COTTING SCHOOL INTRODUCTION rawing from Jasper Johns’ 1930 work Numbers Din Color, the dynamic mural pictured on the cover and throughout this report was created with tiles shaped by students at Cotting School in 2007. Using clay tools, stamps, and paintbrushes, each child made a personal statement of his or her first initial in color and texture. Each square 1 represents one of the building blocks that comprise the rich mosaic of our community. While each tile represents an individual, together their initials blend together as a permanent installment, a reminder that each one of us is unique and that together we can accomplish amazing things. The wall is a testament to the strength and creativity of our students, and to the skill and vision of art teacher Rosanne Trolan. Throughout this volume the tiles change, representing the different transitions that occur in our community each year and each day. We invite you to join us for a glimpse into this remarkable place, Cotting School. TO THE CottinG SCHooL FAMILY otting continually strives to improve its services to Cstudents with special needs, both within our program and in the greater community. This has been another year of exciting innovations. Our new Preschool Classroom space provides a warm, nurturing, and therapeutic environment conducive to maximizing learning and social/emotional growth in the critical early years of a child’s development. 2 A new Transition Classroom offers community-based instruction to eight of our oldest students, giving them further preparation for independence after Cotting. In addition, we have continued to evolve our pre-vocational program. The Work Skills Center, including the student- run snack bar, combines the expertise of our Pre-Vocational and Occupational Therapy Departments. Through staff teamwork, each upper school student participates in an in-house job, and 29 students work offsite weekly through Project Bridges. While we continue to make the services at HOPEhouse known to the community, the staff there has developed an after-school program aimed at our oldest students, using their outstanding skills. All these endeavors and the continued excellence of our educational program have helped us maintain a strong enrollment. In an effort to share our expertise and facilities with students who do not attend Cotting School, we have expanded our outreach and consulting capacity through the Pace Assistive Technology Assessment Center and developed a joint venture with the New England College of Optometry and the New England Eye Institute. With funding from The John W. Alden Trust, Cotting’s Seamark Vision Clinic has expanded to invite children with disabilities from underserved areas to obtain fully funded vision assessments and eyewear. In 2008, we look forward to celebrating the School’s 115th anniversary with Arcadia Publishing’s Cotting School: A Pictorial History, which will arrive in bookstores in April. In September we plan to welcome our first Cotting Fellow, 3 a 2008 graduate in the field of special education, who will train with us for two years. This Fellowship has been made possible through the generosity of dedicated friends of the School. We have also received a challenge grant to fund a second Cotting Fellow position, which has galvanized us to move ahead with this exciting initiative. Sincerely, Anne Phillips Ogilby, Chairman, Board of Trustees David W. Manzo, President/Executive Director TRANSITION TO COTTING 100% of Cotting students use assistive technology. 4 Each Cotting student makes use of some form of adaptive technology, whether it is an adaptive keyboard or mouse, a joystick and an onscreen keyboard, or a communication device. The Coordinator of The Dorothy Pace Assistive Technology Assessment Center schedules each student for an annual technology assessment with an in-house Occupational Therapist, a Technology Specialist, and a Communication Therapist to ensure that each child is using the best technology possible to optimize communication and learning. “Cotting has a whole network of people who ‘get’ our daughter. It is amazing. We don’t have to worry any more.” spritely child with an indomitable spirit and delightful energy, new A student Phoebe eagerly rushes into school each morning, ready to join her classmates. “At Cotting she feels she is a valuable part of the community, and that helps shape her learning and confidence,” says her mother, Lisa Hammer; “she is so happy to be in school.” Phoebe’s father, Steve Sternbach, adds, “Cotting has a whole network of people who ‘get’ our daughter. It is amazing. We don’t have to worry any 5 more.” “Phoebe has a constant drive to do things but cannot express that. Her schooling affects our entire family, as now all four children do their homework simultaneously. Phoebe loves to do her work, but she has to think about the questions. There is often silence, and there is a lot going on in that silence,” her