BV Center School
School Age
6 Through 22 Years Of Age - Primary Class, Intermediate Class, Community Living Skills I & II
Primary Class
Welcome to the Primary Classroom at Blanchard
Valley School. We are the first class of school age students ranging in
age from 6 to 10 years old. The students in the school age classrooms
are all individuals diagnosed with multiple assistants. The students
attend school Mon. – Fri. They receive specialized services of
Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, and Speech Therapy as addressed
in their individualized plans. Our students also have Adapted Phys. Ed.
Classes one time a week, go bowling one time a month, and swim at the
YMCA two times a month.
The teacher in Angie VanDenEynde. I am in my 9th year of
teaching in the Primary class. I hold a degree in Elementary Ed. and a
Masters Degree in Special Education. Dot Botkin is a full time
assistant in our room. She is no stranger to BVS. She has been an
assistant at BVS for 29 years. Most of that time she worked with
students in the oldest classroom but came to the Primary room this year
and is fitting in very well. Sandi Slack shares her time as an
assistant with the Primary class and the Intermediate class. Sandi is
well acquainted with BVS and it’s services. Her brothers are graduates
of BVS and presently work at Blanchard Valley Industries as well as New
Vision. Sandi’s son, Patrick, is a recent graduate of BVS and now works
at BVI and New Vision.
In the Primary class we work on individual goals of the students in
various ways including, art projects, group games, daily living skills
and many hands-on activities. This year our class is working to read 100
books through a Scholastic Book Club program. When we read 100 books,
100 books will be donated to children in need of books to read.
Last year our class worked on a project we named “We Care”. Our class
sent care packages to a soldier serving in Iraq. We compiled a list of
things a soldier may want or need, then as a class we went to Wal-Mart
to purchase the items. It is my plan to adopt a soldier again this year
and send a care package.
Sincerely,
Angie VanDenEynde, Dot Botkin, Sandi Slack
Community Living Skills I & II
The Community Living Skills Program has 16
students this year. The staff is very dedicated to helping our
students succeed. The teachers are Troyce Maner and Martha
Davis. Our extremely capable assistants are Carole Hornicak, Randy
Evans, Dee Simons, Lynn Swihart and Lori VanAtta. Our transition
coordinator is Ruthellen Ondrus.
The Community Living Skills program is
designed to teach a variety of skills. Students benefit from the
community-based nature of this program. Some skills are taught at
Blanchard Valley School and others are taught in the surrounding stores
and community facilities. In our community living skills classes,
we work with our students so that they can live as independently as
possible. Most of our students work in community-based job
training sites. When the students work, they are supervised
by staff members who accompany them to the work sites. While
working on the job training sites, our students work on using the many
skills they have been taught at school.
Some of these skills are:
Counting money and making change
Using basic appliances
Exhibiting proper hygiene
Grooming
Dressing appropriately for the weather
Practicing person safety
Planning meals
Purchasing food
Preparing meals
Cleaning food preparation areas
Food sanitation
Sorting laundry
Washing and drying clothes
Folding laundry
Vocational preparation
Computer skills
Social skills
The students rotate job training sites each
nine weeks during the school year. Some of our work sites are:
The ROC
Senior Meal Site
Chopin Hall
Decker’s
Flores Café
YMCA
Staples
Findlay Fire Station
University of Findlay Athletic Department
University of Findlay Bookstore
JuJu Beads
Big Lots
New Vision
Blanchard Valley Industries
Kathy’s Korner
In addition of all this jobsite activity, we
still find time to have fun. We swim at the YMCA every other
Friday. We play tennis each Wednesday afternoon, and we
attempt to take a field trip once a month. Approximately once a
month. we go bowling for our APE outing.
Some of the students also receive physical
therapy, occupational therapy and speech.
For the last two years we have taken a spring
trip. Each school year we earn money to help with the cost of our
trip. This May we will be taking an exciting trip to King’s
Island. We will be spending the night in a hotel and eating all
our meals out.
Troyce Maner