The Lions Roar

Washington School for the Blind Foundation

By Barbara Sheldon, Executive Director

On February 2, 2008, Governor Chris Gregoire, joined the Washington School for the Blind Foundation (WSBF) and the Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) to help celebrate former State Representative Val Ogden’s 84^th birthday. Val was surrounded by family and friends as Governor Gregoire presented Val with a large bouquet of pink roses then led the packed Fries Auditorium in singing happy birthday. Karley Patching, representing the elementary students, read three brailled birthday cards to Val. In addition, Chelsea Armstrong, Tiffany Wilson and Jacquelyn Patching showed Governor Gregoire and other guests how to use Assistive Technology devices.

The WSBF is very excited to have Jennifer Tingey join our staff as Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director, Barbara Sheldon. Jennifer recently worked as editor of the NW Women’s Journal and prior to that she was the Editorial Assistant and Receptionist for the Vancouver Business Journal. Jennifer holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies focusing on community based development from the University of Oregon.

On June 22, 2008, WSBF’s “Feel the Music, Empower a Life” fundraising event will be held at the Washington State School for the Blind’s Fries Auditorium. Guests will enjoy a great dinner as the enchanting sounds from acoustic guitars fill the air. All donations from this event will be used to support the WSBF objectives to provide tools, skills and Assistive Technology to students. Please watch our web page (www.wsbf1.org) for more information on how to purchase your tickets to this event.

Education

By Craig Meador, Director On-Campus Programs

Free College. Attention parents of 7^th and 8^th graders. There is a new state program called the College Bound Scholarship that helps 7^th and 8^th graders that participate in the free and reduced lunch program. Eligible students sign a pledge promising to graduate from high school, maintain a 2.0 GPA and be good citizens. In return, the state of Washington will pay for their college tuition and books – for up to four years or until the student earns a bachelor’s degree. Eligible 8^th graders must apply by June 1, 2008. This year’s 7^th graders are also advised to sign–up this year, but must apply by June 1, 2009. To apply go online at www.hecb.wa.gov/collegebound

Upcoming Events.

Lion’s Carnival: This year’s carnival will occur on March 27th. It will take place at the Washington School for the Deaf, 611 Grand Blvd., Vancouver, WA. The time will be from 6:30-8:00 pm. Parents, siblings and students are invited to attend.

WSSB Spring Musical: “Into the Woods”. Under the direction of Jennifer Hervey and Debbie Combs, the WSSB drama department will be presenting “Into the Woods”. Performances will take place on April 25 and 26. For more information contact the Music Department at (360) 696-6321, extension 139.

Northwest Environmental Science Camp: This year’s camp will take place on the Oregon Coast at Camp Magruder, April 28-May 2.

Outreach Services

By Dee Amundsen, Director of Outreach

Summer is right around the corner and preparations are in progress for the Washington State School for the Blind Summer Institute for Educators. This unique Institute, now in its 28^th year, provides public school administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals and related service providers an opportunity to learn about visual impairment and blindness in children, how this sensory loss impacts teaching and learning and how public school personnel, with the support of a Teacher of the Visually Impaired, can provide an appropriate program for children experiencing vision loss.

The Institute will be held from July 27–August 1 at WSSB, here in Vancouver. Participants will stay on campus in the beautifully remodeled, air-conditioned cottages that typically house students during the school year. In addition to the high quality and personalized instruction you will receive, included in the registration fee of $350, lodging, a great breakfast each morning and a barbeque. Through a generous grant from the Gibney Family Foundation, we are able to offer partial scholarships to many individuals. More information and registration forms are available on our website at www.wssb.wa.gov. Participants can earn 33 clock hours or three credits for attending the Institute.

Topics addressed during the Summer Institute for Educators include: travel skills, anatomy of the eye and vision disorders, psychological implications of vision loss, vision loss and learning, literacy, adapting environments and materials, technology, social skills, daily living skills and much more. An open afternoon is scheduled during the week to allow participants the opportunity to explore the greater Vancouver area or just relax on campus.

