My son, Jack, is one of a few students in a pilot program at Turning Pointe. This Compass Class is for students aged 22 – 26 working on communication, socially appropriate behaviors, independence, and employment skills. Bianca Frost, Program Director, recently sent the update below to families. It shines a light on what a year it has been for our students, families, and programs.
“The 2020-2021 program year has, without a doubt, posed more challenges than I could have ever imagined. As we close out this semester, I would like to take a moment to celebrate the accomplishments and next steps of Turning Pointe and your student!
We celebrate community outings! After almost an entire school year of all programming occurring within the building, we were thrilled to resume community outings! These opportunities to generalize skills into the real world are irreplaceable, and our team is excited to push forward with community-based instruction.
We celebrate our current and growing team! A big thank you to all the families who contributed to our recent teacher’s appreciation week. Your contributions to a fun-filled week to support this team. In all that this year has thrown at us, your student’s team continues to grow. Thank you to all parents supporting our recruitment efforts by sharing social media posts and referring professionals directly.
We celebrate a growing program! This year the adult day program will welcome an additional three students transitioning in from the day school. The program that started as a dream of a small pilot is slowly growing into a reality and a picture of Turning Pointe’s future. We thank you for navigating the learning curves of this pilot with us.
We celebrate your student! Resilience, grit, persistence… There truly is no way to describe the accomplishments of your student this year. They have adapted to change, tolerated breaks in their routines, maintained previously mastered skills while pushing to gain new ones. The circumstances of this year have pushed your student to what we thought were their limits. They quickly showed us that they are limitless.
We celebrate you! I ask you to stop and take a minute to look back at the last 12 months. How did you do it? You were teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses, respite workers, and clinicians, all while continuing to be a parent. You took temperatures, picked up students last-minute, rearranged your schedule at the drop of a hat, and were fierce advocates for your students’ needs. The dedication that you have to your child’s growth and success in adulthood is unarguable. They are so lucky to have you!”