support this very worthy cause. The scholarship is awarded to a High Road graduate planning to go on to college or a technical school program. An essay contest is held to determine the winner.

The above are just a few examples of how our students are making a difference in their communities.  By focusing on what they can do to help others, the students at High Road Schools of CT learn that with teamwork, perseverance, and commitment, anything is possible!

Juan's Story

Every once in a while you hear of an act of kindness that seems so altruistic and so unexpected that it doesn’t seem real.  Random acts of kindness are so few and far between these days that when they do happen, the concept of “altruism” or “paying it forward” is almost too hard to grasp.  But a student at High Road School of Norwalk has recently been a recipient of such an act, and it has not only served to help this student personally, it has had a profoundly uplifting effect on all of us around him who have witnessed it.

Back in September, our social worker Kristina Lyons learned that a 10th grade student, Juan Cardona, had the opportunity to visit Australia with his soccer team.  The trip was going to cost an overwhelming $6,000, but Kristina and the staff at HRSN were determined to help Juan achieve this once in a lifetime opportunity.  Our minds raced at the thought of Juan having the chance to leave his troubled community in Bridgeport, CT, and to travel thousands of miles away to experience a new culture and way of life that could open his eyes and mind forever.  Kristina worked with agencies involved in Juan’s life to see if money raised by the school could be matched; the idea being that collectively we could attain this experience for Juan.  Initially, it seemed like all stars were aligning to make this happen.  HRSN held a small fundraiser and First County Bank in Stamford donated $2,500 when they learned of the initiative!  But due to factors outside of our hands, the trip ceased being a possibility for a Juan.

Although this was obviously a disappointing blow, Kristina and the High Road staff were motivated to find a way to take all of the “good will” and funds that had already been raised and put it towards a summer experience that would cultivate his many talents and gifts. We had enough money to send him for two weeks to a  camp,  but we were $450 shy of sending him for a full month.  Kristina didn’t know how or where this money would come from, but she had faith this trip would happen somehow.  In addition, she felt it was important to recognize the good deed that First County Bank of Stamford had done.  So she reached out to the Norwalk Hour and asked if they would be interested in writing an article on this story.  Enter Mr. Whitfield.

A couple of days after the story ran, Kristina received a call from the Norwalk Hour stating that a local man was so touched by the article that he wanted to donate the remaining funds needed.  Kristina contacted the man immediately and invited him to come see the school and to meet Juan.  Mr. Whitfield was eager to come for a visit, and as soon as we met him, it was obvious we had met a rare soul.  He was a calm presence, tall in stature, with a warm and kind smile.  He came with a pen and notepad and took pointed notes as he listened to Kristina tell Juan’s story.  After listening attentively, he put down his pen and asked if we were at all curious about who he was and why he was here.  We confirmed that we were and he proceeded to tell us his tale.

Mr. Whitfield explained that when he was young and growing up, his family lived in a rough section of Port Chester, NY.  He had a strong, close family but there were challenges and obstacles to living in his community that would be hard for any family to endure.  A benevolent community member surprised his family by offering to loan them enough money to purchase a home in a safer town, with a better school system.  His family was thrilled and young  Mr. Whitfield had a fresh start and opportunity that he eagerly capitalized on.  He thrived in school, went on to college and eventually had a very successful and lucrative career in business.  Mr. Whitfield’s family paid back every cent to the donor over time, but he has never forgotten how one person’s kindness had such a lasting effect on him and his family.  He attributes his life success to having the “step up” and leverage that the “helping hand” provided.  It is for this reason that he has spent the rest of his life making a point to do the same for kids in need.

Although Juan is the fortunate person to have been touched by Mr. Whitfield’s generosity, he is not alone.  Mr. Whitfield supports several kids financially in different ways and remains active in their lives through field trips and other correspondence.  Already he has made several follow-up phone calls to ask how Juan is doing and he has gone as far as offering to buy him a camera for camp if he maintains all A’s and B’s for the remainder of the year.

It is clear that Mr. Whitfield’s purpose is to pay it forward and to pass on the life-changing support he received.  And although we are so incredibly thankful for the way Mr. Whitfield has impacted Juan’s life in this particular situation, our real hope is that he will have altered the way Juan goes through life and how he views his place in the world.  Our hope is that Juan becomes a very special Mr. Cardona to a future student, in a future school, who he encounters randomly, through a chance meeting.  Because the real gift here, in this situation, is that Mr. Whitfield has reminded us that we are all connected and that we all have the power to lend a helping hand to make life better for one another.  No man is an island and Mr. Whitfield is proof that every single person can serve as the sail that can change a life’s direction.