This popular Institute fills up fast, so please put the dates in your calendar and encourage those who will be working with a blind or visually impaired child in public school to attend. If you need further information, please contact Dee Amundsen at (360) 696-6321 ext. 124 or e-mail Dee at dee.amundsen@wssb.wa.gov.

Eastern Washington—Home of WSSB’s New Satellite Office

By Catherine Golding, Regional Program Coordinator

In 2007 through a joint effort with ESD 105 and ESD 123 and with the funding from the WA State Legislature, the Regional Program Coordinator position was created and subsequently, through the generosity of ESD 123, office space was located in Pasco for the new office. After nine years as an itinerant teacher on the west side, I packed up my house and moved to the Tri-cities. It’s been a great move.

Educating and funding the education for students with low-incidence disabilities such as blindness and low vision requires a unique set of skills by professionals and Special Education directors to assure that a quality and appropriate education is in place. Recruiting and training professionals and paraprofessionals to support the needs of the student is a growing challenge as the demands for educational excellence increase while at the same time experienced professionals approach retirement. The expansion of program responsibilities to include birth to three brings about new considerations in planning for the future of Special Education. In rural areas east of the mountains, sending a student to Vancouver, 300 or 400 miles away should not be the only choice for families and school districts.

The office on the east side is developing a five-year plan to include professional development, parent support, and technical assistance to school districts. I am committed to doing what needs to be done to make education for blind and visually impaired students equal and accessible. We have three Braille classes in progress to support TVI’s and paraprofessionals toward their preparation for the BLUE exam. We have held two in-service training sessions as well as filled several requests for technical assistance with program planning. It’s exciting!

Your input and feedback is essential to making a difference to families and students east of the mountains. Please call me with suggestions or just for a chat at (509) 544-5747.

Summer Opportunities for Students

COMPASS—Skills for Navigating Life (July 6-11): WSSB will be offering a week-long exploration into the world of independent living and work.The focus on the Expanded Core curriculum for Blind and Visually Impaired students is critical for success in all areas of their life.When a student is provided opportunities and direct instruction in the areas of orientation and mobility, social interactions, and independent living skills they are enabled to achieve, thrive and feel successful.will be involved in the following: on campus work experience, community restaurant simulation/trip, meal preparation, public transportation experience, independent living skills, work appropriate behavior, self advocacy, etc.

Summer School Program (July 13-18): This program will accommodate blind and visually impaired students in the state of Washington, 7-12 grades. This camp will focus on improving the Assistive Technology skills of those students who are currently using JAWS and the BrailleNote. Learning how to use BookShare will be an essential part of this class. A secondary part of the camp will be Recreation and Sports. Students will participate in swimming, goalball, track and field as well as personal fitness techniques.

For more information, contact Craig Meador at (360) 696-6321, ext. 154.

Assistive Technology Summit—Summer 2008

By Sherry Hahn, Digital/Distance Learning Coordinator

Summer is coming but at Washington State School for the Blind it just means time for us to provide more opportunities. This summer Bruce McClanahan is once again offering his Assistive Technology Summit. During this 5 day training teachers of the visually impaired join us on campus for training in JAWS, Magic, Kurzweil 1000, and Duxbury. We are now finding that we draw participants from all around the United States. It will be exciting to see who we entice to come to our campus for this wonderful training.

In addition, Catherine Golding and I are looking into developing a shorter summer event teaching Bookport, Victor Stream and podcasts. The Bookport and Victor Stream are portable devices with which students can download books in multiple formats – MP3, Daisy, text. The closest thing I can compare them to is the iPod but made specifically to support the blind and visually impaired. Podcasts are audio on-line materials that can be made by anyone and we want to explore the possibilities that this can bring to education besides being new and fun.

