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Dear Parents,
Hello, and Welcome to the Bridges Program! I am so excited to work with you this year. This will be an exciting journey as your child receives individualized instruction in the hopes of increasing independent skills. Our classroom team consists of myself, and our two wonderful Paraprofessionals Georgina Silva, and Kathy Woolfington. Additionally, our related service team will be a part of your child’s weekly schedule. Ashley Beres is our Social Worker, Lindsey Hargis is our Speech/Language Pathologist, and Joy Riggi is our Occupational Therapist. Maureen Kidd is our director and has led the development of this program. Together, we will work as a team to help your child be successful. Attached to this letter will be the email addresses of each team member for your communication convenience.
Our instruction will consist of some full group lessons, as well as individual learning stations, which will be designed around each student’s IEP (Individualized Educational Plan) goals. As the students participate in these stations, they will additionally be working on strengthening their independent work habits. As their skills improve, an independent station will be added to their day.
An essential component of The Bridges Program is developing friendships and social skills. The students will have opportunities each day to participate in social building activities to improve communication skills, and create meaningful connections with their peers.
Each student will have an individual daily schedule which will also serve as a daily communication from me to allow you to see what their day looked like in terms of subjects and specials as well as how their task completion and behavior was.
Homework will begin the week of September 5th. I do not typically give a lot of homework. I believe that if the student has put in good effort during the school day, they should enjoy their much needed free time. However, if a student is not getting tasks done during school consistently, some will be sent home as a way for them to take responsibility for their learning as well as see the connection between parents and teacher. If your child is working hard in school, homework usually consists of 15 minutes of reading each night, as well as weekly words from our reading program.
Please know that my number one goal for this year is for each student to be successful in school. My door is always open, and I encourage you to email or call me with any questions or concerns. This program was named Bridges for many reasons. We are striving to create a bridge between Special Education and Regular Education. We also want to create a bridge between school and home as we all work together to help your child. I am honored to play a part in your child’s educational journey.
Warmest Regards,
Emily Swiatek
Emily Swiatek
Special Education Teacher/ Bridges Program
Georgina Silva
Paraprofessional/Bridges Program
Kathy Woolfington
Paraprofessional/Bridges Program
Ashley Beres
Social Worker
Ideal School
Lindsey Hargis
Speech and Language Pathologist
Ideal School
Joy Riggi
Occupational Therapist
Ideal School
Maureen Kidd
Director of Student Services
District 105
