The High Road Student Learning Center is a privately owned, state approved special education day school that serves students facing learning, language, and social challenges. Our individualized educational program features one-on-one and small group interactive learning, supplemented by integrated computer technology in every classroom; and our unique behavioral management system simultaneously directs young adults to control their impulses, accept responsibility, and self-monitor their behavior. We also equip our high school students with social skills/life skills training that teaches them how to communicate effectively, to function appropriately in society, and to build fulfilling peer relationships, whereas the transitional components of our program prepare them for post-graduation continuing education and/or careers suited to their particular aptitudes and interests.

Above all else, the High Road Upper School is committed to the success of all of our students on all fronts — in school, at home, and in the community — so we custom-design our curriculums to address the strengths and needs of each child, and then we implement our initiatives in a warm and nurturing environment characterized by small class sizes, personal attention, and positive reinforcement. In this way, we’re able to meet all students at their own performance level and create new pathways to higher levels of academic achievement and skills acquisition en route to more productive and promising futures.

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Back to School 2010 - 2011 NEWS:

Open House

Graduation Ceremony

On June 15, 2010, The High Road Student Learning Center Upper School and the High Road School of Wallingford High School held their annual graduation ceremony. Students who were graduating seniors, returning to district, or moving into the upper school transition program for ages 18 -21 were recognized.

The evening was filled with moving testimonials from all of the students describing their struggles in the past and how the High Road staff members nurtured them and helped them to grow academically, socially, and emotionally. Their journeys were often heart wrenching yet their road to self discovery, acceptance, and advocacy was empowering to all.

One graduate, Joseph Crowle spoke about how difficult it was for him to stay on task and how argumentative he was when he first came to High Road. One day he was at school and started to think about what he was doing to himself and why he was not trying harder with his school work and how come he was arguing with everyone. He realized how the school had been trying to help him and he began to understand how the staff was only trying to get him ready for the real world. “Without the help of High Road I would not be here tonight and I don’t know where I would be. I might possibly be in jail, but not up here in my cap and gown graduating.” said Joseph.

Joseph has had an opportunity to mentor students in the lower school this year and because he has connected so well with the students, he will be working in the High Road Extended School Year program this summer. In the fall he plans to attend fire fighting school.

A highlight of the evening was the announcement of the winners of the Juan DeJesus Memorial scholarship fund for graduating seniors seeking a post-secondary educational opportunity. The students needed to write an essay to express what the following quote means to them: “The more I help others to succeed the more I succeed” by Ray Kroc

First prize winner of the $500.00 scholarship was Josh Szabat of Southington who was accepted into Bristol Technical School for the fall semester to study auto mechanics. It is well known on campus that Josh is a student who has a natural talent for putting things together and fixing anything that has a motor.

“When Ms. Violante called my name for the scholarship, I was completely surprised. I will be able to use the scholarship money for precision machinist tools, such as micrometers, dial calipers, depth mircrometers, and bore gauges. These tools will allow me to do more intricate work on engines,” said Josh. Reflecting on his time at High Road, Josh said, “I am a different person today, than when I first came here, I have come a long way.”

In second place was Junior Peyton of East Hartford who won a $250.00 college scholarship. He was accepted at Gateway Community College where he will study math and science and planning to transfer to a four year school to study physics. Junior also won an award for Best Attendance for the school year.

Our graduation ceremony is the highlight of our year, not only is it a time to celebrate all of our student’s accomplishments, but it is also a time to reflect upon the relationships we have built with one another. Our High Road community pulls together like a family in order to provide “roots and wings” as the students move beyond our walls and into the larger community. “Building confidence and competence” is our motto and goal for each student, and it was evident on graduation night that our mission was accomplished.

Gulf Oil Spill Relief Effort

Mr. Washbond’s class at the High Road Student Learning Center Upper School is collecting items for the Gulf Oil Spill Relief. The collection will go through the entire month of July. Please bring all donations to the Upper school.