mother reflects. “Her brothers and sister now see Phoebe as a student. They see her identity as a person, not just her disability. And knowing that she is in a place where so many people are attending to her needs is a huge gift for me.” Lisa repeats, “She’s just so happy.” TRANSITION THROUGH COTTING 100% of Cotting students have access to 6 a wide range of extra-curricular activities. “Cotting School is beyond a perfect school for me. It’s my second family.” otting School is beyond a perfect school for me,” Matt says. C“It’s my second family.” One of his favorite people, his Aunt Mary, recalls “how happy Matt has been since he started attending Cotting. He has blossomed so much! I have visited several times, and I am always struck by how friendly everybody is, both students and staff.” She notes that Matt’s former apprehension about a new school year is gone “because it doesn’t matter if he has a new teacher; they are all great!” Sophisticated, 7 cordial and caring, Matt has developed a wide range of interests. An avid reader, he is learning chess and Italian to complement his extensive knowledge of art, classical music, and piano. He loves language and listens to the nightly news to catch words such as “ubiquitous,” which he then enjoys adding to his vocabulary. His mother, Indra Guertler, is delighted with the Cotting faculty. “They see Matt for his strengths. He has learned to read and appreciate a range of music, to use a hammer and saw, and to appreciate different artists and genres. Teachers and staff members have opened new worlds for him. I cannot say enough about Cotting.” TRANSITION CLASSROOM 100% of upper school students have an in-house job. 8 Before Cotting students venture into the work force through our Project Bridges program, they have a series of in-house jobs. Using the knowledge they have acquired in Work Skills class, students treat each in-house situation as if it were a real job. At any one time, 29 upper school students also participate in Project Bridges by working at an off-site job for two hours twice a week. “Cotting was a dream come true for my daughter… It opened worlds to which we never thought she’d have access.” otting was a dream come true for my daughter, CChrista,” Yolette Ibokette enthuses. “It opened worlds to which we never thought she’d have access. It’s not just programs; it’s people,” she emphasizes. “When we first arrived twelve years ago, my daughter had no friends and no extracurricular activities.” 9 As for now? Yolette credits Circle of Friends and cheerleading with “teaching Christa how to make friends and be a friend,” and Project Bridges with “teaching her how to work at places such as TJ Maxx.” Now Christa is a member of Cotting’s new Transition Classroom and is out in the community three days per week. Along with the changes have come different, age- appropriate priorities for Christa. Yolette laughs heartily, “Now in typical teenager ways, she asks, ‘What do I wear?’ and claims, ‘My cell phone needs a charger.’ We feel so blessed that she has attended Cotting. I just wish more families could be as fortunate as we have been. I hope Cotting School never changes.” TRANSITION BACK TO COTTING 71% of Cotting faculty and administrators hold advanced degrees. 10 100% of Cotting School faculty and staff pursue professional development annually. “Philosophically, Cotting is different. My colleagues are here to develop students’ independence, not just to get through the day.” am thrilled to be back at Cotting, this time in a full-time I capacity,” exults Melissa Mulvey, Communication Therapist. “Philosophically, Cotting is different. My colleagues are here to develop students’ independence, not just to get through the day. I find this approach highly satisfying.” As an undergraduate and first-year graduate student in speech pathology, Melissa spent two summers here as a program assistant. 11 A nationally certified speech and language pathologist, she provides direct services to students in all areas of communication, teaching and modeling what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. “What I like about Cotting is that students are aware of their goals, and they want to work on their skills to achieve these goals. They seek out homework. The students are motivated, and so are the staff,” she reports. “I appreciate that Cotting integrates therapy into the classroom situations.” For example, Melissa will help her students prepare questions for an upcoming trip into the community, and then, when they return, talk with them about it. “I can honestly ask, ‘how was it?’ since I did not go with them. We can then have a great conversation in which they converse among themselves rather than the teacher doing all the talking.” With highly sought-after skills, Melissa was given the opportunity of running a small program herself elsewhere, but she prefers the Cotting approach where she is a member of a team.