The Elementary Program Newsletter

The High Road School of Norwalk is a privately owned, state-approved therapeutic day program that serves primary through high school aged students facing social, emotional and behavioral challenges.  To best meet the needs of this particular population, our individualized educational program features:
-    Small class sizes.
-    One-on-one and small group interactive learning.
-    In-depth social skills training.
-    Individual and/or group counseling.
-    Related Resources, i.e. Speech and Language and
     Occupational Therapy, based on need.
-    Consulting psychologist and behaviorist available as 
     needed.
-    Unique behavior management system aimed at
     empowering students to control their   impulses,
     accept responsibility for their actions and self-monitor
     their behavior.
-    Highly individualized Transitional Program for high school students.
-    On-site culinary vocational program for high school students.
-    Traveling competitive basketball team for middle and high school students.
Above all else, we are committed to the success of all of our students, so we design our curriculums and initiatives to focus on the specific strengths and abilities of each child, and then we implement these customized intervention plans in a warm and nurturing environment characterized by small class sizes, personal attention, targeted counseling and positive reinforcement.

Our most recent initiative has been the restructuring and enrichment of the elementary program. In addition to the standard components of our program outlined above, we have recently infused the following enhancements in order to best meet the interests and needs of our student body:

-    The use of EdMark, Reading Milestones and/or 
      Visualizing and Verbalizing, to enhance
      language arts curriculum and to target identified
      needs or reading deficits.
-     An ever-growing Pet Center, at present housing
      chinchillas, guinea pigs, lizards, geckos and
      tree frogs, which is used for both academics as well
      as animal therapy.
-     A greenhouse to be used as a laboratory for
      students during science.
-     Weekly educational field trips to bring curriculum to life (Stamford Museum& Nature Center,
      Discovery Museum &Planetarium, Stepping Stones Museum, Science Center of CT, Norwalk
      Maritime Aquarium, CT Resources Recovery Authority Garbage Museum, etc.).
-     Individualized diet of sensory and movement breaks along with voluntary
      Time-Outs
      to build self-awareness and to increase students’ independence in re-focusing on academics.
-     Weekly cooking club with Regional Chef.

High Road School Presents Dave Hopla, Motivational Speaker

Basketball Coach Motivates High Road Students

On Friday, November 22, High Road Schools of CT presented Dave Hopla, the United States Top Shooting Coach at the Wallingford Parks and Recreation gymnasium for all the regional school sites. 

Dave not only motivates students to do their best in school and in life during his presentation, but does so while he continuously shoots baskets. Watching him put 414 out of 415 shots through the hoop was astonishing not only for the students but also for the parents and staff!

When Dave was younger he was told he was not very good at basketball, but at age sixteen he learned the skills to shoot baskets. After that he kept practicing and he began to keep a notebook of all of his shots. Tell him a date and he can go straight to his notebook to look up his personal best for that day. He never gets bored with shooting baskets because he is constantly motivated to top himself every time he practices.

Devon Washington a student in the High Road Student Learning Center Upper School was lucky enough to help Dave out during the presentation. Devon thought that Dave was cool. “I enjoyed learning from him by watching him shoot baskets and I liked the message of never giving up,” said Devon. “I am like that, too. I never give up!”

Another lucky student, Rebecca Murillo also from the upper school, kept tally of Dave’s shots. “I thought he was enjoyable to watch and I would love to learn to shoot like that. I liked his testimony how he was told he would never be good at basketball, but he became great at shooting baskets.” said Rebecca.

Both Devon and Rebecca are on the High Road Hornets sports team and enjoy playing basketball on a regular basis.

Dave stressed the three most important aspects of success: stay positive, don’t quit, and set goals. According to Dave, “Everyone has a special talent and when combined with a great work ethic it will bring you success.”

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High Road School students showcase culinary skills

The High Road School celebrated Thanksgiving a couple of weeks early with a family-style feast prepared by students and served throughout the early afternoon Thursday.

"It''s a mini-family here,". . .

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Professional Development Day

The High Road Schools of CT brought the staff together from the entire region (Hartford, Norwalk, Wallingford, and Waterbury) on October 22, 2010 for a professional development day. The workshop was held at the Howard Johnson’s Harbor conference room in Milford. School psychologist, Andrew Moyer, MS, NCSP gave a presentation on Executive Functioning: Assessment and Intervention. Staff attending included certified teachers, social workers, and related services. .7 CEUs were awarded to participants. 

