High Road School of Wallingford of CT, is an educational program serving the instructional and behavioral needs of adolescents in a supportive and structured environment. The program is designed to focus on personalized academic and behavioral goals so that students can return to a less restrictive setting.  

•    to provide each student with the academic and social skills to be successful in the school, community, and family system;
•    to prepare students to return to a less restrictive setting as quickly as possible;
•    to prepare students for State of Connecticut testing programs;
•    to provide students with consistent and structured tutorials in order to prevent regression of skills and produce both academic and behavioral gains;
•    to provide students with an array of cultural and recreational experiences;

The High Road School of Wallingford addresses the instructional and behavioral needs of students with exceptionalities including, but not limited to ED, specific LDs, communication disorders, OHIs, ASDs, TBIs, ADHD, and multiple disabilities through a supportive and structured environment.  Our small class sizes are designed to focus on individualized academic and behavioral goals so students can return to a less restrictive setting. Related services include OT, PT, speech/language therapy, social work, and school psychological services.

High Road School of Wallingford’s educational course sequencing is based on that of the respective district and addresses all state standards in order to help them either reintegrate into the public school system or proceed toward graduation. Class size is small with no more than ten students per teacher and teaching assistant, ensuring that personalized instruction is provided to each student.

The High Road School of Wallingford operates Monday–Friday from 8:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. The core subjects are provided through a rotational academic model, emphasizing tutorial instruction.  Elective opportunities include vocational education, computer technology, social skills, Spanish, art, health, physical, education, culinary services, horticulture, and building maintenance.  The program has also established partnerships in the community for transition-related activities to address a student’s pre-vocational/vocational needs.

In addition to the ten-month school year program, an extended school year (ESY) program is offered. The program provides academic support in an effort to prevent regression of skills and/or further acquire and develop academic and behavioral skills through subject area tutorials, behavioral instruction, recreational activities, and cultural experiences.

Parents are always encouraged to visit the school at any time. Opportunities are available to learn about the school program and to become more involved in their child’s academic endeavors. Family involvement continues to be a focus at the High Road School of Wallingford.

New

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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Toy Drive

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November Parent Workshops Calendar

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ADHD Informational Workshop for Parents

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Open House

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Parent Workshops

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High Road School of Wallingford - High School

School Newsletter 

Graduation Ceremony

On the evening of June 22, 2011 students, staff, families, and district representatives gathered together to celebrate the High Road Schools of CT’s 34th annual graduation ceremony.

It was a time to reflect on the year and remember how much perseverance and hard work it took for our students to reach their goal of finishing high school.  When students enroll in the High Road Schools they often have no confidence that they will be able to reach this milestone. But with the guidance of a caring staff and a solid academic program, they begin to build their “confidence and competence” (our company motto) and all things become possible.

This year’s winner of the Juan DeJesus Memorial Scholarship fund for graduating seniors who go on to post-secondary educational opportunities was Christina A. from the High Road School of Wallingford High School.

Christina wrote the winning essay reflecting on this quote from Ray Kroc, “The more I help others to succeed, the more I succeed.”  In her essay, Christina talked about much she enjoyed volunteer opportunities, and how helping others makes her feel proud of herself. “If I can help one person have hope for the future, and then in a way I have paid back all of those people who helped me.” Christina wrote. Throughout her school career, Christina admitted she was impatient and never thought about consequences, but after spending time with younger peers and working at the soup kitchen, she learned that thinking before acting is another very important skill when working with people.

“When you feel like you are becoming a better person it gives you a better attitude and helps you believe that you can succeed in anything,” Christina reflected.

Christina will be attending the Paul Mitchell School of hair dressing in North Haven in the fall.

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!

Science Fair

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Santa's Helpers

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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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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

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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 School Students visit Carpenters Apprenticeship School Local #24

Students from the High Road Student Learning Center Upper school and The High Road School of Wallingford High School met with the directors from the Apprentice & Training Program located in Yalesville, Connecticut. Richard Christ, Director and Clayton Brown, Local #24 Member were generous enough to give their time to speak to our transition students about what it takes to be a carpenter.

The group listened intently about the apprenticeship program and the skills needed to become members, and they learned about the many trades involved in the construction industry.
 
Later the directors gave the students an opportunity to share their interests in carpentry with them Lamond Daniels a 10th grade student at the High Road School of Wallingford was very optimistic about the program. According to Lamond, since he started working in the Building Maintenance department at High Road, he decided he enjoys working with his hands and the power tools so much that he would like to become a carpenter. He plans to apply to the apprentice program as soon as he turns 18 years old. Lamond asked the Building Trades Teacher Mrs. Miccio if she could help him learn more about the trades so he can be well prepared to enter the program.

The High Road School of Wallingford High School has enhanced the transition-technical programming for students in grades 9-12 grade and age-out for this 2010-11 school year.

The students will be participating in an active and exploratory transition program coupled with their classes needed for graduation. Their vocational experiences include a work readiness curriculum which 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 in addition to the curriculum content for their specific trade.The trades include:Horticulture, Building Maintenance and Trade/ Industrial and Culinary.
Special Education teacher Kathy Szabat who has been with the High Road transition department for many years will be over seeing the program along with the transition staff.

New to High Road this year is Chef John Masella. Chef John is training the students all about food safety and handling, portion control, baking, cooking meats and seafood, as well as many other skills that will prepare them for employment as well as independent living. Under Chef’s guidance, the students are out in the community practicing smart shopping, browsing culinary appliances and equipment, and exploring the multi-cultural foods aisles. In addition, the culinary department is making delicious and nutritious lunches and snacks for the students and staff.

Ms. Audra Miccio coordinates the students in the Building Maintenance and Trade/Industrial clusters. The students are learning to use a miter saw, drill press, table saw, cordless drills and other power tools in our newly renovated production room. Students are currently building a classic tool box that is used in the trade and when they master the use of particular hand tools they will acquire one for their tool box.

Skills learned in the classroom and job cluster rotations will be put into practice in community based jobs. Job sites include: Orange Fence, Re-Store (Habitat for Humanity), Choate-Rosemary Hall, Carpenters Union Local #24, Gateway Community College, City of West  Haven, as well as other local and small business in the area.

Mr. Jim Flanagan can be found in the sunny Horticulture area at the front of the upper school coaching the students to care for an abundance of plants. He is also coordinating visits to local businesses for vocational and educational opportunities to help the students learn about turf management, plant identification, and basic landscaping design and skills. In addition, the students already have some residential homes in line for leaf raking this fall. Stay tuned for the addition of more horticulture sites as the year progresses!

According to Education Director, Ron Chomicz  “The newly expanded vocational opportunities have given our students more specific training in areas of their interests. The concentrated hands-on work experience will also give the students more options with paid employment opportunities.”

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.

Extended School Year

High Roads Schools of CT accepts referrals for our Extended School Year Program
(summer school) from local school districts. The ESY programs are available to our existing students who qualify, as well as, classified students who do not attend our schools during the regular school year.

Each child who is enrolled in the Extended School Year program will receive individual and small group instruction based on their current school year I.E.P. The extended year program addresses academic and social skill maintenance, transitional services (16 years and older), and enrichment activities. Speech and language, occupational and physical therapies, as well as social work services are provided for those who require them.

The school day for extended year is 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. and the program runs Monday – Friday for approximately 6 weeks.

2010 Extended School Year Dates

Starting Thursday, July 1, 2010 - Friday, August 13, 2010.
No school on Monday, July 5 due to July 4th observance.