Posts tagged ststephens

We would like to share the great comments made recently by the parents of St. Stephen’s Academy students about communication and support between teachers and families. The families of St. Stephen’s Academy recognize a difference in the level of care and support that they receive from the teachers and staff:

“My son has wonderful teachers who are good with him and care about him as a kid and a student. I am really grateful to St. Stephen’s for helping my son and being so supportive to our family.”

 “Miss Tracy is a nice person and she keeps me up to date on what is happening with my son. My son loves the school and his grades show it.”

“I am delighted we finally discovered St. Stephen’s. The staff are wonderful and do a tremendous job with the students. All I can say is ‘Thank you!’”

“We absolutely LOVE St. Stephen’s! Our son’s educational needs were not being met and since coming to St. Stephen’s he has far exceeded our hopes and expectations.”

“It is so wonderful when my son wakes up in the morning and is excited to go to school.  It gives my mind and heart peace I hadn’t (sic) had in the past!”

“Miss Hayley is very good about calling each week and we talk about my grandson and his progress.  He does very well academically and his behavior is good.”

Our goal each and every day is to provide opportunities for our children to learn, grow and heal.  At St. Stephen’s Academy, we value our partnerships with families throughout the community to support the individual needs of our students. St. Stephen’s Academy would like to extend a thank you to everyone who has contributed to a successful academic school year.  We look forward to seeing everyone in the fall!

Their artwork will be displayed now until May 17th from 11am – 4pm. Check out the website. Parking may be limited, so it is advised to park across the street at Grace Church in Harmony. 

Click on the article to see photos from the gallery’s opening…

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School as a Society is a surprisingly simple concept that re-imagines our school’s organization as social natural supports to reinforce accountability through family and community relationships.

Each teacher and teaching assistant thinks of their class as a family unit and involves students in the development of the classroom to be more like a home. This includes responsibilities and opportunities to develop goals, incentives, and decorations that encourage a positive educational experience. Each class has a small sanctuary space in the classroom that serves as an area used to calm down or take a break when stress interferes with learning.This area within each classroom helps to manage everyday problems that surface.

In addition, each classroom has a sister classroom with whom they develop a relationship similar to an extended family or relatives. These two classrooms work together to provide support, solve problems and have fun together: like an extended family!

Our five program areas, elementary, middle, intermediate, and high school, along with our autism program were challenged to work together to develop hallways as individual neighborhoods and to create interesting names.

Expanding the neighborhood concept, two hallway neighborhoods compose a community in each school building. In addition to providing support, the community assumes responsibility for all the common areas in their building, such as decorating hallways and keeping the kitchen and library clean. Last year St. Stephen’s Lutheran Academy began the process of implementing positive behavior interventions and supports through an incentive program that rewards positive behavior and academic achievement. Students and staff agreed that the school climate experienced a positive result and improvement.

This year the incentive program was further developed to emphasize accountability, and the School as a Society concept was developed from surveys, interviews and staff observations.

The students and staff have enthusiastically embraced and supported the School as a Society concept. It is amazing to watch the students and staff working together every day to create a safe, pleasant, and happy educational society.

On a lovely June day, friends and family of St.Stephen’s seniors gathered to celebrate one of life’s milestones: high school graduation. Sixteen promising young adults stood before a crowded room of loved ones and accepted their degrees of completion from St. Stephen’s Lutheran Academy.

 Principal Peggy Ruefle likened the journeys of these sixteen students to the string of tumultuous weather occurrences making headlines in the news- at times turbulent, but in the end the staff at St. Stephen’s rally around a student just as communities rally together in times of distress to overcome challenges and build new foundations for life. “I am so proud of everything these students have accomplished,” Principal Ruefle stated.

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Dear friends:

So often the word “change” has a negative connotation. A need to change diets implies poor health. Changing schools or homes can signify loss of friends, teachers, and neighbors.

At Glade Run, we view change as an opportunity. Just as many of us change jobs or careers in an effort to grow and expand our areas of expertise, Glade Run Lutheran Services views the changes at Glade Run in a positive light.

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By:  Danielle Hermann-Lavery
Danielle’s son is currently in Glade Run’s wrap program

Journey, by definition, is a passage from one place to another. Our passage has been a winding road of peaks and valleys. Our journey has been worth the distance covered. In retrospect I am awed by our ability to persevere. That is the thing about looking backward, you no longer see the difficulty of the trip- you see only the beauty of the landscape.

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