The workshop provided  an overview of Executive Skills, how to assess them, and how to use that assessment data to design interventions. A detailed discussion regarding skill versus performance deficits also took place. 

2011 Extended School Year schedule announced!

High Road Schools will run an extended year program during the summer months. The program will run 5 days a week, starting July 5 to August 12, 2011 from 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M.

Each child enrolled in the Extended Year Program will receive personalized academic instruction and social skills training. Occupational and physical therapy, speech and language services and social work will be provided for those students who require them.

For students attending out of district for the summer only, it is recommended that districts send his/her books and assignments in order to continue effectively with the student’s program.
 
For more information on our extended year program, please contact:
                             
Carol Revill, Outreach Coordinator
High Road Schools
31 Village Lane
Wallingford, CT 06492
Phone: 203-294-9139 Ext.1
www.highroadschool.com

Reading Program Handouts

Click here for reading program handout #1

Click here for reading program handout #2

Competitive Sports

The High Road Hornets  are gearing up for another exciting year playing a wide range of sports, including cross country, basket ball, volley ball, soft ball and flag foot ball. High Road School Students in grades 8-12 from across the region are eligible to be on the team once they achieve upper level status on our behavior management system.

The team faces challenging games with students from other non-public schools in the area. The Hornets look forward to Fridays when they travel to selected schools for the competition.

The competitive sports program enables the students to learn more about a variety of games, as well as, gives them a great opportunity to interact with new peers. Along with exercise and good sportsmanship, the team members also have another venue put their social skills into practice.

Related Services 

High Road Schools help the students to make the most of learning opportunities by staffing certified specialists to help each student with additional support as needed.

Our speech and language therapy program includes a coordinated and individualized approach. In group work, as well as individually, our certified speech therapists help the student to correctly produce the sounds in words, increase speech intelligibility, develop vocabulary knowledge and understanding, and utilize appropriate conversational skills. Emphasis is placed on pragmatics; such as turn taking, topic maintenance, asking appropriate questions, and socialization.   Also, grammar, syntax, and written expression are addressed.

Our occupational therapists help students with sensory, perceptual, and motor problems better meet the daily demands of their environment. She uses directed play as the primary method of treatment; however, classroom consultation directly with teachers and assistants regarding the student’s abilities is also key to their success. Directed play includes activities such as mazes or target games to develop the student’s eye and hand coordination or ball games to increase coordination between two sides of the body.  Through the use of movement, touch, and other functional activities, the student better develops the responses needed to function in the classroom, home, and community environments.  As the child ages and his or her needs change, the focus is on the acquisition of specific skills.  These can include learning to measure baking ingredients, personal care, or crossing busy streets, depending on the student’s abilities.

Our social workers help students with emotional and social growth issues.  They focuses on helping the student develop age-appropriate skills and behaviors for the classroom.  Through the use of recreational and other activities, they assist students in building self-esteem, applying social skills, and practicing leadership and team participation.  The students are seen individually and in small group sessions.  It is also not unusual to find social workers in the classroom leading social skills activities.

A consulting psychologist and behaviorist are also available on an as needed basis.

At High Road Student Schools all related services personnel work closely with the classroom teachers to assure integration into all classroom activities.

High Road School of Norwalk is Proud to Jump on the National Bandwagon of Sustainable Farming and the Promotion of Healthier School Lunches!

Through grassroots measures, our talented staff and students went outside the building last spring to “nature’s classroom”, picked up their tools and built a beautiful greenhouse from which we will be able to grow our own produce for our school’s lunches.  It took the entire spring, with minor work being done during this summer’s heat wave, but we are finally at the finish line.  The Grand Opening will be on November 12th when we host a Thanksgiving celebration for High Road family and friends.
    Our entire student body, elementary through high school students, have the opportunity to be involved with the greenhouse on a daily and weekly basis.  Interested students acquire jobs involving the maintainence and care of the greenhouse.  They will not only learn about planting vegetables seasonally, but they will get to experience the positive effects of nutritional, organic food on the health of their bodies and minds.
    With the introduction of home grown vegetables and herbs, the next piece to our vision has been the inception of a culinary program for our high school students.  Students who have either identified the culinary arts as a potential career interest, or who simply enjoy the opportunity to enrich their school day, are participating in a 5 hour a week vocational training program.  This program involves coursework, technical practice under the watchful eye of our Regional Chef Jon Masella, daily implementation of skills through lunch preparation, and periodic opportunities to cater school events.  This program is meant to open students’ eyes to a potential career,  give them on-site practice with employment skills, and empower them with nutritional knowledge that will not only impact their personal health, but hopefully will have a positive effect on the lives of their friends and families as they bring their newfound information and skills home. Although our elementary and middle school students won’t be enrolled in the accredited culinary program, they are able to participate in a weekly culinary club with Chef Masella.
    Taking our mission even broader, High Road School hopes to connect our students to the community at large through various community service and entrepreneurial opportunities.  To begin with, our students will be visiting local farmer’s markets to learn about their fellow farmers, their lifestyle, mission and the world of agriculture as it is today.  The eventual goal will be for High Road to become a vendor at the markets as well!  In addition, students will have the opportunity to give back to their communities through the donation of their produce to local shelters and food kitchens.  Finally, High Road School hopes to connect to our neighborhood schools by providing presentations and tours to interested classrooms, and potentially forming a Greenhouse club during school hours.  It is a wonderful opportunity for schools to form partnerships grounded in experiential learning and in the mission to promote healthier eating!

