Northern Lights Interagency Council - serving children, families and educators

Spring 2019

The Northern Lights Special Education

Cooperative (NLSEC) serves 12 school districts located

within five counties in northeast Minnesota.

Districts include: Carlton County - Barnum, Carlton,

Cloquet, Cromwell-Wright, Esko, Moose Lake

and Wrenshall,Aitkin County -

McGregor, Lake County- Lake Superior, Pine County- Willow River,

St. Louis County -Hermantown and Proctor.

ISD #94Northern Lights Special Education Cooperative16 East Hwy 61Esko, MN 55733

Mission StatementTogether schools and communitieswill educate students to become

academically successful andsocially responsible citizens

www.nlsec.orgfollow NLSEC on facebook

Funding for Special Connections is provided by NLSEC’s Interagency Council.

Special Connections serves the school districts of the Northern Lights Special Education Cooperative, including:

Barnum•Carlton•CloquetCromwell-Wright•Esko•HermantownLake Superior•McGregor•Moose LakeProctor•Willow River•Wrenshall

Questions about any of the information presented in this newsletter or ideas about what you would like to see covered in subsequent issues, should be directed to the:

Editorial Board: 655-5018Dena Hagen, Director Heidi Halker & Jessica Brown, Special Education Coordinators

Editing & Design by marketing x designJill: jillpert@mediacombb.netNikki: willgohs@mchsi.com

Summer camp can be a great (and fun) way to make new friends and explore new opportunities.

Check out this year’s summer camps and find the one that is right for you!

Financial help: Check each camp’s registration for information about financial assistance. In many cases, waivers can be applied to the cost of attending camp. Check with your county case manager to learn if your selected camp can be paid for under the Consumer Directed Community Supports (CDCS), Brain Injury (BI), Commu-nity Alternative Care (CAC) or Devel-opmental Disability (DD) waivers.

Guide to summer camps

Summer’s coming! Time to plan for camp...

Summer’s coming! Time to plan for camp...

Lighthouse Center for Vision LossTraining and technology for independence

Autism Society of Minnesota Summer CampsFor current members of AuSM. Camps are tailored for youth ages 6+ and adults with autism.

AuSM Day Camps:

Wahode Day Camp, 1:2 support, males and females ages 6–129:15 am – 3 pm each day. Four days at Camp Butwin in Eagan with one day at the Minnesota Zoo.Session 1, July 8–12Session 2, July 22–26

Social Skills Classes - AuSM social skills classes are tailored to give youth with autism fun, safe and exciting experiences while they increase self-esteem, expand their knowledge and build friendships.

• Zookeeper Camp: Offered in partnership with the Lake Superior Zoo to provide this social skills class for youth with autism in the Duluth area. Learn what it’s like to be a zookeeper by preparing animal meals, making enrichments, cleaning exhibits, ob-serving animal training, and more! Tentative dates: July 22–26

• Animal Care Camp: Offered in partnership with the Great Lakes Aquarium. Par-ticipants will take an active role in animal care while developing social skills useful in everyday life. Go behind the scenes to prepare meals, clean exhibits, test water quality and more. Tentative dates: June 30–July 4

• Islands of Brilliance: Offered in partnership with the creators of Islands of Brilliance this is a technology-focused summer social skills class. Date: August 5–9

For more information including other camp offerings from AuSM, visit their website at www.ausm.org.

AuSM Residential Camps (stay overnight)

Hand in Hand, 1:1 supportLocation: Camp Knutson in Crosslake. Beautiful woodland setting on a peninsula between Big Trout and Lower Whitefish Lakes with modern air-conditioned cabins and bathrooms. Activities include swimming, boating, geocaching, tubing, horse-back riding, fishing, crafts, archery, nature exploration, biking, music groups lead by a music therapist, ropes course, paddleboats canoes and lots of opportunities for social interaction and communication.Session 1, June 23–28 (males 19–23, females 19–26)Session 2, July 28–August 2 (males 15–19)Session 3, August 4–9 (males 24+, females 27+)Session 4, August 11–16 (males 9–14, females 9–18)

