High Road School of Perryville is a Type I educational program serving the educational and behavioral needs of students in a therapeutic and structured environment.  The program is designed to focus on personalized academic and behavioral goals so students may return to a less restrictive setting as quickly as possible.  The goals of the program are as follows:

• To provide each student with the academic and social skills necessary to be successful in the school, community, and family system;
• To prepare students to return to a less restrictive setting;
• To prepare students for Maryland State testing programs;
• To provide students with consistent and structured environment designed to prevent regression and produce both academic and behavioral gains;
• To provide students with an array of cultural and recreational experiences;

High Road School of Perryville is approved by the state of Maryland to service students in grade 1-12 (ages 6 years old – 21 years old).  In addition to primarily serving students with emotional difficulties, High Road School provides services for students who also have been diagnosed with specific learning disabilities, communication disorders, physical disabilities, intellectual limitations and other health impairments,.  Students are referred to the program through the local school systems (Cecil County Public Schools and Harford County Public Schools),  Students may be eligible for the program regardless of their current living situation (e.g. parent’s home, foster care, or Alternative Living Unit).

A personalized educational program is developed for each student.  The program utilizes the curriculum for grades 1 through 12.  High Road School follows Cecil County Public School Calendar, open 180 days with student instruction from 9:45-4:15.  The educational program focuses on academic instruction in English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and career training.  In addition, High Road School is approved by MSDE and able to offer all courses students need to graduate. The morning is devoted to academic instruction through tutorials, and the afternoon incorporates academic and recreational activities, including field trips.  In addition, when students are ready, they receive school to work training in the community.  A strong behavioral management system is also implemented which emphasizes the development of appropriate behaviors necessary for academic and social success.

Parents are always encouraged to visit the school at any time.  Opportunities are available to learn about the educational program and to become more involved in their child’s academic endeavors.  Family involvement is a high priority at High Road School of Perryville.

Read and Succeed

Ms. Carri Vandzura is excited to announce her new role for the 2011-12 school year. Ms. Carri has been teaching High Road students for almost 7 years now and has worked with students in Delaware, Elkton and Perryville.  This year she will continue working with our students, but in a different capacity. Ms. Carri will be assisting Ms. Nicole, the Maryland North region’s reading specialist, in offering several types of reading interventions, such as Wilson, Edmark, and READ 180. Ms. Carri stated “I am excited to be helping students and reinforcing reading goals that teachers are working on in the classroom. Students that have received reading specialist services in the past have demonstrated a greater sense of self- confidence when reading a loud and when completing independent work”

Simmer Rock Farm

For the third season, Matt Mutolo, head teacher of the New Hope Academy in Baltimore City, and Tracy Conway, Transition Coordinator of Perryville will be participating in a joint venture that involves an organic community supported agriculture farm in Sparks, Maryland. Students from both schools travel to Simmer Rock Farm to plant, care for, and harvest organic vegetables that are distributed to several restaurants and individuals in the Baltimore area. While the students are working on the farm, the owners are simultaneously teaching the students about planting and maintaining vegetables and sharing firsthand experience of farming life.

“For our city students, working on a farm may not be in their future, but our goal here is to open up experiences for our students, and show them the possibilities of what they are capable of”, says Mr. Muttolo. In Perryville, however, there is quite a different justification for participating in this program. “Many of our students live near or have worked on local or family farms in the past. It is important to instill these skills into our students early, so they have this job experience for a possible farming career”, says Mr. Conway.

Program intentions aside, each student takes away from this experience a piece of our country’s farming heritage and the knowledge of what it takes to sustain a farm. “I look at my food differently now and think about where it came from”, said one student, “My food means more to me”.

Graduating Seniors of the Class of 2011! 

The High Road Schools of the Maryland North Region and New Hope Academy are extremely proud of the graduating seniors of the Class of 2011!  Our students region- wide are pursuing degrees at 2 year colleges and 4 year universities; attending nursing school; and beginning internships and apprenticeships.  We wish them the best of luck in all of their future endeavors!

