January

2022

We are part of an inspiringly colorful mosaic of cultures and traditions. ~Benny Gantz

TRADITIONS: MAKING CONNECTIONS AND CREATING COMMUNITY

Happy New Year!

We hope all of our Transition families and friends had wonderful winter breaks and enjoyed celebrating the holiday season!

Holiday traditions provide us with many opportunities to connect with family and friends. Sharing stories of our unique traditions with each other can help us to create and feel a sense of belonging to a much larger, inclusive, and diverse community.

In this issue, our students share with us some of their favorite holiday traditions.

In the Words of our Students...

What is your favorite family holiday tradition?

~Luke: I like watching football on TV. My favorite team is the Seattle Seahawks!

~Tommy: I love putting ornaments on the Christmas tree.

~Bill: Family trips over the Holidays.

~Tyler: I love visiting Santa Claus at the mall every year.

~Alex: I enjoy celebrating my birthday at our Christmas family gathering. I get a number candle on my birthday cake, and our entire family sings the Happy Birthday song to me!

~John: Having our large family gathering (50 people) at Christmas.

~Elliana: Christmas Eve is our time for immediate family. We enjoy watching It’s A Wonderful Life while grazing on deli meats and cheese, veggies, Holiday cookies and eggnog. We read The Night Before Christmas and The Legend of the Candy Cane before lights out. Of course, we leave cookies and a Coke for Santa and carrots and water for the reindeer!

~Gillian: I love lighting a candle on the menorah each night with my family.

~Max G.: My favorite holiday tradition is probably Hanukkah.

~Quinn: My favorite holiday tradition is hanging out with my family.

~Charles: We open all the family gifts on Christmas eve and our last gift is always pajamas that are Christmas themed and we wear them to bed.

~Jack: Celebrating Christmas, and going into Canada to hang out with my family.

~Michael: My favorite tradition is the tree decorating in the family room.

~Morgan: Christmas is my favorite because I will hang out with my family members this year and have fun with my sisters and cousins.

~Max R.: My favorite Christmas tradition is going to Michigan, and spending time with my family.

JANUARY CALENDAR

Important Events for the Month of January 2022

  • Monday, January 17: Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

There will be no attendance for staff and students on January 17.

STAFF NEWS

We are pleased to be introducing another fantastic new Teaching Assistant!

Keegan Zack

I grew up in the area and attended high school in Grayslake. I knew from then that I wanted to be a teacher somewhere in Lake County. I attended Carthage College in Kenosha where I studied History and Secondary Education. While student teaching, I learned that I enjoyed my Special Education classes more. Wanting to pursue Special Education further, I found my way to the Lake Forest Transition Program.

We are also happy to announce a beautiful new addition to the Kelly family!

Margaret "Maggie" Cheryl Kelly

Welcome to the world, Maggie!

Our Transition Coordinator, Peter Kelly, celebrated the holidays with a new addition to the family. Maggie weighed in at 7 lbs 15 oz, 18.5 inches long, and mom and baby are doing well. Congratulations, Peter and Kari!

LAKE FOREST COLLEGE

We are very excited to announce that starting this semester we will be returning to Lake Forest College one day a week.


We are looking forward to this great opportunity and we will provide a more detailed schedule for you soon.

SPEECH TIPS WITH SAM

There are many ways to encourage your student to improve their language skills. Our Speech-Language Pathologist, Samantha Medland, offers these tips that can be easily used in everyday situations.

Speech December Newsletter

COOKING

Food has a great way of bringing people together and creating connections. Cooking together, eating together, and learning about food together are surefire ways to build relationships and establish positive routines and traditions.

Alex's omelette
Tyler making his omelette
Elliana mixing pudding
Alex's Chicken Quesadilla
Gillian making her Chicken Quesadilla
Max prepping peppers
Morgan prepping Italian sausage

Recipe of the Month

Our goal for cooking instruction is to make recipes which are uncomplicated, and that most anyone can complete. The Recipe of the Month for December is Dana's class's Italian Pasta Bake.

This is a great dish to make and share with family and friends!

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Students are learning independent living skills both out in the community and at West Campus.

Max and Morgan at Bernie's
Vocational Project in Dana's Class
Quinn getting some work done in the community
Michael admiring the seasonal decorations
Keegan and Alex at Community Lunch
Tyler at Community Lunch
Gillian at Community Lunch
Bill, Luke, and Keegan eating lunch at Panera
Job Tasks at Eggspresso
Speech Stations
Speech Stations
Tyler at Bernie's Book Bank
Lunch at Garden Fresh Cafe
John at Bernie's Book Bank
Bill and Luke at Bernie's Book Bank
Elliana exploring the gym
Quinn at West Campus
Max R and Dana at West Campus
Alex at his Walgreens vocational experience
Tommy and Keegan at West Campus
John admiring the classroom fish
Quinn shooting baskets in the gym
Students attending a Citadel musical
Morgan, Max R, Quinn, and Jack in front of the Frank Lloyd Wright Ward Willits House
Community trip to Sunset Woods Park
Max in downtown Highland Park
Community trip to Highland Park
Morgan in downtown Highland Park
December is Tyler's very favorite time of the year! He was super excited to update our classroom calendar last month.
Visiting Charlie at his workplace!
Community trip to see Charlie on the job!
Charlie and Gillian!
Travel training at the Lake Cook Metra station
Travel training, all aboard!
Riding on the Metra train
Social group in Dana's class