The Classroom

Below you will find information about the different components of our classroom.

Academic Centers

Students receive small group instruction in a 1-1 setting with a focus on individualized needs and supports. Small groups are be based in Language Arts (Writing & Reading Comprehension), Mathematics, Community & Functional Life Skills and Vocational Skills.

We utilize a new computer based curriculum called Unique. Our students access appropriately modified common core grade level curriculum.

The rotation schedule from center to center. Once mastered (which really doesn't take that long) it is like one really big impressive dance!

The Centers & their Rotations

This is a map of how the students move from venter to center between Mrs. King's classroom and Mr. Sander's class. The centers mimic the general education periods and how students move from period to period, while our centers last for about 30 min, rather than an entire 55 min period.

The Centers:

  1. Reading Comprehension: Unique Reading curriculum - grade-level content, utilizing close reading strategies, wIth differentiated supports. Movies and VR (Google Expeditions) to support virtual field trips.

  2. Math Center: Foundational math, in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Also, a functional focus on money, time, and scheduling skills.

  3. Writing Center: From working on sequencing sentences to writing paragraphs using Google Docs. This center focuses on each child's differentiated needs.

  4. Community Center: Focus on Functional sight words (Grocery, Signs Around You, and Job & Work Words). While then generalizing their skills working on Pedestrian Safty out in the community,

  5. Vocational Center: This is the real hands-on center. From working in our garden to our car wash service to going to the story and cooking recipes. This center does it all. See our vocational page for more information.

Pragmatics - "Social Skills"

Self-regulation is something everyone continually works on whether or not we are cognizant of it. We all encounter trying circumstances that test our limits from time to time. If we are able to recognize when we are becoming less regulated, we are able to do something about it to manage our feelings and get ourselves to a healthy place. This comes naturally for some, but for others it is a skill that needs to be taught and practiced. This is the goal of The Zones of Regulation (or Zones for short). ​.

The Zones is a systematic, cognitive behavioral approach used to teach self-regulation by categorizing all the different ways we feel and states of alertness we experience into four concrete colored zones. The Zones framework provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions and impulses, manage their sensory needs, and improve their ability to problem solve conflicts.

Mainstream Courses - Electives

All Students participate in one general education elective course for the duration of the school year. Courses include:

7th Graders

  • Computers

  • Culinary

  • Art

8th Graders

  • Leadership

  • Computers

  • Culinary

  • Art

We feel it is vital for our students to learn from their typical peers. Students participate to their fullest capabilities with the support of assistants and the Special Education teacher supervising all modifications and interventions. Curriculum and instruction is modified to meet the needs of each individual student.

Mainstream Courses - Physical Education

All students participate in 1 general education PE course for the duration of the school year. We feel it is vital for our students to learn from their typical peers. Students participate to their fullest capabilities. Curriculum and instruction are modified to meet the needs of each individual student.

​The price for physical education uniforms (short & shirt)

Shirt & Short $20.00

Sweatpants $20.00

Sweatshirt $20.00

*The PE uniform, knee-length solid red shorts and grey crew neck, short sleeve tee shirt, may be purchased through Slater or elsewhere.

7th Grade Parent,s please remember to buy the uniform a size bigger so that it can be used for two years.

Community Based Instruction

Community Based Instruction (CBI) is designed for students that need intensive instruction in functional and daily living skills. Community Based Instruction (CBI) is educational instruction in naturally occurring community environments providing students “real life experiences”. The goal is to provide a variety of hands on learning opportunities at all age levels to help students acquire the skills to live in the world today.

Community is defined as the school, home and city community environments in the location the student lives. Students with cognitive challenges have difficulty generalizing or transferring information. When instruction is conducted with the actual materials in the natural environment where a functional skill is expected to be performed or the activity would occur, students progress at a greater rate. CBI provides natural opportunities for Adult Living skills practice that is meaningful to students. Concepts and skills that are introduced in the classroom are applied and practiced in natural environments in the community using CBI. CBI experiences allow students to see, hear, smell and do things in real life settings as opposed to simulated or artificial settings that are very abstract. Doing things in the natural environment is concrete, reinforcing, and assists in providing educational relevancy for the student.