Administration and Teachers
Area School
Elizabeth Wood, Area School Principal
Pam Kirby, Administrative Assistant
Rachel Crain, Severe Cognitively Impaired Classroom
Mallari Fachting, Severe Cognitively Impaired Classroom
I currently have eleven students in my classroom with severe cognitive/multiple impairments and/or autism. I also have several para-educators.
Our students work on various life skills, functional academic skills, and pre-vocational skills. These include social skills; non-verbal communication skills, such as sign language and picture communication systems; self-help and independence skills; functional word recognition skills; leisure skills; technology; and the assembly, sorting, and packaging of items. We incorporate active learning where appropriate.
Our students also receive adapted physical education and music classes. They participate in art, sensory, and cooking experiences.
Kerri Stoike, Moderate Cognitively Impaired Classroom
Students in this classroom are aged 6-12 years old. We are working on a variety of functional academics, adaptive skills and pre-vocational activities that align with their individual goals, and the common core standards/essential elements.
Our classroom also enjoys community events, such as field trips, bowling trips. This allows the students to generalize the social skills and independence skills they gain into their communities.
Josh Higgins, Moderate Cognitively Impaired Classroom
Students in this classroom are aged 10-14 years old. We are working on a variety of functional academics, adaptive skills and pre-vocational activities that align with their individual goals, and the common core standards/essential elements.
Our classroom also enjoys community events, such as field trips, bowling trips. This allows the students to generalize the social skills and independence skills they gain into their communities.
Rachel Jones, Moderate Cognitively Impaired Classroom
The students in our classroom range in age from 13-17 years old. We focus mainly on academic goals in reading, writing, math, time, and money. However, ingrained in everyday activities, the students work on daily living, behavior, and social skills. We also begin building the foundation for skills the students will need in the following two classrooms, where they go to work sites. We perform pre-vocational jobs, including sorting, filing, shredding, packaging, and assembly. We also create Special Occasion cards, which we sell to earn money for classroom supplies and activities. Our classroom rules help us all take responsibility as we perform jobs at the end of each day to keep our class running smoothly.
Along with ‘work,’ our classroom enjoys gym and music several times a week. We have art, cooking, and science classes. We have the pleasure of going to Verna’s House. At Verna’s House, we learn life skills, what it takes to care for a home, and much more!
We are a big family here at the Area School and we always welcome new members!
Emma Galliher, Moderate Cognitively Impaired Classroom
Our classroom comprises students aged 16-21 with moderate cognitive impairments. We focus on many different real-world skills, including functional academics, vocational, life, social, and computer skills. We spend half of our time in the classroom learning functional academics and the other half out in the community working in various job enclaves or at Verna's House learning different independent living skills.
Our job enclaves work at Momma Cillie's, General Jim's Surplus, Mid Michigan Community Action Agency, and Crash Cart. When students go to Momma Cillie's they fold pizza boxes and do general cleaning tasks. At General Jim's Surplus, students organize their stock, fold clothes, and clean. When students go to Timeout Tavern, they clean. Students work together as a Mid Michigan Community Action Agency team to pack their food commodity boxes on an assembly line. Crash Cart is a student-run coffee cart within The Clare-Gladwin Area School. Students make beverages, bake muffins, stock items, complete money transactions, and deliver purchased items around the school.
Through our job enclaves, students receive paychecks to purchase items in the school store, and they also receive paychecks twice a year to go on shopping trips within the community. We also learn computer skills by creating the Area School Yearbook, going on many field trips throughout the year, enjoying bowling, and completing many school jobs to prepare us for future independence.
Our goal is for students to gain personal independence and to become successfully employed in the community.
Jennifer Mugley, Moderate Cognitively Impaired Classroom
The students in our classroom are ages 20 to 26 and concentrate on functional academics (time and money concepts, survival reading and writing, and functional math), daily living skills, and job/work skills and behaviors.
We have enclave crews that box commodities at Mid Michigan Community Action Agency and clean at the Senior Palace, Ace Hardware, American Legion, First Student Bus Garage, Northwoods, Ponderosa, and Route 28. We also supply student workers to help in the Area School kitchen.
We visit Verna's House twice a week, where we work on independent living skills such as cooking and cleaning areas of a house. We also sell tote bags out of recycled feed bags and fire starters out of toilet paper rolls and recycled paper.
We aim to work toward personal independence and become successfully employed in the community.
Mary Orloski, Transition Classroom
Our classroom assists students in gaining skills that will help them make a smooth transition from school to living as independently as they are individually able and becoming contributing citizens of the communities in which they will live.
Students will learn to navigate and take advantage of the community resources available to them.
Students will learn necessary life skills to help them live as independently as they are able.
Students will participate in meaningful work experiences that will enhance their individual abilities to acquire gainful employment.
Students will learn the important and necessary skills to become responsible citizens within their communities.
Adapted Physical Education
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday we have PE classes. Tuesday and Thursday we have Health classes.
PE classes start with warm-ups and walking. We continue with a variety of activities for each of the PE classes, including several team sports (soccer, basketball, volleyball, kickball, and softball).
Student participation is wonderful.