For students we are going to offer a technology summer camp. Bruce McClanahan and Carol Schultz will provide students the opportunity to improve their skills with the BrailleNote, JAWS, and Bookshare (on-line books). Included in this week long experience Jennifer Butcher, WSSB Fit For Life Instructor, plans on keeping these students from spending too much time in front of the computer by creating recreational events for everyone to participate in.

How Do We Pay Tribute to a Building?

By Dean O. Stenehjem, Ed.D., Superintendent

The Kennedy Physical Education building was dedicated shortly after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It is amazing how time marches on! I’m sure to each person it seems like yesterday when this building was dedicated with many students and staff hanging on to fond memories of functions within the building. Activities ranged from: goalball, judo, swimming, roller skating, gymnastics, archery, basketball, dance, wrestling, weight-lifting, unicycle riding, bowling, Jump Rope for Heart events, Lions Carnivals, fencing, scuba-diving, campouts on the gym floor for the tri-state track and field day, and many functions I’m sure I forgot to list. For almost 50 years blind and visually impaired students gained a wide variety of skills thanks to dedicated staff and the use of the Kennedy Building. As programs change, safety standards are upgraded, and buildings are modified to meet new standards and program needs, which in this case resulted in the best option of razing the building. This is the situation with the Kennedy building due to concerns in the area of life safety, fire egress and seismic issues. The last day for programs in the building is March 14.

Please note that originally plans were to take part of the Kennedy Building down and keep the other section open until the new building was completed. However, due to safety concerns and budget issues with timing on demolition and construction of a parking lot in the current Kennedy Building location, we had to move forward to the March 14 date for the last day of programming with demolition beginning shortly thereafter. This will cause some programming issues, but the staff have been very flexible and we are once again moving programs around campus so we can continue to meet student’s needs in a variety of ways.

It is our goal to do a good job of documenting the building for future reference as part of our history and we will also save a supply of bricks that will be available at the all school reunion which is to be held in June, 2009. This has been a great facility for years and we hope the new building which should be open February of 2009 will meet the needs of blind and visually impaired students for the next 100 years.

The new building, which looks like it may retain the name Kennedy Fitness Center will take over the charge of providing a great environment that will allow staff to help students gain skills in an enjoyable and great environment. While skills are being developed, students’ characters are being shaped and emphasis will be placed on gaining that passion for success and independence. The Fitness Center will include: a full size gym, a 6-lane, 25-meter mild saline pool, classrooms, recreation center, powerlifting area, climbing wall, and a fitness center with a wide variety of fitness equipment. The new building will be located on the site of the old track which will position the new building in such a way to allow for increased parking on the perimeters of campus, be designed for both WSSB students and community use, and finish off the boundary area around the central open space which is highlighted by the new 200-meter track located in the middle of the campus. The siting of the new building will make great use of our space and will also help improve campus security, increasing community usage and future partnerships and at the same time reduce our energy consumption due to the design of the building. The new Fitness Center should meet the LEED Gold Standards, if our early assessment is correct. This determination will be made during the commissioning of the building for LEED Certification.

If you have any questions or would like further information, please call at: (360) 696-6321, ext. 130, or via e-mail at: dean.stenehjem@wssb.wa.gov

Residential Life

By Renee Corso, Associate Principal for After School and Evening Programs

From Signs to Signals

As winter draws to a close and springtime approaches, WSSB is “buzzing” with excitement and energy these days.

Signals on the Horizon

Plans for WSSB’s internet radio station are coming together nicely. Now that we have the equipment in place, the rules of programming finalized and a curriculum in hand, we’re ready to start working with students. We’ll start this month by teaching a short introductory class on the history of radio and familiarizing students with the rules and requirements involved in running a radio station, then move into teaching them to operate the equipment and record and produce their own shows. We’ll also be calling the group of volunteers together this month who have expressed interest in operating the radio station to begin discussions on the future development and long-term operation of the radio station. If you are interested in helping with this effort and have not already done so, please contact Renee Corso to be added to the list of prospective volunteers.