Items Needed:
Sheets
Towels
Disposable bed pads
Q-tips
Gauze Pads
Toothbrushes (NEW and SEALED)
Dawn Dish Soap (original blue formula)
Pedialyte Liters
Pepto Bismol (original formula)
Newspapers
Cardboard boxes (medium and large)
Duct tape
Aluminum foil
Nitrile gloves (no latex-petroleum products break these down)

Please help save our sea life

Thank-you!

2010 Fine Arts Festival

The High Road Schools of CT held their second annual Fine Arts Festival on May 14, 2010 at the Sheraton Four Points Hotel in Meriden. The festival brings together all of the schools in the CT region to showcase their art work and creative talents.

The Fine Arts Festival is a culmination of a yearly school project called m-map. It is the Masters March Activity Project which integrates the fine arts into all of the academic disciplines. Norwalk teacher, Pamela Thompson, coordinates the projects for the entire region. Students, as always, are encouraged to “celebrate, cultivate, and challenge, the mind”, which was the slogan adorned on tee-shirts made by Transition Coordinator, Kathy Szabat and the Upper school students for all the student participants.

This year’s theme was “Finding Your Voice.”  One stand out project included a dinner party where each student invited a person of their choice to the dinner table. Each student designed the place settings for their special guest and also wrote a conversation that they think they might take place. The variety of guests included Martin Luther King, Jr., James Bond, Barack Obama, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln.

Besides all of the creative and inspiring art work, students also had an opportunity to show off their musical talents!  Students sang a variety of contemporary songs, as well as, writing and performing original rap songs and skits. A few students also accompanied their performance with guitar or keyboard.

This year the Arts Festival drew close to 300 people including students, parents, district heads and friends. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the art work and was energized by the students’ performances.

The Festival culminated with some fun interactive dancing led by Broadway dancer, Hally McGehean. Ms. McGehean led the students in some line dances including the Cupid Shuffle backed by our very own staff D.J. Jeff Benham.

Walk for Autism

On Sunday, May 2, 2010, staff from the High Road Student Learning Center (Upper and Lower/Intermediate schools) participated in the 12th annual Walk for Autism, sponsored by the Autism Spectrum Resource Center and held on the grounds of Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, CT.

The ASRC is a non-profit organization that serves all individuals of all ages across the spectrum, as well as their families and the professionals who work with them. They offer professional and family training, development of new resources statewide, community awareness, advocacy training and much more!
All proceeds from the walk go to fund the many programs and services that the agency provides to the autism community.

As well as the 2.5 mile walk through historic downtown Wallingford, there were many booths and activities before and after the walk for families along with a music and food.

New this year, was an art booth for young artists. Connor from the High Road Student Learning Center Lower Intermediate School and Samy from the Upper school had a great time displaying their art and even sold some of their drawings.

Yoga Class

Elena Dykas, High Road Student Learning Center school social worker and certified Yoga instructor, offered an introductory yoga class this spring to Upper School students.

Yoga is a wonderful opportunity for young adults to learn self-control, increase flexibility, and enhance body awareness.  Another benefit of frequent yoga practice is the idea that it improves focus and concentration in the classroom.  Several students participated in the recent session.  A few students reported having some previous yoga experience and willingness to learn more postures.

One student, Michaela Narus said she took the class because, “Yoga is awesome! I sometimes do it at home to relax or before karate.”

Another student, Danny Quinn said he believes that “yoga keeps me fit and relaxed after a long day of work in the community.  It also can help kids in school to clear the mind after working hard on academics.”

Other students, like, Simone Steel took the class for the first time with no previous yoga experience.  “I like the animal poses.  They are fun to do!”  The concept of a different way to exercise and the social aspect of the group seemed to make it an enjoyable experience for her.

Along with learning some animal named postures, Mrs. Dykas used some visual guides and a power point presentation so that the students could follow along while learning different yoga poses.  “The Sun Salutation is a great beginner lesson, especially for autistic learners, because the idea is to follow a routine of doing a twelve pose sequence each morning (including deep breathing) to help one feel good about starting their day.”

The students also had the opportunity to create their own postures and teach them to the group. Mrs. Dykas said, “This gives each student an opportunity to lead the class and also fosters creativity and imagination,”

The program was so well received that Mrs. Dykas plans to run two more sessions during the next school year and also hopes to start a regular Yoga group for Fun Friday events at Upper School.