Discovery, 1:4 supportLocation: True Friends/Courage North on Lake George near Bemidji. Ideal for indi-viduals who will enjoy a camp experience with a high degree of structure and small group activities. Activities include swimming, kayaking, canoeing, hiking, arts, crafts, nature experiences, recreational games, live action role-playing games and more. Session 1, July 16–21 (males and females 18+)Session 2, July 23–28 (males and females 10–17)

Headwaters Adventure, 1:3 supportDate: August 2–9 (males and females 13 - 17)Location: True Friends/Courage North on Lake George near Bemidji. Campers should be able to tolerate 1 – 3 hours of moderate exercise. Enjoy camping, canoeing, biking and hiking through beautiful north country terrain. Explore special interests such as animal tracking, plant identification, shelter building, outdoor cooking, history and nature art. Program begins with two days of preparation and team building. Next campers will explore Itasca State Park and the surrounding Paul Bunyan State Forest.

Camp Sertoma at Camp Confidence in Brainerd, July 7 – 12For students who are deaf and hard of hearing who have completed grades 2 – 8. Make friendships and memories! Campers are supervised 24 hours a day. Explore the beach on a pristine lake (lifeguards on duty), explore the natural wilderness, see wildlife like deer, otter, beaver, ducks, loons and eagles.

For more information go to: www.campconfidence.com/camp-sertoma-1 or call (218) 828-2344.

Duluth Area Offerings:

Duluth Folk SchoolEncourages everyone to work with your hands, build community and have fun. For more information about summer camps, contact Zach at: programs@duluthfolkschool.com.

Hartley Nature Center Offers 10 weeks of summer camp for ages 3 – 12. For more information, visit Hartleynature.org. Click on Programs and then Day Camps.

Duluth Children’s MuseumOffers various camps and workshops. Visit their website at dululthchildrensmuseum.org/camps.

The Duluth LibraryHosts numerous kid-friendly programs such as storytime, movies and perler bead art for kids. Check out their event calendar online at: duluthlibrary.org.

Great Lakes Aquarium Check out events calendar online: Glaquarium.org.

The Duluth YMCAIs host to many fun activities including aquatics, basket-ball, volleyball and other sports. Check out their offerings at duluthymca.org.

On-site weekend camps provide a great opportunity to gather with youth with vision loss from across the state for fun, friendship and learning!

Students ages 14 – 21 with vision loss are eligible to participate with authorization by their MN State Services for the Blind Counselor. Program is offered at no cost.

Campers arrive on Friday at 3 pm and depart Sunday at noon. Dates: April 5–7 and June 8–10

To participate, fill out the online application at http://lcfvl.org/transitionIf you have questions, please call the Lighthouse, (218) 624-4828

True FriendsTrue Friends is a nonprofit agency providing life-changing experiences that enhance independence and self-esteem for children and adults with disabilities. We welcome campers ages 5+ with and without diagnosed disabilities, including developmental or physical disabilities or health conditions. True Friends’ programs include camp, respite, therapeutic horseback riding, conference and retreat, travel and team building. With camps near Maple Lake, Annandale, Eden Prairie and Bemidji, True Friends serves campers in Minnesota and throughout the United States.

True Friends offers many different camping options including classic camp, day camp, fishing camp, adult retreats, literacy camp and more. To see them all, go to their website: truefriends.org

Here’s a sampling of some specific camping options:

Adventure TripsThese experiences are led by a trained wilderness guide who promotes independence and growth. Ideal for youth and adults with social skills difficulties and mild develop-mental disabilities. Adventure trips are offered at different levels: Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

Camp CambriaFor youth with juvenile arthritis or related conditions. Learn more at Camcambria.org.

Camp OasisFor youth with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. For more information call (646) 946-7480.

Camp Sweet LifeWeek-long camp for youth with Type 1 diabetes. Learn more at Campsweetlife.org.

Gluten Free Kids CampLearn more at twincitiesrock.org.

MDA Summer CampAvailable to kids ages 8 – 17 registered with MDA and diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease covered by the MDA. Learn more at ssamek@mdausa.org

Courage Kenny Rehabilitation InstituteOffers various adapted sports experiences including: cycling, kayaking, sailing, water skiing, fishing and more. For more information, visit their website: https://www.allinahealth.org/courage-kenny.../duluth-northland-sports-schedule/