Lighthouse School, Inc.
November 30, 2021
"Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
--Melody Beattie (American self-help author)
"Faith is like WIFI. It's invisible, but it has the power to connect you to what you need."
"Faith is like WIFI. It's invisible, but it has the power to connect you to what you need."
--Anonymous
News & Announcements!
Two Buildings...ONE Program
As of the start of the 2021-2022 school year, Lighthouse School has expanded its program to two buildings!
During our brief school closure from 11/19-11/24, we missed seeing all of you and we were so glad to be back together on November 29! Thank you, as always for your understanding as we continue to navigate the guidance from the DPH and work to keep our Lighthouse School community healthy and safe. We remain committed to being transparent with any information we receive in regards to COVID-19 and appreciate the communication from each of you as well. You can find links to current information regarding COVID-19 in the resources section of this newsletter and if there are ever any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
Announcements:
December's Bioeducational Theme of the Month is Faith
The November Monthly Bioeducational Newsletters will be sent home with students on Friday, December 3rd and will also be available on the Lighthouse School website on Friday, December 3rd.
For your reference, you can view a copy of the vaccine information letter which was emailed to all parents on November 10th. Additionally, information from the CDC regarding Vaccines for children can be found below.
Message from our Principal
Peter Lang, Associate Director of Program Services/Principal
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We hope that all of our Lighthouse School families were able to celebrate and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday safely and peacefully. As we continue on through the holiday season, we would like to take a moment to reflect on the first quarter of the year.
One of our major goals coming into school year 21-22 was to successfully open a second site. This was a major undertaking for Lighthouse staff and students and through the hard work of our Lighthouse community, we have successfully expanded to two buildings. This change has allowed us to maintain necessary social distancing while continuing to provide our students with the highest quality treatment and academic services in a safe environment. Although we now are operating out of two sites, we would like to emphasize to our families that we remain one Lighthouse School program. Our APEX treatment model remains consistent and all services are being provided in the same manner that has been successful for 50+ years. Although our team has spread to 2 buildings, our core values, beliefs and principles have not changed.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with you throughout the school year and invite you to reflect with your child on the gains they have made during this first quarter of the school year. We have been proud to see our students making strides toward establishing and strengthening relationships with their teachers and therapists as well as developing a deeper understanding of themselves. As we move into Quarter 2, we look forward to seeing their continued growth and as always, appreciate your partnership and investment in working together to help our students achieve success.
Warm Regards,
Peter Lang, M. Ed.
Principal
December Bioeducational Theme of the Month: Faith
You can find the
the latest Cluster Notes by clicking the image of the folder!
the latest Cluster Notes by clicking the image of the folder!
Bioeducation
Bioeducational Theme of the Month: Faith
During the month of December, students will be exploring the Bioeducational theme of Faith. Faith is the confidence, trust, or belief in someone or something. It is a belief in a spiritual being or higher power which is not based on proof. Having faith does not require being part of a specific religion, although religious traditions, especially in adolescence and early adulthood, provide rules for living and a strong sense of ethics. Practicing a religion, meditating, yoga, going on a weekend retreat, listening to the words of inspired speakers, lighting Advent or Hanukkah candles, saying daily prayers, or contemplating a sunset or a mountaintop view are all spiritual and religious practices undertaken by many of us in our daily lives and represent experiences of faith. Some practices begin early in life and stretch back to our childhoods, while others may be sought out in adolescence and young adulthood, representing new paths.
What all of these practices have in common is the way in which they integrate different aspects of our human experience - our emotions with our minds with our bodies – while also connecting us with others who share similar beliefs. These experiences lift us up, provide hope and give us a glimpse - if only temporary - of another way to view things as a part, however small, of a larger picture. Spiritual and religious practices that help us integrate the body, mind, and spirit also provide psychological and physical benefits.
Movies including the theme of Faith:
The Book Thief
How to Train Your Dragon
Evan Almighty
Rango
E.T.
Facing the Giants
Books Suggestions that include the theme of Faith:
The Boy Who Cried “Wolf”
Chickens Chickens
Falling Up
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
The Dreamer
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Chicken Soup for The Soul: Its Christmas!
The Other Side
The Butter Battle Book
The Wild Kid
Cinderella
Walk Two Moons
The Polar Express
Class Schedules
Below you can find sample homeroom schedules for each Cluster. Our students thrive with structure and consistency and these weekly schedules ensure they receive all of their clinical, academic, and additional treatment services, while providing a level of predictability. Please click on the sample for your child's cluster to see an example of how their day may be structured and all of the services they receive weekly.
November marks the beginning of MCAS testing and this November, our students in grade 10 or above had the opportunity to retest in Math and ELA. This retest is offered to students who have taken the grade 10 MCAS and did not earn a passing score. While MCAS is often a stressful time for our students, this month brought another layer of challenges due to COVID-19 exposure protocols and resulting absences. We worked hard to test students who were present and available to test, but unfortunately, some opportunities to test were impacted. If your child was unable to test or complete their testing, there will be another testing opportunity in March for both ELA and Math.
As a reminder, the Science and Technology MCAS requirement has been waived for the 2023 class, and that requirement will instead be met through passing coursework. We continue to be impressed with the maturity our students have shown during the MCAS testing. process. They experience many overwhelming feelings leading up to the test session and have to work hard during testing as well. It was inspiring to see students accessing trusted staff, encouraging each other, and using their coping skills to work through any issues that arose in order to accomplish their goals. We look forward to celebrating accomplishments, both large and small, with those students who are involved in MCAS testing and we thank you for all of the work you do to support them and help keep them motivated throughout this process.
MCAS testing
Holiday Traditions
Despite not physically being together, we were happy to have been able to bring back some of our Lighthouse Thanksgiving traditions this year. We held our annual Thanksgiving lottery and 30 students were the lucky recipients of a full turkey dinner to share with their families on Thanksgiving day! Our staff hand-delivered the meals to those lucky families and we were glad to be able to be a part of your holiday, even if we could not share a meal together in person. During the month of November, we highlighted the Bioeducational theme of Gratitude and explored all that we have to be thankful for-at Lighthouse, we are thankful for the continued partnership we have with each of you and we hope you had a healthy, happy Thanksgiving holiday with your loved ones. As we enter the holiday season, we also wanted to share some guidelines from the CDC on how to get together safely this year-you can find these by clicking the link below.
Resources
Family Support Line
As a reminder, our therapists are available to offer clinical support to families and students 24 hours a day. If you are in need of assistance, please call our support line, starting with Line 1.
Line #1: (978) 821-1351
If you are not able to connect with a therapist or do not get a response within 10 minutes, please try Line 2.
Line #2: (978) 821-0316
Family Handbook
The 2021-2022 Family Handbook is available for viewing on our website and a hard copy is available to you upon request.
In addition, you can access the handbook electronically by clicking on the photo here.
Technology Assistance
For technical assistance, please:
Family Handbook_2021.2022.pdf