Just Give Me a Little Sign!

Last December, three of our Residential Life Counselors, Chris Trachi, Bonda Albers, and Pat Phillips, joined forces to start an after school sign language club. They formed the weekly club thinking it would probably last for a month to six weeks, but kids are so enthusiastic, they’re now planning on continuing through the end of the school year. So far, kids have learned the alphabet, days of the week, numbers, and over 100 words. They’ve also learned many phrases, and are now starting to sign short sentences in ASL (American Sign Language). In addition to the language itself, students are also becoming familiar with the history of sign language, uses of sign language in the hearing community, and gaining a heightened awareness of the deaf culture. Kids give a number of reasons for enjoying the experience: Tyler likes learning a new language and “talking to people who are deaf on their own terms.” Nick, recent graduate and current LIFTT student, thinks the “whole idea of talking with your hands is really cool.” Desi agrees, saying she also really likes using her hands to talk. Rachel is taking ASL at Hudson Bay High School and enjoys the extra practice, as well as helping others learn to sign. Nichol finds the history of sign interesting. And Kaeli enjoys coming to help out as well as learn herself. The group hopes to be “good enough” to sign an Emily Dickenson poem in this year’s talent show, usually held in May. Way to go staff and students!

Clips, Clips, and More Clips

Check out our school website (www.wssb.wa.gov) to see the latest video clips on Daily Living Skills tips! We’ve recently added Labeling Clothes, and Shoe Tying to the library and will soon be filming tips on Bed Making, Laundry, Folding Clothes, and Stove and Oven Use.

Things Then and Now

By James Eccles, President, Former Students Association

Former Students Association what a difference a generation makes; or does it? In December, I had the pleasure of tagging along on a bowling trip with students in the after-school recreation program and its enthusiastic leader, Adrienne Stout. The students were having just as much fun bowling now as I remember my own student group having on such outings, held some four decades ago.

While both bowling techniques and technology have changed considerably in the generation or more since I bowled each Saturday from 8:00-10:00 am, the basic ingredient, a really fun outing combining companionship and friendly competition, has not changed. While we used a so-called bowling rail to allow even totally blind bowlers to have a walking four- or five-step delivery just as the pro bowlers did that we watched on TV back then, nowadays kids just stand in one spot near the foul line and throw the ball down the alley from a stationary position, with the gutter ball as an option that students can choose to turn on or off in the same way one might flip a light switch either on or off.

What really struck me was that, whether filled with lots of technique instruction or dominated by a raw, rock and fire approach to delivery, the fun that all the boys and girls were having was still the main event.

When the next alumni convention occurs just 16 short months from now on the weekend following the close of the 2008-2009 school year, I wonder what other horizon-broadening things we oldsters could learn from looking at how we did it then and how they do it now. I hope that enough younger alumns will attend this next convention that we can all go some way toward finding out; and, hey, maybe the youngsters can learn a useful thing or two from us oldsters, too. Who knows?

See you in June 2009, now just one lone year from this-coming June 2008. Spread the word!

Calling All Parents and Families

By Jean Marie Curtis, Parent Representative

Let me introduce myself. I am Jean Marie Curtis and I have a grandson that is attending WSSB. I wanted to give something back to WSSB, so I applied for the position of Parent Representative to the Board of Trustees. It is with great pride that I take that position. My job is to help parents and families of blind/visually impaired children throughout Washington State.

I would like to start by letting you know about a tool that is available to all of you. It is call the “parent listserv.” This tool allows parents/families to talk to each other (like a message board). A parent can send an e-mail asking a question about a problem and someone that reads it and has an answer can reply to the first person individually or to the whole listserv.

Recently a parent had a question regarding her daughter and a parent with the same problem replied. It was very pleasing to see parents or family members talk, discuss and get answers. If you would like to join this listserv just follow these instructions.

