Higashi Highlights - Winter 18-19

Higashi Highlights

www.bostonhigashi.org

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Winter 2018-19

We are like a snowflake all different in our own beautiful way

Helping children with autism exceed expectations since 1987

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(781) 961-0800

THE PRINCIPAL’S PERSPECTIVE “It is not the critic who counts. The credit belongs to the person in the arena who strives valiantly and at his best knows triumph and if he fails at least he fails while daring greatly.” Theodore Roosevelt There are so many people who come together to make Boston Higashi School the exceptional learning community that it is each and every day. No matter what their job title, all of our employees are role models for students. We live the mantra “it takes the best in each of us to bring about the best for all of us”. The work that we are engaged in can be challenging on the best day. There are many moving parts and systems that have to coalesce to get students from one day to the next while keeping them on their learning paths. Everyone is committed to the mission of the school and strives to make Higashi the very best school both in our day and residential programs. Providing 24/7 education and care for our varied autistic student population is both energizing and exhausting! Add some winter weather commuting challenges into the mix and see our resilience really dazzle!

I have come to observe and appreciate so many things that make us all Higashi strong. We are really good at social construction, which involves people building ideas together through shared understandings and events cementing them with relational experiences. Our staff corral creative potential and blend it with confidence and enthusiasm that turns into the positive power that informs the heart and the spirit to rise up to live our school motto: “Challenge, Believe, Together”.

As the days get brighter our thoughts begin to turn to the annual Higashi rites of spring. We are preparing for our Emergence Division Formal Dance and Graduation Ceremony. It is truly a moment in time when we pause and reflect on how quickly time passes. Our children become young adults before we are ever ready to release them. The hardest part of loving is indeed letting go!

We recently completed the re-accreditation process with National Commission for the Accreditation of Special Education Services (NCASES). This is a comprehensive review that includes all departments and levels that measures us across fifty rigorous standards. This endeavor is in keeping with our school theme “Be Brave.” It takes courage to engage in selfstudy and reflection, school wide program evaluation and analysis. We were very pleased with the outcome and expect to receive the formal report this spring. Amazingly, we are almost at the half way mark in this school year. Six months have passed since we began the 2018-2019 year with our theme “Be Brave.” There is not a day that has gone by without observable practice-based evidence of how very brave our students, parents, and staff are. I remain inspired and honored to be part of this culture of courage, compassion and collaboration. May we continue to voyage bravely!

Deborah Donovan Principal

HIGHLIGHTS Higashi School Store Handmade items by our students Open weekdays during school hours A great place to shop for those holiday gifts!

PG 4

ASICS PARTNERSHIP

PG 6-7

BEHIND THE SCENES WORKERS OF BHS

PG 10

PARENT ASSOCIATION

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ELEMENTARY

In elementary we have unstoppable energy! The weather has kept us guessing each day but we have been enjoying the nice days outside while also sledding whenever the snow made an appearance.

The Super Bowl did not pass us by, each class celebrated the coming game and the eventual win! With spring around the corner we’ve begun building nests and learning about what to expect when the warmer weather arrives. Everyday for us is a chance to transform challenges into opportunities and as you know, at Higashi we call that “Being Brave!”

YOUNGER HIGH

During this past month YHS has been studying about penguins.

Students have enjoyed learning about their characteristics and environments. Everyone enjoyed learning about penguins and were able to take the classroom knowledge out into the community! All classes went to the New England Aquarium to observe the penguins and expand their learning. They also enjoyed other exhibits during their visit.

WHAT WE’VE BEEN LEARNING MIDDLE

As our second semester carries on in full force, the Middle School Division has been buckling down in our academic lessons, busily preparing our MCAS-alt portfolios! In science we are learning about the phases of the moon, recreating full moons, new moons, and all variants in between (current favorites, the waxing and waning gibbous!) using styrofoam and a flashlight!

We are also charting the phases on a calendar to observe the many changes. Onward and upward in Middle School!

OLDER HIGH

The OHS division students have started out 2019 successfully by fulfilling their New Year’s resolutions to live a healthy life.

PE teacher, Matthew Harkins, has been taking each class on weekly field trips to a new gym, to help the students generalize their PE skills to a community based setting and challenge them to experience new and exciting age appropriate activities. So far, the students are really enjoying the experience! We are very grateful for Matthew’s eagerness to try something new.

EMERGENCE

The Emergence Students in between their job sites have been working hard in academics. We have been learning about different forms of communication and various ways to communicate. We have been working on our phone numbers, card writing, as well as positive ways to communicate such as with handshakes. Some students have been learning how to send emails to their parents.

We’re looking forward to our spring semester getting ready for our big event, Formal Dance and graduation!

STARTING OFF THE NEW YEAR RUNNING! This year kicks off the start of our new adventure with ASICS Shoes!