High Road Students Branching Out

Students from Ms. Miccio’s class at High Road Student Learning Center Upper School applied for advance placement at Gateway Community College in North Haven this year.  They are currently taking an Interpersonal Communication course that meets Monday and Wednesdays for an hour. Staff from High Road transports the students to and from the college and offer any academic support the student may need.

The students are auditing the course to get exposure to college life both on a social and academic level. They are currently earning passing grades and enjoy participating in the class. According to student Christian Scranton, “The class has been a fun experience, but was a little stressful in the beginning.” Now he is feeling comfortable and he is interested in auditing more courses.

Ryan Hawko, said,” I am learning from the class about the nature of social interactions through power point presentations, note taking and class exercises,  I like  college because there are more choices involved like buying food in the student union and choosing your own courses.”

This partnership with Gateway Community College has been so well received that the High Road Student Learning Center would like to offer the program for the fall semester and have the students audit a mathematics course.

“It has been exciting to see the students be so successful with their first college experience and want to continue auditing classes. We are thrilled to be able to offer this collaboration with Gateway Community College,” said high school teacher Ms. Miccio.

Shooting For Success

Swoosh!  The High Road School of Connecticut Hornets made the last shots to win the fundraiser basketball game against their staff 51 to 48.

The year started off on a sad note at the High Road School of Norwalk this year.  We unfortunately had to disseminate terrible news to our students on the first day of school; Mr. DeJesus, a well-respected staff member, suffered a heart attack over the summer, and had tragically passed away.  This news was difficult for our students to process, especially given the fact that mortality is something they have rarely thought of.

Mr. Juan DeJesus will always be a part of our High Road family.  What greater way to honor such a respected staff member than to grant immortality in creating a scholarship in his name.  The scholarship will be granted to one graduating senior in Connecticut who will be continuing their education after high school.  An essay contest will be held for all eligible students, and the winner will be the recipient of the scholarship fund. 

In an effort to raise money for our scholarship, our staff challenged the student competitive basketball team, the High Road Hornets, to a basketball game.  The game was hosted at Albertus Magnus, a local college.  Members from the Albertus Magnus basketball team practiced with the students before the game, signed autographs for the admiring students, and were the officials for the Staff vs. Students game.  At game time the stands were filled with parents and fans of all involved.  Members of Mr. DeJesus’ s family even made the long journey from New York to support the event and cheer on the students he had dedicated so much time and energy to. 

Through the donations of the evening, we were able to raise $1000 which will be awarded to a graduating High Road senior in Connecticut who will be continuing their education after high school.  We hope to continue this event in the years to come.

Biology Class Lab

High Road Student Learning Center Upper school had their first biology lab last week dissecting a squid, a Marine species without a back bone. The students were equipped with safety glasses, gloves, aprons, and a dissection kit. Strict laboratory safety procedures were followed. 

Each team was given a preserved squid that had been injected with red dye in its veins to allow easy identification of these small vessels.  The students were then asked to identify the exterior parts of the squid and a class discussion of the uses of each external part was discussed.  Thereafter the students began the actual dissection, which entailed opening the body and identifying many of the interior parts of the squid.

Hopefully the student will appreciate the similarities of many organs that the squid have in common with themselves along with the organs that are different and allow the squid to live in a water environment. 

This class will be followed up with a dissection of a higher mammal.  Those studying marine biology will dissect a shark (dogfish) and those studying mammals will dissect a mink.

The High Road Herald

Special Musical Event

To compliment our music program in the upper school, our music teacher, Mr. Flanagan invited in high school musicians from our local preparatory school, Choate Rosemary Hall. They graciously accepted his invitation to come in and give a musical demonstration with the various wind instruments that our students have been studying about in music class. 

The Choate students serenaded the group with a clarinet, trombone, flute, and an oboe. They have been performing since they were four years old and between the two of the students they play over 20 instruments.  

Our High Road students enjoyed interacting with the Choate students and the Choate students got so much pleasure from performing and talking about their instruments that they are planning to come back in the springtime for an encore performance!