Project IMPACT

In a collaborated effort, High Road Schools of Perryville, Anne Arundel County, and Baltimore County took a group of students to the Maryland Correctional Institution-Jessup, a medium-security male facility. This tour is part of Project IMPACT (Inmates Making Positive Attempts to Change Teens). School social workers planned the visit for twelve students and seven staff members. The High Road group arrived at Jessup and were led on a five hour tour by several prison inmates and two sergeants. Students had the opportunity to sample prison lunch (served at 10:30am!), visit a locked down isolation cell, see the building where gang members are incarcerated, and see the prison dormitory for older inmates. Throughout the tour, inmates spoke with the students and answered questions about life in prison. Students were taught about the lack of privacy, the isolation from friends and family, and the safety concerns that exist in prison. At the end of the tour, the inmates shared their personal stories and lessons they have learned the hard way. Several inmates emphasized making good choices, staying away from drugs and violence, and the importance of family. One inmate stated, “You don’t realize how good you have it and how much your family cares about you.” On the way home from the field trip, the students participated in an engaging discussion about what they saw and how they can make personal changes in their own life to make better choices on a daily basis. According to one Anne Arundel County student, “I am going to change my life and stay away from the gangs in my neighborhood because those guys don’t really have my back.  I don’t want to end up there!”

North Bay Field Trip

I want to begin by thanking all of the parents for their cooperation on returning the pages of paperwork necessary to make this trip possible. The staff that gave up their time to stay with the students over night deserves an abundance of gratitude.  Last, but definitely not least, the New Hope and High Road students that went on the trip need to be commended the most.  They showed a tremendous amount of respect for the North Bay staff and the facility, and enthusiastically bought into the message North Bay was sending to them about conservation and taking individual responsibility about the environment that is immediately around them.
 We arrived March 15th at about 11:30am and immediately were greeted by an enthusiastic and friendly group of North Bay staff members that ushered us to our cabins and then lunch (which I will say was phenomenal) of chicken tacos.  After lunch, the fun really began! The North Bay staff had us split into groups and we rotated around the facility going from the ropes course, to the scales and tales animal presentation, to a giant rope swing, the nature hike, and finally the 150 yard zip line.  It was more fun than I had ever seen our students have on a field trip, that‘s for sure.   After those 5 fun-filled hours, we headed back to the dining hall for a spaghetti dinner.  We went from the dinner to the game room where the students enjoyed shooting pool, playing table tennis, and of course, eating smores.  After all that fun, students began to show signs of sleepiness.  We watched the movie “Despicable Me” but I would guess only about half of the students made it through the movie without falling asleep.  We were a worn out group of campers.  We awoke the next morning to breakfast and headed out to learn about the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”.  This presentation proved to be motivational to all of the students as they picked up about 8 huge bags full of garbage and half a dozen tires from the beach.  Seeing all they accomplished, the students walked to lunch with a feeling of pride.  They cleaned the beach for the sake of cleaning the beach.  They weren’t paid; they just cleaned the beach because it was the right thing to do.  After lunch, we gathered our things and headed back to school.  
Thank you to everyone that had even the smallest part in making this happen.  This is a field trip that, I’m sure, the students will never forget; I know I never will.  I really look forward to next year’s trip.
-Mr. John Lochte

At SESI’s High Roads School Chess is More Than a Game to ‘Special-Needs’ Students

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Special Incentive

The students in Ms. Carri’s class at the High Road School of Perryville were very excited to talk about the motivational incentives their teachers come up with each month. The students explained that for every day you are on green level you receive one raffle ticket to add to the incentive jar and for every day you are on blue level you receive two tickets to add. At the end of the month, someone’s name is drawn from the jar to win some awesome prizes. This month Will won a very cool mountain bike. Congratulations Will!

Students Continue to Make a Positive Difference in the Perryville Community

Our students continue to make a positive difference in the Perryville community as we get 2011 underway.

Recently, some green and blue level students took a field trip to the Laurelwood Care Center to help distribute groceries to needy members of the community. Students worked side by side with other volunteers to help distribute fresh produce, canned goods, bread, and other groceries.  One representative from the care center commented, “We are very thankful to all of the friendly volunteers from High Road. They helped to make sure those in need had dinner tonight”

Follow Our Flat Stanley

The elementary class at the High Road School of Perryville has read and enjoyed the book “Flat Stanley” by Jeff Brown. Stanley Lambchop was a typical boy who had a large bulletin board mounted on his wall over his bed. One night, while he was sleeping, the bulletin board fell on him and flattened him to a one-half inch thickness. When he woke up, he was very surprised to find himself flat! Stanley discovered he could be folded up and mailed in an envelope to different places. The students in Ms. Carri’s class have mailed a Flat Stanley to visit their friends all over the world and have been excited to read about Stanley’s travels and see his photos upon his return to High Road.

