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Mrs. Jaculin Zimmerman Secondary Life Skills Support
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Our life skills class has six students. It serves students from Moshannon Valley and the West Branch School Districts. Our students are ages 15 - 21. We focus on job training and life skills so that students can become as independent as possible when they graduate. In addition to a Life Skills curriculum, the students participate in jobs at the school district. They help out in the office, cafeteria, and in both the high school and elementary buildings. The students run the school store and fill the soda machines. In addition we participate in volunteer work at various settings throughout the community. Some of these sites have included the Philipsburg food bank, NAPA, Kephart Hardware, Long's Bus Company and Philipsburg True Value. The class is operated by the Central Intermediate Unit. We also participate in the Clearfield County apartment project. Secondary special education classes in Clearfield County added an exciting educational opportunity to their school year with the establishment of this project. A joint venture of the Central Intermediate Unit # 10, Clearfield, Curwensville, Philipsburg-Osceola, and West Branch Area School Districts, the project consists of an apartment within walking distance of downtown Clearfield. Teachers have the opportunity to take the students to the apartment and experience independent living skills that cannot be practiced in a school setting. At the apartment, students are able to plan menu's, work within a budget, look at a lease, clean, do laundry, use kitchen appliances, and learn what skills are necessary to live independently. The access to downtown business district area provides students with an opportunity to visit businesses, the library, access public transportation, use the post office, visit a bank, etc. What could be more innovative than taking learning into the community and having students learn in a public setting. When students with disabilities learn in the community in which they hope to live independently, then their success rate is greatly increased. What tremendous jump start our students will have after experiencing apartment living in small groups. After all, the goal of education is to make our students productive members of society. An independent living apartment program has the potential to make this a reality. I am also the Transition Coordinator for the West Branch School District. Transition is an on-going process for identifying the desired outcomes of the life of a student of an early age, and then planning a school program to best reach those outcomes am also the Transition coordinator for all special education students. In the district Transition Planning involves a partnership of consumers, school-age services, and programs, post-school services and programs and local communities that results in higher education, employment, independent living and community participation. Transition is a bridge between school programs and the opportunities of adult life. The Clearfield County Transition Council sponsors a Career Day every spring at Lock Haven University. The career day is January 12, 2010. We also host student staffings. This gives Junior and Senior Special Ed students the oppurtunity to connect with outside agencies before graduation. Staffings this year are scheduled for November 14, 2007. We also host a post-secondary day at the CCCTC. This years post-school option night is scheduled for February 2, 2010.
For more information about the program or the class, I can be contacted in the classroom at 814-345-5615 Ext 1140
Links Central Intermediate Unit- www.ciu10.org |
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