This year Boston Higashi School is grateful to ASICS for providing each of our students with a new pair of shoes to be worn at school! At Higashi, our daily activities are full of high energy to provide a healthy and happy lifestyle for our students. This new partnership is a tremendous opportunity for our students to really expand the Daily

Life TherapyÂŽ value of daily vigorous exercise. We are very excited to embark on this new path with ASICS! We look forward to what other great news this new year will bring!

ASICS

"ANIMA SANA IN CORPORE SANO"

A HEALTHY SOUL IN A HEALTHY BODY

LEARNING TO GIVE BACK As the cold winter temperatures set into New England, it can be hard to think of anything but keeping yourself warm. At Higashi we think of others that need a little bit more help during this time. Our students have worked hard to raise money, collect food, toys, and clothes to donate to different groups in need.

Our students themselves have gone out to donate these items in an important lesson of giving

and caring. Elementary students helped with the Volunteerism Program out of Gillette Stadium, while students in the Emergence Program continued their annual charity project with School on Wheels of Massachusetts. The whole Residential divison gathered over 120lbs of food for Holbrook Ecumenical Food Pantry in Holbrook, MA! Our students love to give back and help others!

OUR FAMILY

Our staff are truly dedicated to the students. Once a month, after eight hour work days our staff stay longer for professional development inservices. These allow our staff to always be learning of better ways to serve our students!

EVERY FAMILY HAS A STORY...WELCOME TO OURS

The Kid’s Picture Show is a Youtube Channel that happens to be owned and run by two parents of a Higashi student! They started their educational videos as a way to help their autistic son which evolved into their popular Youtube Channel. They recently published books including images from their videos. We are lucky to now have two signed original copies in our library inventory! Thanks for including us in this exciting journey!

It's not just our staff that put in the extra time. We also host Parent Training events after school. We take the time to teach parents the same thing we are teaching our staff. It’s important for us to all be on the same page, as we are a family working together to make our kids live their best lives!

The Older High School Division has a new partner that they’ve been working with. Students have been taking trips to a local gym, CoreBox Training Center, for regular visits.

They plan on returning weekly for PE classes where they can train with new equipment and expand their exercising opportunities.

They’ll be lifting weights, flipping tires, jump roping and more! Our Higashi students will be training like true athletes!

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BEHIND THE SCENES “HIGASHI IS LIKE A GIANT JIGSAW PUZLE”

According to Dave Ferris, Director of Facilities, there is no other place like this – the complications, the uniqueness and the daily challenges brought on by trying to blend the old with the new, bring an excitement and a fascination to his job. To Dave “Higashi is like a giant jigsaw puzzle” one that he and his team of 13 work on every day - where some days the pieces fit together nicely, but in the end, they know the puzzle will never be complete and that makes for a compelling challenge.

Dave is extremely proud of his team, loves the diversity they bring to the job and would not trade them for the world. Maintaining 55 acres, 5 buildings adding up to over 170,000 square feet and a swimming pool complex unlike any other, makes for an enormous amount of work. According to Dave, teamwork is the key, his crew works well together, is always willing to help each other out and always willing to go that extra mile on behalf of our students.

There are not enough words that speak to the enormity and scale of the work performed by this special group. The facilities are always immaculate, new projects and renovations are constant and there is a “to do” list a mile long, but the Maintenance Team would have it no other way. Our hats are off to this selfless, hardworking and compassionate group.

HIGASHI’S UNSUNG HEROES

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“No Days Off” was the chant Coach Bill Belchick shouted after the Patriots won the 2017 Super Bowl when in reality it should be the chant of our own Coach Bill Burke, Director of Food Services.

For it is Bill and his staff of 22 (17 full time), who are here every single day of the year, including Christmas and Thanksgiving when Bill and his staff go way above and beyond to create special holiday meals for our students, staff and families. While most of us are at home relaxing and dining with our own families, the Food Service Staff sacrifice time with their own to make the holidays special for our students and their families.

Bill and his team prepare and serve over 3,000 meals a week, 1,500 snacks and a host of special diets that are 72 pages long in their description. This past Thanksgiving the team served 180 meals to students and their families and on Christmas Day another 150 more. Nobody works harder, and there is no group more eager to please, extend a helping hand and do whatever they can to make life easier for our students and their families.

“OVER 3,OOO MEALS SERVED EACH WEEK”

When asked what keeps her going, Odette (who has been working at the school for the past 20 years) responded quickly and simply, “the kids”. We salute the Food Service Staff for their undeniable dedication to our students and their families and for being our Patriots and never taking a day off.

WINTER MUSIC FESTIVAL

The first big performance event of the school year!

Winter Music Festival was an incredible day!

Students were able to showcase all of the new skills they’ve learned and ‘Be Brave’ enough to stand on stage to perform! The students at Higashi are talented beyond belief.

Each division displayed their skills by singing and dancing along to some holiday classics and even new hit songs. The performances were nothing short of amazing! Our students truly are some of the best entertainers out there!