So far Stanley has traveled to Disney World and had his picture taken with Snow White and had Thanksgiving dinner with the troops at Camp Sabaly-Harrison at the Baigram Airbase in Afghanistan. He sat at the head of the table! He’s also been to Daytona Beach recently and to lots of local festivals. Check back soon to see where else in the world Flat Stanley ends up!

Perryville Staff Adventure

Staff members at High Road School of Perryville recently spent a staff development day bonding off campus at a state- of- the- art adventure facility in the area. North Bay is a Maryland retreat center located on the upper Chesapeake Bay. They offer several programs throughout the year including summer camps, weekend retreats, corporate retreats and team-building adventures. School staff participated in the high ropes course, went on the zip line and rock climbing wall and overcame other team challenges. They had a great time and can’t wait to take the students there to share in the fun!

North Bay Field Trip

I want to begin by thanking all of the parents for their cooperation on returning the pages of paperwork necessary to make this trip possible. The staff that gave up their time to stay with the students over night deserves an abundance of gratitude.  Last, but definitely not least, the New Hope and High Road students that went on the trip need to be commended the most.  They showed a tremendous amount of respect for the North Bay staff and the facility, and enthusiastically bought into the message North Bay was sending to them about conservation and taking individual responsibility about the environment that is immediately around them.
 We arrived March 15th at about 11:30am and immediately were greeted by an enthusiastic and friendly group of North Bay staff members that ushered us to our cabins and then lunch (which I will say was phenomenal) of chicken tacos.  After lunch, the fun really began! The North Bay staff had us split into groups and we rotated around the facility going from the ropes course, to the scales and tales animal presentation, to a giant rope swing, the nature hike, and finally the 150 yard zip line.  It was more fun than I had ever seen our students have on a field trip, that‘s for sure.   After those 5 fun-filled hours, we headed back to the dining hall for a spaghetti dinner.  We went from the dinner to the game room where the students enjoyed shooting pool, playing table tennis, and of course, eating smores.  After all that fun, students began to show signs of sleepiness.  We watched the movie “Despicable Me” but I would guess only about half of the students made it through the movie without falling asleep.  We were a worn out group of campers.  We awoke the next morning to breakfast and headed out to learn about the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”.  This presentation proved to be motivational to all of the students as they picked up about 8 huge bags full of garbage and half a dozen tires from the beach.  Seeing all they accomplished, the students walked to lunch with a feeling of pride.  They cleaned the beach for the sake of cleaning the beach.  They weren’t paid; they just cleaned the beach because it was the right thing to do.  After lunch, we gathered our things and headed back to school.  
Thank you to everyone that had even the smallest part in making this happen.  This is a field trip that, I’m sure, the students will never forget; I know I never will.  I really look forward to next year’s trip.
-Mr. John Lochte

North Bay Field Trip

I want to begin by thanking all of the parents for their cooperation on returning the pages of paperwork necessary to make this trip possible. The staff that gave up their time to stay with the students over night deserves an abundance of gratitude.  Last, but definitely not least, the New Hope and High Road students that went on the trip need to be commended the most.  They showed a tremendous amount of respect for the North Bay staff and the facility, and enthusiastically bought into the message North Bay was sending to them about conservation and taking individual responsibility about the environment that is immediately around them.
 We arrived March 15th at about 11:30am and immediately were greeted by an enthusiastic and friendly group of North Bay staff members that ushered us to our cabins and then lunch (which I will say was phenomenal) of chicken tacos.  After lunch, the fun really began! The North Bay staff had us split into groups and we rotated around the facility going from the ropes course, to the scales and tales animal presentation, to a giant rope swing, the nature hike, and finally the 150 yard zip line.  It was more fun than I had ever seen our students have on a field trip, that‘s for sure.   After those 5 fun-filled hours, we headed back to the dining hall for a spaghetti dinner.  We went from the dinner to the game room where the students enjoyed shooting pool, playing table tennis, and of course, eating smores.  After all that fun, students began to show signs of sleepiness.  We watched the movie “Despicable Me” but I would guess only about half of the students made it through the movie without falling asleep.  We were a worn out group of campers.  We awoke the next morning to breakfast and headed out to learn about the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch”.  This presentation proved to be motivational to all of the students as they picked up about 8 huge bags full of garbage and half a dozen tires from the beach.  Seeing all they accomplished, the students walked to lunch with a feeling of pride.  They cleaned the beach for the sake of cleaning the beach.  They weren’t paid; they just cleaned the beach because it was the right thing to do.  After lunch, we gathered our things and headed back to school.  
Thank you to everyone that had even the smallest part in making this happen.  This is a field trip that, I’m sure, the students will never forget; I know I never will.  I really look forward to next year’s trip.
-Mr. John Lochte