The High Road School of Norwalk has a comprehensive transition program in place for all high school students. The vocational coordinators on staff address the transition goals listed in the students’ individualized educational plan, as well as, coordinate vocational interest inventories, community out placements and on-site school jobs.

In the first year of the transition program each student enrolls in a pre-transition and/or transition programs supported by a comprehensive, multi-level curriculum.  The WORK READINESS morning class provides instruction and support to develop the basic skills needed to be most successful in an employment opportunity.  The curriculum provides individual student support which may include hygiene, interviewing skills, taking directives, performing in unexpected scenarios etc.  Each skill is taught through classroom-based instruction, with role-playing, to give the students an opportunity to practice typical work scenarios.  The students test out of each skills test in order to advance to the next skill.  This class typically runs six to ten weeks depending upon extensiveness of the content being taught.

At the beginning of this phase the curriculum includes administering a VOCATIONAL INTEREST SURVEY in which student interests and aptitudes are assessed, using a variety of quick response inventories, as well as a computer based inventory, called CareerScope.  These comprehensive reports guide the future training programs and community experiences in which the students would most likely achieve success by narrowing the employment possibilities to those that reflect personal interest and aptitude.

The second component of the first year student’s program consists of participation in JOB CLUSTER ROTATIONS, provided in the afternoon. These are rotations of each major training area that the students are interested in (aligned with the results of the above inventory) in order to assess true interest in performing the jobs daily.  Rotations are limited to three students, ensuring individualized skill development throughout a 2 to 3 month period, giving staff and students an accurate record of the depth and breadth of their interest. Long term success remains a guiding principle in the development of needed skills. During this phase, data collection obtained through on-going assessments reveal specific supports the student will need to be successful (i.e. a one to one job coach, diminishing supervision, etc.)

After narrowing down the possibilities, the focus of the second year of the program includes functional academics and work readiness remediation and troubleshooting, in the morning, followed by CUSTOMIZED TRAINING through related volunteer opportunities in the afternoon.  They enter specialized training in a specific field with the expectation of eventually completing the final phase of the program in the third or fourth year by filling a COMMUNITY-BASED EMPLOYMENT need.  This can be achieved through an enclave, supported employment, independent, or competitive employment.  These community-based opportunities are negotiated and secured by the vocational training staff.

Lastly, the vocational coordinators for these community-based positions will conduct periodic surveys with employers, receiving feedback and if needed, to continue to refine the students’ work skills toward maximal success.  Sustainability in their community-based job is our ultimate goal.

Professional Development

On November 10, 2011, the High Road Schools of CT came together for a professional development day at the Holiday Inn, North Haven.

High Road certified teachers attended a workshop on Multisensory Teaching presented by Genevieve Shryer from one of the SESI schools in Missouri, called Rivendale.

A multi sensory approach to instruction helps students to learn through more than one sense at a time. Students are taught using all their senses; (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic) simultaneously in order to enhance memory and learning and to accommodate all learning styles.

Ms. Shryer presented hands-on activities for reading, language arts, and math, and the staff had an opportunity to practice the lessons as well as make some materials for their classrooms.

Success in multisensory learning has proven to decrease anxiety, as well as, improve self-esteem, self confidence and responsibility!

IEP Management System

High Road Schools of CT is pleased to announce the implementation of IEP Direct web based management system in our Norwalk, Wallingford, and Waterbury locations. The utilization of this program will better serve the needs of districts and students with more efficiency and accuracy in creating individual educational plans.

For more information about the High Road Schools of CT, please contact Carol Revill, Outreach Coordinator @ 203-294-9139 or Brooke Violante, Chief School Director @ 203-840-1030.