SIBLING DAYS Sometimes it’s not even our students that get to have all the fun at Higashi! On December 1st, we invited siblings of our students to come enjoy a day full of exciting activities! We started off the day with a snowball fight and games in the gym, followed up by a school wide scavenger hunt that sent siblings running all over the place. They made staff really work hard to keep up! After running around, it was time to chill out and let the siblings bond over making gingerbread houses.

On February 21st we invited siblings back for a fun morning spent with their brothers and sisters. This time our students were able to show their siblings what is so fun about being at Higashi every day!

ELEMENTARY GYMNASTICS Elementary school showed us today how their hard work has paid off! They’ve been practicing a lot to show off their amazing physical skills. They showed us how to tumble, roll, crawl and even climb mountains! Nothing can stop them!

It wasn’t just a physical performance either, they had their communication skills on display as well! These elementary students remind us how bright our future can be here at Boston Higashi!

We couldn’t be more proud of our students and thankful to our staff that help them achieve these skills to display!

HOT CHOCOLATE ON COLD DAYS What better way to spend a hard working, cold afternoon, than to sit down with a nice warm cup of hot chocolate and homemade cookies!

Middle school students put on an art show displaying their personal renditions of hot chocolate.

Students started by using colored pencils to create the mug based off of samples. To make the background pattern, most students used a roller with paint. Once that was all done, they had the freedom to add their own personal flair of marshmallows, candy canes, cookies and carrots for holiday visitors!

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As you might know by now, we never stop here at Higashi! We had vacation camp sessions during the winter holidays. During that week we were lucky to have a visit by Cape Cod African Dance and Drum! Tara came with enough drums and sticks for everyone to feel the vibe! She got everyone up and dancing, feeling the music and getting into the rhythm despite the dreary weather outside! After expending so much high energy on day one of camp, we needed a way to cool down. What better for that during the cold winter days than to relax in the kitchen baking and decorating homemade cookies! Other activities included ringing bells in music classes or painting in art class! Our vacation camps are always full of fun things to do!

VACATION FUN!

PARENT ASSOCIATION Dear Higashi Families and Community, As the winter winds down, I can't help but find myself a little sad.

Winter is my favorite season, and I mourn a little each year as spring starts to come around. Perhaps you're feeling a little blue with winter's end too? Or looking forward to warmer weather, and sad that it's not here yet? In either case, what cheers you up when you're feeling blue?

I like to keep busy! That's one thing the Parent Association did a lot of this Winter, with three big activities on our plate that kept us plenty busy the past few months!

I also like to try new things. The Parent Association tried something new with our Winter Sales, using an online storefront to collect orders for the first time. We sold a number of Higashithemed items, including hats and scarves (a family and staff favorite!). Thank you to all who made a purchase! The profits from these sales go directly to Parent Association activities.

Seeing old friends and meeting new people is also something that brings me up! Our annual Open Meeting in December was a great opportunity for this. The morning brought together a mix of new and veteran Higashi families to connect with one another. Thank you to all who came out!

And I like to show others how much I appreciate them. That's exactly what we all did with our Winter Staff Appreciation Raffle.

Over 60 families participated, and every Higashi staff member went home with something. What a fun way to acknowledge all their hard work. Thank you to every family who contributed a prize!

The next few months look to keep us equally busy, as we plan some new activities. We hope you'll join us and we can cheer up together!

Jill Gichuhi BHS Parent Association President

11 We’re always moving and grooving here at Higashi! These students know how to let loose and get the rhytmn flowing through them on the dance floor. On December 12th we hosted our annual Winter Dance party that was full of holiday cheer. Students danced around to classic holiday hits all night while others broke off to make gingerbread houses.

Happiness and joy was spread all across the building that night!

That’s not the only holiday dance party we had this season! For Valentine’s Day, students gathered in Marble Hall and the Gymnasium to celebrate on the 13th of February! Middle School made a quick visit to the dance by way of a special performance, before running off to play games while the older students paired off and danced the night away. Over in the gym, during the snack intermission we hosted our very first live music. While the students and families enjoyed a quick break, we had a special performance by our very own staff band singing ‘Soul Man’! Our dance parties always come at the right time to let these students kick back and relax during busy times of the year.

IT’S TIME TO DANCE!

BOSTON HIGASHI SCHOOL 800 North Main Street Randolph, MA 02368 (781) 961-0800 www.bostonhigashi.org

UPCOMING EVENTS APR 11 APR 13 TO APR 28

MAY 11

FORMAL DANCE & GRADUATION 6:30pm - 9pm Lombardo’s

SPRING VACATION Vacation Program Apr 16 - 26

ROAD RACE 9:30am - 12pm Higashi Campus

APR 11 | Annual EP Ladies Day of Beauty 1pm - 2:30pm

APR 12 | 15h Annual Emergence Brunch at Lombardo’s 11am - 12:30pm APR 29 | 217/304 Program Reopens &

Parent Collaboration Meeting Breakfast 8:30am - 9:45am Opening Ceremony 10am Meeting 10:30am - 12pm MAY 31 | Open House / Guided Tour 10am - 12pm

For latest news and events visit our website at www.bostonhigashi.org