International Day

International Day is a High Road School tradition that invites our students, staff and parents to learn about cultures around the world.  Each classroom will pick a country to represent and prepare a menu for our International Day Event, which is scheduled for Wednesday March 24, 2010.  Classes will research the customs and history of the country they have chosen.  This year we have a varying selection of countries. Mr. Lou’s class will focus on Japan and bring an Oriental perspective to our event.  Ms. Carri’s class has chosen Peru to show the school the interesting cultures that comes out of South America.  Mr. Ian’s class will study the Netherlands, incorporating Dutch history and cuisine into their lessons. More information about International Day will be sent home with your student as it becomes available.

Perryville Lions Club

Josh Strzegowski, Director of High Road School of Perryville, recently received an appreciation award from the Perryville Lions Club, which is a philanthropic organization dedicated to originating useful community enterprises and social activities which benefit the entire town and suburb. Josh spoke at a recent meeting informing members of the club and community about services provided to High Road School students. Thanks to Mr. Josh for helping to link community and school!

Scales and Tales

The students at the High Road Schools of Baltimore County, Delaware, Elkton and Perryville, along with the students of New Hope Academy gathered for an exciting program called Scales and Tales. 

The Maryland Department of Natural Resources offers the program to local schools to give students the opportunity to see wildlife native to Maryland.

Ms. Morgan, a naturalist from Patapsco State Park, educated students on a variety of birds and reptiles in the area. Students got an up close and personal look at a baby and mother black rat snake, a diamondback terrapin, a great horned owl, and a turkey vulture. Students learned about wildlife habitats, diets, and life- spans. 

Ms. Morgan also discussed interesting wildlife facts and mentioned how each bird and reptile was brought into the park’s care.

During the program, students passed around a molted snakeskin, which one student said felt like wax paper. Some brave students had the opportunity to touch the black rat snake as they were leaving. The students enjoyed the program and learned lots of cool new facts about wildlife in Maryland!

Therapeutic Riding Program

The High Road Schools of Perryville and Elkton are participating in the Freedom Hills Therapeutic Riding Program this year. This program is a fun, hands- on and extremely beneficial program that brings horses and individuals with disabilities together for a variety of therapeutic goals.

Students began their lessons at Freedom Hills, which is located in Port Deposit, Maryland, in September and “work” on the farm on a weekly basis. Students are responsible for grooming their assigned horse, organizing supplies, cleaning different areas of the stable and farm, and walking their horse to and from the paddock. They also participate in riding lessons. The students were encouraged to establish a relationship of trust with the horse before riding. One student commented, “My horse seemed to trust me. I walked him, groomed him and fed him before we started riding. I thought I would be nervous to ride, but I wasn’t nervous at all!”

Staff members at the farm agree that individuals have the potential to learn about aspects of life such as accountability, forgiveness, learning through mistakes, teamwork, responsibility, and concentration by interacting with the horses.  One staff member mentioned the amount of emotional control it takes to master riding. 

This program has provided a huge incentive for students to do well in school as they have to maintain the 2 highest behavioral levels in order to participate. Ms. Carri, a teacher in Perryville, is thrilled that the program has been a hit with the students and is not surprised by the never- ending questions about Freedom Hills and one question in particular, “When can we go back??”

Remembering 9/11

The students and staff at the High Road School of Perryville wanted to do something important to honor those that lost their lives during the 9/11 tragedy. They created a quilt made of red, white and blue squares. On each square, students designed a personal thank you to the members of the Perryville Fire Department for all of the hard work and service they provide to the community. On September 11, 2009, a group of students had the privilege of presenting the quilt to the firefighters in remembrance of those who lost their lives in New York eight years ago. The impact of this project was felt by the entire school as it allowed them to connect with the community in a positive and meaningful way.

Cecil County Children and Adolescent Mentor Program

The High Road Schools of Cecil County in Elkton and Perryville are proud to announce that they have been awarded a grant from the state and the Cecil County Core Service Agency to provide mentoring services to youth in the local community. The Cecil County Children and Adolescent Mentor Program (C.A.M.P) is run by High Road School Social Worker Sara Carty and staffed by High Road Teachers and Assistants. The program matches each participating child with an individual mentor who serves as a role model to increase pro-social skills, self- esteem and confidence. The mentor and child engage in mutually agreed upon activities that provide a context for practicing skills and working toward the goals set forth in their individual mental health treatment plans. At the same time, the mentoring program provides an opportunity for fun, new experiences and lays a foundation for positive relationship building.

