SPEED NEWSLETTER ALL Sells Handmade Items

Students in all of SPEED’s programs were able to visit different programs on SPEED’s campus to learn about careers in a school setting. Staff were on hand to greet students and help them fill out their scavenger hunt sheets while they visited the programs, which included ELC, PAL and Independence School.

Phone: (708)481-6100 Ext. 3601

Phone: (708)481-6101

Phone: (708) 481-6102

Phone: (708) 481-6103

Students in ALL, ELC and PAL all have opportunities to participate in Special Olympics. The youngest students in ELC and the Family Enrichment Pro-gram, ages 2 through 7, have the opportunity to participate in Young Athletes. The children par-ticipate in YA by learning the fun-damentals of sports during their physical education class and at monthly trainings. The next training is at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21, at SPEED. If parents of ELC students have any questions about the YA pro-

SPEED Supports Special Olympics Illinois

gram, please contact Coach Liz Gebbia at (708) 481-6101, Ext. 4117 or email her at eg-ebbia@speed802.org. ALL and PAL Special Olympi-ans will soon start their track season. For more information about Special Olympics in those programs, please con-tact Coach John Lewis at jlew-is@speed802.org, Coach Dana Palmer at dpalm-er@speed802.org, or Coach Randy Tracy at rtra-cy@speed802.org. Special Olympics Coaches

can also be reached by phone at (708) 481-0505 or (708)481-6100 Ext. 3602. More than a dozen SPEED staff members are showing their sup-port for Special Olympics by par-ticipating in the Polar Plunge in March. Team members have pledged to raise money and then take the leap on March 7 into Manteno Lake. To help team members reach their goals, they are holding a Rummage Sale from 9 a.m. to noon on Feb. 21.

SPEED Students Learn About Careers

Academy for Lifelong Learning students learn how to make products to sell. The students then are able to bring them to the SPEED campus to sell to staff and students. Students sell seasonal items, such as wreaths, ornaments, and valentines. Most recently students brought drink tumblers with unique art. All items are also available at ALLURE, 410 Ashland Ave., Chicago Heights. The store is open 9 a.m.—4 p.m. on school days.

The SPEED Racers, SPEED’s Special Olympics

basketball team, are having a great season and

they look even better in their new uniforms.

The team debuted its new red on white uni-

forms which were purchased with fundraising

help from the SPEED Parent Organization.

At a recent game where the Racers took on

Lincoln Way South Recreation Association

Hawks, the team showed their appreciation to

the organization by presenting flowers to SPO

President Lisa Wilson.

“They did a lot of fundraising and they

matched that to double it,” Coach John Lewis

said. “It was great.”

SPO Raises Funds to Help SPEED’s Racers

The SPEED Parent Organization’s holiday food drive was a success. The organization put to-gether and delivered 21 food baskets with enough food to make a complete holiday meal. SPO thanks all who donated and are especial-ly appreciative to Walt’s Foods for donating gift certificates. SPO members donated their time to collect and sort food for families in need. Their efforts helped make this food drive even more suc-cessful than last year. Future SPO meetings are: Tuesdays, Feb. 24, March 3, April 28 and May 26.

Meetings are held in the ELC’s staff lounge.

Child care is available by contacting Denise Moore prior to the meeting date. For more information, call Denise Moore at

(708) 481-6100, Ext. 3217 or email: dmoore@speed802.org.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS:

FEBRUARY 13, 2015,

STAFF INSTITUTE DAY

FEBRUARY 16, 2015,

PRESIDENTS DAY

MARCH 2, 2015,

CASMIR PULASKI DAY

APRIL 3-10, 2015,

SPRING BREAK

MAY 25, 2015,

MEMORIAL DAY

SATELLITE LOCATIONS FOLLOW

THE DATES OF THEIR HOME

SCHOOL

FAMILY FOCUS 2

ELC NEWS 2

PAL AND INDEPENDENCE NEWS

3

ALL NEWS 3

SPEED FACES 4

SPECIAL OLYMPICS 4

MORE INFORMATION: WWW.SPEED802.ORG

Inside this issue:

1125 Division Street, Chicago Heights, IL 60411 Volume 2, Issue 2 WINTER

SPEED NEWSLETTER

The SPEED Racers are coached by John Lewis, Dana Palmer, Randy Tracey, Matt Cervantes, Andrew Pajak and Julie Brul-loths. The coaches focus on teaching players basketball fundamentals, sportsmanship, integrity, embracing healthy competition, life skills and teamwork. “The goal of the program is to teach the players sports-manship and how to take a loss with grace and dignity,“ Lewis said. The Racers are having a great season. They placed second at a tournament at Homewood Flossmoor High School in No-vember. “Our student athletes played with tremendous pride and heart at this tournament,” Lewis said. The Racers also placed second at the State Qualifying Tournament at Unity Jun-ior High School. More games will be scheduled in Febru-ary. Once this seasons ends, athletes begin the track season.

