Chamberlain International School

Fall /Winter 2013

Chamberlain Chronicle Fall ushers in new academic programming along with annual traditions and events.

Events September: 4 Student/Faculty Soccer Game 20-28 Hilltop School (Denmark) visit October: 8 Internet Safety Training 18-19 Parents’Weekend PSAT, SAT,ACT prep & testing 30 Halloween Dance October/November: College visits November: 11/13- Massasoit C.C. assessments 11/28- Thanksgiving Break

Parents’ Weekend October 18th and 19th Chamberlain International School hosted our annual Parents’ Weekend. The events started off with a welcome reception and academic open houses in each of the classrooms. Teachers presented an overview of their curriculum and students work samples. Parents had the opportunity to meet with teachers individually to discuss their child’s academic performance. The art show is an annual tradition that gives an opportunity to showcase the many artistic talents of our students. Friday evening ended with a Parent Support Group, moderated by Clinical Coordinator, Colleen Quaile. Saturday started off with delicious home made breakfast buffets in the dorms. The students assisted staff in preparing and serving breakfast to our visiting families. Full schedules of formal trainings were then held until lunch. Sessions included such topics as Career Planning, Financial Planning, Social Skills and an Alumni Panel. (continued on page 2)

Fun Filled Fall Read on to see some of the great activities and adventures that our students have been taking part in this fall and learn about the annual visit from our sister school in Denmark. Halloween Dance

Parents’ Weekend (Continued from page 1) All parents then joined us for a Luncheon presentation by Gina Gallagher and Patty Konjoian, aka“The Shut Up Sisters”. Gina and Patty offer their personal, humor-laden stories addressing the stress and joy of raising a special needs child. They are the co-authors of the book Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid; A Survival Guide For Ordinary Parents of Special Children. www.shutupabout.com We welcome any feedback or ideas in planning for future events. A special thank you to all who participated and helped make this weekend a huge success.

Activities and Enrichments There are so many activities, enrichment classes, clubs and events going on at Chamberlain that it is difficult to always include them all in our newsletter. In no particular order the following is a list of just some of the offerings the students took part in so far this fall.

City of Boston Freedom Trail Museum of Science Boston Celtics Basketball Games Boston Bruins Hockey Games Haunted Houses/Hay Rides/Ghost Tours Trampoline Dodge Ball at SkyZone Sports New England Revolution Soccer Games Eastern States Exposition Boston Red Sox Baseball Games Bayside Expo Center Hot ride/Muscle Car Expo Halloween Dance Burt Wood Performing Arts “Chamberlain Got Talent” Show Higgins Armory Museum Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory

Continued from Page 2 (Activities and Enrichments)

Beach Cleanups for Environment Plymouth Historical Tour Fax Pond Farms Cranberry Bogs Rhode Island School of Design Museum Free Draw and Craft Club Bowling League Yoga Photography Club Baking Club Mock Trial Club Internet Café Asian/Animation club Open Mic night at Rick’s Music Asian Martial Art Dojo Traditional Japanese Theater Performance at Higashi School Community Service at K9 Camp Doggie Day Care Halloween writing contest and learning to cook such yummy foods as Cranberry-pumpkin scones, mini pumpkin pies, homemade applesauce, potato pancakes and Challah Stay tuned….plans are well under way for an overnight ski trip to Mt. Cranmore, Holiday Open Houses and a Winter dance to name a few.

Chamberlain Automotive builds fourth Shelby Cobra Replica

Another year in automotive class and another Factory Five MK4 Roadster is under way. This will be a yearlong project that will end with an automobile looking just like those above right. The blue, red and silver MK4 Roadsters are all student built and fully registered. The blue cobra was donated by Chamberlain to “Saving Teens In Crisis” Charity in 2012. It was auctioned at a Ferrari Club of America event and raised $60,000 for an extremely helpful and worthy cause.

Chamberlain and Hilltop School cultural exchange program offers students and staff a chance to experience life in U.S. and Denmark each year September 20-28

many of the Danes, this was their first trip to the U.S.

Chamberlain had the pleasure of a visit from Hilltop school staff and students for a week long cultural exchange. Hilltop School in Skive, Demark partnered with Chamberlain 3 years ago and since then both schools have had annual visits to one another. As part of this ongoing alliance we have had an opportunity to discover new approaches to treatment, share ideas and learn to value a different culture and their approach to education as well as having fun with our Danish friends. This fall Hennig, Mary and Andrias accompanied their students to the U.S. for

While they visited, they had an opportunity to share in many local cultural experiences with our students and on their own. They most valued the time spent interacting with our students. They were able to enjoy classes, activities and meals together. As always, there were many discussions and even a class to educate one another about our cultural differences. In addition to immersing into Chamberlains classes and after school activities, they were able to enjoy museums in Boston, the beaches of the Cape as well as other area cultural points of interest.

AVIATION UPDATE Congratulations to Peter for becoming a licensed Pilot!! Last month we wrote about Peter, his love of aviation and his active participation in Chamberlain’s aviation enrichment course. Just after the newsletter came out Peter took his Pilot’s test and passed with ‘flying’ colors. We are all very proud of his accomplishments.

ACADEMIC UPDATES There is a new look and feel to the academic programming this fall. We have moved to a more progressive and intensive model for the 2013-2014 school year. One that will allow for students to be more focused on their goals and interests amongst a group of like-minded students. This approach is proven to be an ideal way of moving students’ academic progress forward. There will be three distinct groupings, which will each function as an academic unit. The groupings are titled Classic School, Preparatory School and Individualized School. Each group will have an assigned Head of School. Each student’s history, academic standing and goals will be closely evaluated to determine the ideal school placement. Each school will function separately from one another. Classic School is a traditional High School curriculum. This course of studies will allow each student to complete the requirement for a high school diploma. The students will be prepared for other post secondary training or college.

Preparatory School follows a course of study in keeping with a concentrated college prep curriculum. Students in this school shall be prepared for entrance into a competitive college.

Individualized School offers self contained, nontransitional middle and high school classrooms focused on vocational and life skills curricula, as well as, our traditional middle school classes. Programming and curriculum is tailored to meet the unique learning needs of the students. One of the many benefits of the new programming is the concentrated delivery of instruction specific to each group’s needs and goals. Students may be moved between the schools when recommended by the team.

COLLEGE CORNER  It’s that time of year again when PSAT/SAT and ACT preparation and testing are taking place. Tests continue through January and then begin again in June.  Six of our seniors recently took the Accuplacer assessment as part of their application to take courses at Massasoit Community Colleges Middleboro campus. These courses have proved to be a big help as our student’s transition into College in the fall.  Visits to Curry College, Universal Technical Institute and New England Institute of Technology are on the schedule as is the annual Boston National College fair in the spring.  We are hearing good reports from our 2013 graduates who went on to: Benjamin Franklin Institute; College Internship Program; Curry College; Dalhousie University; Loughborough University (U.K.); Mitchell College; Montgomery Community College; Plymouth State University; Springfield Technical School and Union County Vocational Technical School

Seasons Greetings Wishing you a safe and peaceful Holiday Season. From all of us at Chamberlain International School

Chamberlain International School 1 Pleasant Street Middleboro, MA 02346