In order to be eligible for the program, the child or adolescent must be between 6 and 18 years of age and must be receiving treatment from a mental health professional. The child must also have a mental health diagnosis and receive medical assistance.

C.A.M.P offers services to an average of ten children and adolescents a month for up to one year. The mentor and mentee will spend one day a week together for up to 3 hours at a time. Some of the activities planned for the up coming months include bowling, miniature golf, nature trail walks, indoor swimming, rock climbing, movies, apple picking and other seasonal activities.

If your child fits the program criteria or you would like more information on the program, please contact Sara Carty by phone 410-398-6900 or by e-mail sara.highroadschool@yahoo.com

Reading Specialist

The Reading Specialist position can hold a number of different roles within a variety of school settings. This position is found at all levels, from elementary through high school, private and public schools. The primary role of a person in this position is sometimes a coach for classroom teachers and other times as one-on-one intervention teacher. In my position at High Road, I wish to fill both of these roles as intervention teacher and coach.

The students who meet with a Reading Specialist are most often recommended by their classroom teachers or Administrators. These referrals are based upon discrepancies in potential ability and performance, or reading skills that are far below what would be expected. When a student is referred, further testing is completed to determine the most effective course of action. I use a variety of assessments such as the QRI-IV (Qualitative Reading Inventory, 4th edition), and vocabulary and phonics surveys. These assessments allow me to identify whether a student’s weaknesses are in decoding alone, comprehension, or a combination of both.

Following the individualized nature of our school programs, I am able to decide upon a plan with the classroom teacher that best meets each student’s needs. This may come in the form of individualized intervention in phonics utilizing one of a number of research-based programs, or as supplementary activities to assist the classroom teacher. If a student has strengths in phonemic awareness but weaknesses in comprehension, their plan for individualized sessions will reflect that. 

Some of the programs utilized in our schools include: Edmark Reading, Orton-Gillingham, Wilson Reading. Each of these is a research proven program that addresses the ‘Big 5’ areas of Literacy: Phonics, Phonemic Awareness, Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension. Through these programs, students are offered intense, individualized instruction in the areas with demonstrated weaknesses.

It is our responsibility as educators to ensure that students have the opportunity to reach their potential. It is my wish that each of our students find independence in their reading, and that such independence helps them reach their goals.

List of Reading Interventions

Transition Program

All of the programming that is designed to transition the student from school to work emphasizes preparation for productive employment after graduation. To make this employment as successful and fulfilling as possible, we help the student explore his or her interests and then build upon natural talents in choosing possible career paths. As students mature, we encourage them to gradually become more self reliant. Our Transitional Services staff aids in this process by giving the students just the right amount of independence and interaction with the wider community, while still providing the supports necessary for the students to feel secure and confident.

School-to-Work Program
Our School- to Work Program offers students the opportunity to participate in true- to- life jobs within the school setting. The end goal of the program is to develop the student’s employment skills and social skills in order to maximize their potential for success in the real world. As such, students seek to obtain jobs by first filling out an application and interviewing for the position they are interested in, as they would in real life. Once the student obtains a suitable position at school, they are held accountable for their attendance and performance, so we work with them on such aspects of employment as punctuality, responsibility, and working independently. Many of the jobs the students procure involve our student - run on the premises retail business. Students participating in the School-to-Work Program are trained to operate many of the state- of- the- art machines that make customized products for sale through this retail business.

Community Work
High Road School of Perryville affords students the opportunity to take their learning outside of the classroom and transfer it into the community. We work with our students to practice the proficiencies they have mastered in the School- to- Work Program, and then, when a student is ready, a job coach accompanies them to volunteer or paid job sites out in the community. We partner with a wide array of local- area businesses, including restaurants, hospitals, preschools, and retail shops, to expose the students to real - life work experience and social interactions. In this way, students can explore numerous career avenues and gain valuable work experience to list on their resumes.

A Thankful Parent

Mr. Josh-

I have to say thanks to you and Ms. Carri for all of your hard work! Everyone was well organized which made our recent IEP meeting run very smooth. I truly felt like a member of the team.

Kim Milburn
“Drake’s mom”

Official Site for Cecil County Public Schools
www.ccps.org
 
Official Site for Harford County Public Schools
www.hcps.org