As soon as Harrisen started school at High Road he came in contact with teachers who understood his disabilities and they became a great support system for him. The staff taught him the strategies to excel with his academics, but more than that according to Harrisen, “they gave me the determination to put the strategies in place and not give up. They taught me to look inside myself to bring out my best potential.”

It wasn’t long before Harrisen became a role model at High Road and he began mentoring the other students. He started out by helping the younger students with their reading and math and became like a “big brother” figure in their classrooms.

When Harrisen turned 18 years old, he moved on into the High Road School transition program for students ages 18 -21.  For that year he was tutored in math so that he could strengthen his math skills in anticipation of taking college classes the next fall. He also participated in all the vocational activities that the transition program offered, such as how to write a resume and prepare for a job interview, social skills on the job, independent living skills such as budgeting and checkbooks, etc. to help prepare him for his future.

Because Harrisen was such a star student and had acquired such strong skills working with the students he mentored, Ron Chomicz (Education Director) offered Harrisen a job as a teacher assistant in the lower school upon his graduation. Harrisen was thrilled to be offered the job. “It felt really good, it was a great starting point for getting real job experience and to still be in contact with the people who I looked up to,” Harrisen explained.

Harrisen takes college classes in the evening and works at High Road during the day. His goal is to transfer to a four year college and become a physical therapist.

When asked how it felt to go from student to staff at High Road, he said that when he was a student here he didn’t always understand why things were done a certain way. Now he can see situations through the staff’s eyes and understands why things are set up the way they are. He finds himself saying the same things to the students that were told to him. When the students find out Harrisen went to school here, they can relate to him better. He tells them that whatever they are going through, he has been there. Harrisen will reason with the students and say, “Maybe some behaviors seem like the right way out, but they only lead to more negative consequences.  Listen to your teachers, they are right,” he stresses to the students. And they listen to him, because he has been in their shoes.

When asked to reflect on his experiences at High Road, Harrisen didn’t have to think long. “The most important thing I learned was how to carry myself as a person. I learned how to act appropriately in the community and how to present myself as a mature young man.”

Computer Recycling

The High Road Student Learning Center Upper School is now offering an elective class in computer recycling.

One of our parents has telephone systems donated from various business companies in the area and the students take them apart to salvage the computer pieces in the unit. The plastic, metals, tin and copper are recyclable.  This has become one of our popular hands-on activities that build fine motor skills, independence, and self confidence.

The students learn to handle different power tools under supervision to take the phones apart and also get first hand experience in helping to save the environment by recycling the computer components.

Related Services 

High Road Schools help the students to make the most of learning opportunities by staffing certified specialists to help each student with additional support as needed.

Our speech and language therapy program includes a coordinated and individualized approach. In group work, as well as individually, our certified speech therapists help the student to correctly produce the sounds in words, increase speech intelligibility, develop vocabulary knowledge and understanding, and utilize appropriate conversational skills. Emphasis is placed on pragmatics; such as turn taking, topic maintenance, asking appropriate questions, and socialization.   Also, grammar, syntax, and written expression are addressed.

Our occupational therapists help students with sensory, perceptual, and motor problems better meet the daily demands of their environment. She uses directed play as the primary method of treatment; however, classroom consultation directly with teachers and assistants regarding the student’s abilities is also key to their success. Directed play includes activities such as mazes or target games to develop the student’s eye and hand coordination or ball games to increase coordination between two sides of the body.  Through the use of movement, touch, and other functional activities, the student better develops the responses needed to function in the classroom, home, and community environments.  As the child ages and his or her needs change, the focus is on the acquisition of specific skills.  These can include learning to measure baking ingredients, personal care, or crossing busy streets, depending on the student’s abilities.

Our social workers help students with emotional and social growth issues.  They focuses on helping the student develop age-appropriate skills and behaviors for the classroom.  Through the use of recreational and other activities, they assist students in building self-esteem, applying social skills, and practicing leadership and team participation.  The students are seen individually and in small group sessions.  It is also not unusual to find social workers in the classroom leading social skills activities.

A consulting psychologist and behaviorist are also available on an as needed basis.

At High Road Student Schools all related services personnel work closely with the classroom teachers to assure integration into all classroom activities.

