Nocona Pre-K/PPCD ProgramOctober 15th, 2018

I NEED TWO VOLUNTEERS PLEASE

Five pictures

Some ways we are ensuring that we meet the HQ requirements set forward by the State include:

• Using the Big Day Curriculum

• Administering the CLI Engage Assessment• Administered three times a year to all students including PPCD

• Data from the assessment is analyzed

• Guides groupings and gives specific, individualized skill areas for each child to work on

• Provides activities for instruction

• Has wonderful printouts and explanations for parents as well as suggestions of activities to work on at home

• Increasing Parent Outreach and Involvement• Parent information Center within our classroom

• Weekly updating of our Pre-K webpage

• Collaboration with Head Start and their monthly Parent Meetings

• Development of a Take Home Library

• Allow families access to books to help ensure shared reading at home

• Family Events

• ELF Workshop, Christmas Pageant, VIP Tea, Donuts w/Dudes, Pre-K Carnival, and Annual Young Athlete Future Stars Special Olympic Event

Why our program is unique…..

We are ahead of the game when it comes to FULL INCLUSION!

We are actually three classes rolled into one!

• 3 year old PPCD

• 4 year old PPCD

• General Education Pre-K

Most schools in our County and Region have separate PPCD classrooms and Pre-K classrooms. Those who do practice inclusion often only include students with mild disabilities. Here at Nocona we include all students, no matter the level of their abilities in our Pre-K setting.

• We are getting those who will be moving on to K, Kindergarten Ready

• We are meeting the individualized goals and objectives of our PPCD students set forth in their Individualized Education Plan

• Most of all we are creating an inclusive “School Family” that focuses on strengths and abilities. We stress acceptance, compassion, teamwork, and kindness. We have high expectations for our students and ourselves. We try our best and have fun learning.

Two pictures with captions

Caption Caption

Hayes and Jenna Heller

Gabe and Jeanette Barcroft• I really don’t know where to start...

When Gabe entered the program he was 3 years old. Some described him with the traits of a “feral animal “. It was true. Just wild, that is the only thing I can say. I had to physically hold him at times to prevent him from hurting himself or others. He knew about 5 words and could not relay any of his needs. He communicated by pointing, grunting, screaming and hitting. He had no concept of sitting at a table to eat. Gabe had no idea how to be around people. He ran over anything in his path and was extremely destructive. No fear, decreased sense of pain, trying to jump out of moving vehicles, and the tendency to just run away from us created a very scary environment. It felt pretty hopeless at times.

Gabe started in April, and was only in the class for about a month the first year, but even that made such a difference. Learning a routine and what was expected from him at any given time made life so much easier, for all of us. Then he went back... after that first full year Gabe had learned so much! He had begun sitting at a table instead of grabbing food on the go. He began to learn boundaries and realize that he was not the only one present in a room. He learned to walk around his baby sister instead of over her. He began to learn to communicate with pictures and gestures. He was able to let me know when he was hungry and thirsty. Finally he began to speak. I remember praying to be able to have a conversation with my son and wondering if it would ever happen. The day he said “Mommy” was one of the happiest of my life. Gabe learned so much by having the opportunity to be a part of this program. He has excelled since then as well. Without this he would still be that wild child in a much bigger body and much more difficult to deal with.

I’m going to be perfectly honest here. Without programs like this, families of special needs children would be lost. We NEED this kind of support. We NEED to know that there are people out there besides ourselves who will love our children. We NEED to know that we are not alone, that our children are not alone when they are away from us.

My grandfather always said, “That boy could tear the house down with a spoon in about 10 minutes!”If only he could see him now.....

-Jeanette Barcroft

Paige, Micah, & Stacey Phillips

Easton and Melissa Trentham

Malachi and Shelly Parker

Derrik, Wyatt, Lana

Beverage Greer

Hi, I’m Krystal Marshall and I would like to share with you a little about my child’s experience in Ms. Q’s Inclusion Pre-K class. As a parent of a child with anxiety and sensory processing disorders, it was hard to see the struggles he faced when he began his education. My son attended Pre-K in 2013 and it was awesome watching him make new friends as he had never been able to do that before. Ms. Q and her staff helped in any way to help make him ready for Kindergarten. Ms. Q helped aid in setting up a 504 plan for my son and was a huge advocate for him in setting up a transition plan to Kindergarten. The last six weeks of school he was able to visit a K classroom daily, which really helped him get comfortable when school started. From starting curled up in a ball in the classroom to now being a strong, independent 4th grader----we have no doubt that early intervention and a strong Pre-K foundation were crucial to our son’s success.

-Krystal Marshall

Hatcher and Sarah Renfro