1. Go to the WSSB website (www.wssb.wa.gov).

2. Look on the right hand side of the site for a list of services, etc. Under “School Information” in bold letters is a link titled “Parents/Families.” Click on that link.

3. You will see four additional links. Click on “Parent Listserv.”

4. Next is a document that describes the listserv and the rules that apply to it. The third paragraph tells you how to subscribe. From your e-mail, open a new message and send it to parentsforum@wssb.wa.gov with “Subscribe” in the subject line.

You will receive a confirmation e-mail from the listserv. It will give you a confirmation code to send back to the listserv. You will need to reply to this message within 10 days or you will not be subscribed.

We can all use this tool to communicate with others like ourselves. If you have any problems subscribing or have any questions, please feel free to contact me at curtis_jean@hotmail.com or (360) 601-5562. Good luck and I hope to hear from all of you on the listserv.

WSSB

Ex-Officio Members

Teachers: Judy Koch-Smith, 2214 East 13th Street, Vancouver, WA 98661 (360) 696-6321

Washington Council of the Blind: Berl Colley, 2305 Maxine Street SE, Lacey, WA 98503 (360) 438-0072

WFSE Local #1225: Bonda Albers, 2214 East 13th Street, Vancouver, WA 98661 (360) 696-6321

National Federation of the Blind of WA: Mike Freeman, 3101 NE 87th Ave., Vancouver, WA 98662, (360) 576-5965

Parent Representative: Jean Curtis, 4317 NE 66^th Ave., C27, Vancouver, WA 98661, (360) 433-2643

WSSB

Board

Trustees

Congressional District 1: Eric Wiseman, 14921 54th Avenue SE, Everett, WA 98208, (425) 337-6597

Congressional District 2: Chuck Nelson, Vice Chair, 2053 Greenview Lane, Lynden, WA 98226 (360) 354-1025

Congressional District 3: Steve Rainey, 15313 SE Evergreen Hwy, Vancouver, WA 98683 (360) 253-5844

Congressional District 4: Jim Kemp, PO Box 117, Cowiche, WA 98923 (509) 678-4601

Congressional District 5: John Driscoll, 1103 East 32nd, Spokane, WA 99203 (509) 991-4125

Congressional District 6: Sherry Perry, 79 Clear View Pl., Port Ludlow, WA 98335 (360) 437-1663

Congressional District 7: Annabelle Fitts, 4703 S. Angeline Street, Seattle, WA 98118 (206) 723-6433

Congressional District 8: Kay Adamson, 14727 180th Avenue, SE, Renton, WA 98059 (425) 226-3389

Congressional District 9: Denise Colley, Chair, 2305 Maxine Street SE, Lacey, WA 98503 (360) 438-0072

If you have internet access and will be accessing our newsletter on-line, please contact us so we can remove your name from our newsletter mailing list. This could result in a savings of printing costs and postage.

Contact Janet Merz, (360) 696-6321 x120 or e-mail: janet.merz@wssb.wa.gov or write: WSSB, 2214 E. 13th Street, Vancouver, WA 98661

Washington State School for the Blind - 2007-2008 School Year Events

March Board of Trustees Meeting-Tacoma March 14-15

State In-Service Day (AER Conference) March 14

WSSB/WSD Lions Carnival March 27

Spring Break March 31-April 4

April End of 3^rd Quarter April 11

Northwest Environmental Science Camp (Magruder) April 28-May 1

May Board of Trustees Conference Call May 1

Lions Track Meet May 22

Memorial Day May 26

Music Department-Program/Volunteer Recognition May 29

June Annual Picnic/Awards/Open House June 12

Board of Trustees Meetings June 13

Commencement June 13

End of 4^th Quarter/2^nd Semester June 17

Final Day of School (no transportation) June 17

July YES Program July 6-17

Summer “Compass” July 6-11

Summer Camp July 13-18

Yakima Combined Summer Institute July 14-17

WSSB Summer Institute July 27-Aug 1

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