Culinary Happenings at High Road Student Learning Center Upper School

Amarilis Perez (nick name Mara) has always enjoyed cake decorating and has her sights set on getting a pastry certification and working in a bakery decorating cakes and pastry. She would like to someday manage a bakery with the hopes of owning a bakery in the future.  As part of her transition programming based on the goals and objectives in her I.E.P. a professional cake decorator came to High Road Student Learning Center upper school to teach Amarilis some new decorating techniques. 

Amarilis was very excited about the new decorations she learned to do and how professional looking her cake came out. Amarilis said, “When I took my cake home to my family they thought someone else had made it! They were very impressed with how beautiful it looked.”

For her next project, Amarilis is organizing a student bake-off.  Students are now signing up to bake and Mr. Pringle and Ms. Gambardella are standing by to judge the contest. A grand prize of a $15.00 gift card will be awarded to the winner.

Town Fair Tire Job Shadow

High school students at the High Road Student Learning Center Upper School are always eager to take the Interest Inventory that is administered by the transition department. They get to review a long list of job possibilities that await them after graduation and check off the ones that they would like to learn more about as they ponder their career choices.

Transition teachers Kathy Szabat and Kim Hinde, led a job shadow this week to Town Fair Tire in Wallingford with the students who expressed an interest in the automotive field. They were lucky enough to meet with Regional Manager of New Haven County Peter Zelich. First off he explained to the students what an employer looks for in a prospective employee and talked to the students about how to dress to impress at the interview.

Later Peter led the students on a tour of the facility and talked about the misconceptions that people have of the business. Town Fair Tire is strictly tire sales as well as changing, balancing, and rotating tires. Every single employee learns to how to change, balance and rotate tires at the back end of the building. A few employees are trained to work the registers at the front end and handle customers. There are classes for all employees on safety lifting skills due to the heaviness of the tires.

One particular piece of information that 12th grader Josh Szabat found interesting is that starting in 2007 all cars have tire pressure monitors installed. The monitors help consumers to keep track of the pressure to help prevent blow-outs and prevent accidents. Josh also said “I learned employees need to be at least 18 years old and need a driver’s license to work there.”

All the students were given depth gauges to measure tire tread to take home and learned how to use them by checking the tread on the school van. (Tread was very good!)

High Road 11th grader Brandon Poulin said, “The most important thing I learned was that at Town Fair Tire you were able to get more than a job; you have the opportunity for a long career.” Just ask the manager Peter Zelich, who started there changing tires and now manages 43 stores!

Dress for Success

Teacher Jim Flanagan has implemented a new program this year for his upper classmen called, “Dress for Success Thursdays”. The students will be wearing their dress clothes to school to get them used to business attire for the vocational/post secondary settings that they will be transitioning to in the future. 

The students have taken well to this program and are enjoying all of the positive attention that they are receiving when they come into school looking so professional. According to Dan Pausig, “I feel good about looking good, even though it is a little uncomfortable. I have gotten a lot of great compliments.” Josh Szabat agreed saying, “Even though I hate dressing up, I know it will get me a good job.”

Age Out

On Wednesdays, The High Road Student Learning Center Age Out class spends its morning working at local businesses. Some of our students head out to Vinny's Delicatessen and get right to work making sandwiches, and helping out with other the other duties involved with running the store. The owner of the store Vinny, said that the staff just love having the High Road Students working there because it helps them out so much. It is a perfect opportunity for our students to get hands-on experience in the food service business and in turn help the staff attend to the busy lunch crowd.

18-21 Year Old Program

The High Road Student Learning Center Upper school includes an 18-21 year old program (age-out) for students who qualify by their local school districts and have earned all of their high school credits. The purpose of the program is to further prepare our students for life after high school, whether it brings independent living, employment or continuing education. As the student matures, we gradually encourage him or her to become more self reliant. Our transitional services aid in this process by giving the student just the right amount of independence and interaction with a wider community, while still providing the supports necessary for the students to feel secure and confident.

The age-out program includes classroom instruction for functional reading and math skills all based on the students IEP goals, as well as, time out in the community at different job sites, social skills, life skills and recreational activities.

