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Lunch with Friends

REACH grant proposal submitted by Carlynton Junior-Senior High School.

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PSLA Special Education Application

Name of School: Carlynton Junior-Senior High School
Name of School District: Carlynton School District
Name of School District Business Manager: Mr. Kirby L. Christy
Name of person submitting grant: Maggi Mishkin
Title/Position: Life Skills Support Teacher
Title of Project: "Lunch with Friends"
# of Students participating: 3 LSS students plus other regular Ed and special Ed students as invited
Dates of project: 1/1/01-6/5/01

REACH Grant Proposal

A. Vision Statement

The students will develop the skills necessary to maintain independent living while adding to the community. The students will learn all the necessary aspects of planning, preparing, serving, and cleaning after an event. The communication skills and behavior of the students will be monitored in unfamiliar settings with unfamiliar individuals.

B. Project Design

1. Community Need: Our project will involve the senior citizens of our community because they are often isolated in their own environments and do not get a chance to interact with the youth in the community. Medical conditions and lack of transportation often make it difficult for the elderly to experience this type of social interaction.

We will talk to local senior citizen facilities and groups to determine where and when an event can be orchestrated. We will provide an outing for those citizens that might not have the opportunity to otherwise socialize with young students from the area. To foster enthusiasm, the student will be required to send correspondence to the seniors, prior to the event, to keep them informed of progress.

2. Program Design: Our program will be designed as an "Annual Holiday Feast" for senior citizens in our community. Because of the educational abilities of the students, this goal will take repeated practice sessions over a long period of time. Eventually, when communication skills and cooking skills have been somewhat perfected, we will provide a luncheon at a local nursing home, senior citizen high-rise, or will invite the senior citizens to our school. At the completion of the year, or when the specific holiday arrives, the teacher and assistants will decide what type of "Feast" the students can provide based on how their abilities have matured.

3. Participant Roles: Weekly small luncheons will serve as practices for the ultimate goal. Students will utilize the skills learned each week to complete the "Holiday Feast" for the elderly. The students involved in the program will be Life Skills Support students and any special education students who can benefit as determined by the other special education teachers, transition coordinator, or MDE Team. Instruction will be provided by the Life Skills Support Teacher and Instruction Aides.

4. Partnerships: The students in the Life Skills Support program will be paired with students from the Learning Support program to foster inclusion practices and to allow one student to learn from the skills of another. In all cases, the students will be encouraged to complete as much of the activity as possible, independently. The tasks will be adapted by the instructors for each student based on his/her own abilities or disabilities.

In order to practice, the students will hold a weekly luncheon for four to six individuals. The students will be encouraged to select four adults and two regular education students each week to facilitate inclusion strategies. By inviting individuals familiar to the students, they will develop more self-confidence, which will enable them to enter a room of unfamiliar faces. Guests for the practice lunches will include regular education students and employees of the school district, parents, community members, friends, and other relatives. Guests in attendance will be asked to critique the program so constructive criticism can serve to improve the program.

C. School To Work

The use of public transportation will provide the students with the opportunity to do mobility training and learn the public transportation system. These skills will be necessary when the students find gainful employment after graduation.

The students will prepare the meal following printed, visual, and verbal directions. The exercise will allow them to become familiar with the different types of utensils and equipment in a kitchen. The students will follow proper health rules while preparing the meal including but not limited to: hand washing techniques, wearing gloves when handling food, wearing aprons, hair tied back, and wearing hair nets.

The closing step will be cleaning after the event, including the dishes, preparation area, serving area, and floors. The students will again follow health department standards in this activity. Once completed, the students will do any laundry generated, again following the individualized steps in their IEP's.

The transition coordinator will oversee the program to make sure all skills as outlined above that could be needed in future employment. The program will also develop an understanding of what is required at specific jobs and will give the students a chance to decide if it is a career that would interest them.

D. Academic Connection

1. Connection to Curriculum: The students will begin by sending student designed invitations to interested faculty, staff, and students. This art project will be tied to Occupational Therapy goals and objectives to further develop fine motor skills. The students will record, chart, and tally the responses and determine the number of guests for the luncheon. These math skills will also transfer into the calculation of quantities needed.

After a tally is made, the students will select a many for the weekly luncheon. The selections will increase in difficulty as skills are developed and will progress toward items that will be featured in the "Holiday Feast". The meals will encourage healthy choices, stressing the basic food groups and proper nutrition as part of the health curriculum. The students will determine the necessary supplies and quantities to prepare the meal. They will then generate a shopping list using pictures or words depending on ability. The shopping trip will follow. We will use public transportation, which will provide the students with the opportunity to do mobility training and learn the public transportation system.

The step prior to serving and entertaining will be setting the table and making the area festive for guests. Following this, the students will entertain the guests and present them with the meal using communication skills as outlined in their IEP's. The students using Augmentative Communication devices will be encouraged to discuss the meal whenever possible.

2. Academic Outcomes: The most dominant academic skills will be math, reading, and writing in addition to other IEP driven goals.

3. Reflection: The students will be required to keep records of the lunches and compile a journal of successes as well as failures. This journal will enforce writing skills when possible as well as foster thinking skills.

4. District Standards: The skills learned (listed under A-1) are related to the IEP's, which are based on the Carlynton District Standards.

5. SCANS: In addition to the academic skills mentioned, the students will need to use reasoning skills when adjusting recipes. They are using time management in preparing different menu items to be ready at the same time. The program focuses on social skills, responsibility and self esteem and gives students a chance to shine in a world where they have often failed. The skills developed are life skills, which will be necessary as they become successful adults.

E. Student IEP

The curriculum in the Life Skills Support classroom is IEP driven so all of the skills are objectives. All skills involved in the lunch program involve developing fine and gross motor skills, communication skills, math skills, social awareness, money awareness, mobility training, and independence. These skills are part of each individual's IEP. When the IEP's are renewed we will include "Lunch with Friends" participate as a specific objective in itself, in addition to the goals currently mentioned.

F. Youth Voice

In all cases, the students will be encouraged to complete as much of the activity as possible, independently. Adapted tasks based on his/her own abilities or disabilities will insure as much independence as possible. The students will select the trial meals from several choices increasing in difficulty as skills and abilities improve. The skills developed in the area of communication will also allow the students to converse effectively with the seniors independently.

Proposed Budget

The following are expected expenses for the "Lunch with Friends" Program
Values could change depending on Number of guests and types of meals prepared

Practice Meals
Approximately one per week for 24 weeks @ $20.00 per week
$480.00

Holiday "Feast"
Approximately $6.00 per person- figuring 50 guests, students and staff
$300.00

Transportation
PAT PUBLIC- shopping trips- approximately one every two weeks
6 students- 3 adults- $1.25 fare plus $0.25 transfer
(possible zone changes not included)
9 @ $1.50 X 12 $162.00

LAIDLAW- trip to nursing home one per year @ $125.00 per trip
$125.00
Miscellaneous
Postage, decorations, paper, film, cameras, photo development, etc.
$100.00

Anticipated Total $1167.00