SPO President Lisa Wilson, SPEED Racer Alex Nelson and Coach John Lewis at a recent game.

Thanks from SPO

Parent Education SPEED’s MTSS Communica-tion Coaches recently pre-sented a hands-on program for parents.

Parents learned how to

decrease frustration at home

by providing information

about visuals they can use,

such as visual schedules and

sentence strips.

The program, called In-

creasing Functional Commu-

nication at Home Using Visu-

al Strategies, was presented

twice this school year.

Parents who attended were

able to work with the Com-

munication Coaches to create

items to use at home.

Please contact Angelyn Isaac

at Ext. 3526 or Colleen Dwyer

at Ext. 3521 with any ques-

tions. .

The Family Support Group The Family Support Group continues to meet monthly. Different topics are select-ed each month and parents are given a place to talk freely. Meeting dates are Feb. 26, March 12, April 23, and May 14. Sibshops Program SPEED Sibshops are running strong. The program is designed for children ages 7 through 17 who have siblings with spe-cial needs. More information is availa-ble by calling (708) 481-6101, Ext. 3217.

Early Learning Center (ELC)

Page 2

SPEED Newsletter

Families were recently invit-ed to the school first Family Fitness Night. Students and their families had the opportunity to come to school to learn more about being healthy. Attendees signed a pledge to being healthy and then visited different centers to learn more. They got moving with

Zumba on the Wii and upbeat music. They participated in scooter racers and bowling in the hallways. Children were able to sample healthy snacks such as apples, cantaloupe, cheese and “octopus bubbles” pineapple juice mixed with club soda. Assistant Principal Allison Cirone led students in a group to learn more about doctor vis-its and teeth brushing . All stu-dents took home a toothbrush.

Students in ELC also received a visit from transition students from the Academy for Lifelong Learning. The younger students were treated to a medley of holiday songs accompa-nied by dancing.

Family Focus

(708) 481-6100, Ext. 3217

Family Focus

PAL students celebrated Dr. Martin Luther

King’s legacy at two assemblies.

The students watched and heard King’s I

Have a Dream speech. Students also heard music performed by

the Prairie Hills Junior High band, drum line,

and choir.

PAL staff member Bryan Bennett helped

organized the assemblies, and is also plan-

ning many activities for the program’s Black

History Month celebration.

Parents, please check your child’s back-

pack for more information.

Independence School

Page 3

Volume 2, Issue 2 WINTER

Independence High School students turned some trash into functional art. Old wooden chairs, a table and a quilt rack were sanded down and painted by the sixth hour art students. Art teacher Patricia Farrell-Levange said she had the idea to remake the chairs last school year when she had a reluctant art student, and she thought about hav-ing him work on carpentry. The project didn’t happen, but this year when she learned there wasn’t any money for a pottery wheel, she decided to hold a silent auction to raise funds. She collected some donated chairs from her mom and

ALLURE, SPEED’s resale shop. She also got a table and a quilt rack.

Mrs. Farrell-Levange’s local Habitat for Humanity had some discarded paint she brought in and the students got to work. The students created different themes on their furni-

ture. Students showcased their art. Among them includ-ed an old chair that was turned into a pink and purple glittery princess throne, and a dull quilt rack was white washed and covered in hand-painted flowers. The function-al art was sold during a silent auction in December and

PAL

many of the items were pur-chased by staff. Although the students did not raise enough money to purchase a pottery wheel, they were treated to a Chi-nese food lunch, Mrs. Farrell-Levange said. “They learned a skill and refurbished furniture,” Mrs. Farrell-Levange said. “They learned how to take some-thing ugly and turn into it into something beautiful. … They put so much effort into it.” The next big project

by Independence art students

is the Third Annual Inde-

pendence Art Show at Union

Street Gallery in Chicago

Heights in April.

Forty-five students, staff, and family members from the Academy for Lifelong Learning attended the We Care From the Heart's Black Tie Affair on Friday, November 14, 2014. We Care From the Heart is a not-for-profit community agency. The theme of the

event was "Love Never Fails,” which coincides with the agen-cy's mission to advocate for children with developmental disabilities and to raise aware-ness to senior citizens who live in crisis situations. Students practiced their eti-quette and social skills. It was a wonderful experience.

ALL Cares