Our work sites include, Applebee’s, Kohl’s, Vinny’s Deli, Wal*Mart, Doggie Day Care and Spa, Home Depot, and Village Pet Spa to name a few.

Transitional Services for High School Students

A basic goal of the High Road Student Learning Center Upper school is to prepare the students for life after high school, whether it brings independent living, employment, or continuing education. Our school offers a broad array of transitional services designed to help the student explore his or her interests and build upon natural talents.  As the student matures, we gradually encourage him or her to become more self-reliant.  Our transitional services aid in this process by giving the student just the right amount of independence and interaction with the wider community, while still providing the supports necessary for the student to feel secure and confident.

All High Road high school students age 14 have vocational goals written into their I.E.P.’s and are given an occupational aptitude test to discover the student’s interest and strengths.  Students are matched in a job placement that best fits the findings of the testing. 

Our vocational program includes two job coaches, as well as mini-vans to transport our students to and from off-site work experiences. Our job coaches accompany the students to their job sites for added support. Under the guidance of the transition staff students have an opportunity to practice appropriate workplace social skills, as well as, sharpen their job skills and grow in their self-confidence.

Each year our transition team is adding new names of businesses and community agencies to serve as work-sites for our students. Some samples of the worksites include: American Cancer Society, Chucky Cheese, Gal Mar Beauty School, Masonic Home, Meriden Humane Society, Petco, Shop-Rite, Valvoline, Wallingford Day Care Center, Video stores, Wallingford Library, and Masters Manna.

Whenever possible, we utilize the larger chain stores, such as Staples Office Supply store.  During the school day the student is gaining work experience, as well as, familiarity with a particular company.  Often it works out that the students can transfer to another branch of the store right in their own hometown community.  This helps make for a smooth transition from the safety of our program toward total independence in the work world.

On-site, High Road students have ample opportunities to learn new job skills and “get a taste” of the working world.  Our culinary services include a student run “Country Café”, where the students are introduced to basic skills of food preparation, good nutrition, recipe reading, measurement, appropriate work habits, safe food handling practices, and kitchen safety.

There are many other duties that the students get involved in that help to keep our building running smoothly. Students rotate through different jobs such as maintenance, horticulture, attendance taking, delivering newspapers, and office skills in order to gain experience with a variety of jobs.

Other programs on campus include embroidery, press-a-print, mug machine, engraving, button making, poster machine, embossing machine, balloon bouquets, identification card machine, laminating and computer graphics.  Many of the items are showcased in the transition department’s production room, and students and staff are available to take orders.

There is also a big emphasis on independent living skills at all High Road .Students are brought to the bank, post office, grocery and retail stores. There is a school garden that the students plant and tend and all the food service training emphasizes the skills necessary to meal plan and cook when they are on their own.

While there is much emphasis on acquiring job skills, students are also exposed to the post-secondary options that are available to them. High Road Schools are also approved SAT providers.

IEP Management System

High Road Schools of CT is pleased to announce the implementation of IEP Direct web based management system in our Norwalk, Wallingford, and Waterbury locations. The utilization of this program will better serve the needs of districts and students with more efficiency and accuracy in creating individual educational plans.

For more information about the High Road Schools of CT, please contact Carol Revill, Outreach Coordinator @ 203-294-9139 or Brooke Violante, Chief School Director @ 203-840-1030.

Extended School Year

High Roads Schools of CT accepts referrals for our Extended School Year Program
(summer school) from local school districts. The ESY programs are available to our existing students who qualify, as well as, classified students who do not attend our schools during the regular school year.

Each child who is enrolled in the Extended School Year program will receive individual and small group instruction based on their current school year I.E.P. The extended year program addresses academic and social skill maintenance, transitional services (16 years and older), and enrichment activities. Speech and language, occupational and physical therapies, as well as social work services are provided for those who require them.

The school day for extended year is 9:00 A.M. – 1:00 P.M. and the program runs Monday – Friday for approximately 6 weeks.

2010 Extended School Year Dates

Starting Thursday, July 1, 2010 - Friday, August 13, 2010.
No school on Monday, July 5 due to July 4th observance.