Candle Making at its finest!
One of our additional HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Broward Programs also had the chance to participate in the Community Based Instruction in-house field trip with the ScentsAbility team. These students were given a chance to try their hand at candle making. Each student received a glass container, an assortment of colors of sand, a wick, and seashells to create their candle. They were all excited to see how their design patterns turned out when they used the different colors of sand. Once the sand was in place, the students placed the seashells on top of the sand.
The students then brought their candles to Ms. Bonnie from ScentsAbility, who filled the jar with wax. Afterward, each student’s jar was left on the back table to dry so they could bring it home. The students were very proud and could not wait to take their candles home to share them with their family and friends.
Stay tuned to see what the HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Programs have in store for the rest of the school year!
HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Students Get a Taste of Patriotism
Patriotism and barbeque are what the HDSF B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students enjoyed during their lunch outing at Mission BBQ. Before the students headed to the restaurant, they reviewed the menu and decided what to order for lunch. The challenge was to order a main entree, drink, and dessert and stay within a $20 budget.
During their meal, students participated in the daily salute to the Stars and Stripes, a tradition the restaurant hosts daily at noon. The students enjoyed pulled chicken, pork, brisket, and ribs. Everyone was delighted with their delicious meals while socializing with their friends.
We look forward to discovering where the students will go on their next Community-Based Instruction field trip!
Cypress Bay High School ESE Transition Fair & College Night
The HDS Foundation (HDSF) enjoyed participating at Cypress Bay High School ESE Transition Fair & College Night. In preparation for the event, Program Manager Liz Falk assisted the HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. teacher, Alma Gonzalez, and Job Coach, Paula Wright, in helping to secure guests that could attend and share information with the parents regarding special services for their students with unique abilities. The community vendors that participated in the fair consisted of various guests from Family Network on Disabilities, Synergies, Florida Inclusion Network, Three Hearts, Sheridan Technical College, Michael Hymowitz, PA, David Posnack JCC, and ARC Broward.
Parents were greeted with an HDS Foundation tote bag complete with local resources. Liz Falk shared the HDSF comprehensive resource webpage page that identifies programs in the following areas:
– Advocacy & Policy
– Community Services
– Family Focused Organizations
– Post-Secondary Education
– Social, Health & Wellness
– Summer Programs
– Transitional Resources
– Vocational & For Your Toolbox
Many of the parents stated how happy they were to be able to find resources that would help their child in an easily accessible format.
We are grateful to all the vendors who participated and provided their resources to the parents and families. We were pleased to see so many parents attend the event to learn more about what they can expect during their children’s post-secondary journey.
Cypress Bay BRIDGES Home Depot Flower Garden CBI
The HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Broward students worked on planting a flower garden at their high school over the past three weeks to enhance the garden space. The students participated in several activities to help them achieve their goals. First, they went to the garden and cleared the area of weeds while discussing what kinds of plants and flowers they wanted to plant and how much water and sunlight they would require.
The following class period, the students went on a Community-Based Instruction (CBI) field trip to Home Depot, where they used their Gift Cards to buy plants and soil. Once they entered the store’s garden section, the students were split into pairs. Their challenge was to find one large plant for $19.98 and two medium plants for $13.96 total, with a $40 budget. Two groups were given $60 in gift cards to purchase a 50-quart bag of potting soil. Each group did an excellent job, working together to find the plants and heading to the cashier to purchase their items.
Once everyone completed their tasks of finding all the items they needed to purchase, they headed back to school for lunch. The students were excited to get to the garden and begin planting flowers and plants. During the next class, the students enjoyed spending the morning out in the garden working together.
Several students were responsible for putting the soil in place and spreading it around the flower garden. Another group of students planted what they had purchased at Home Depot. The final group made sure to water the plants. The last thing done was to place their special flag in the front of the garden, which read: “If you plant, they will come to socialize.” This message had a lot of meaning for these students since their program focuses on peer interaction, and socialization activities.
All the students were proud of what they accomplished together! Now they can all enjoy the beautiful flower garden they all worked hard to create for themselves and the other students, teachers, and families at their school!
HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Broward Host Career Day with Special Guest Rixys Alfonso, CEO of CauseMo Marketing
As students in the HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. Broward Program prepare for their high school graduation, Program facilitators Ms. Kathy Gorman-Gard and Ms. Donna Mansolillo have invited special guest speakers in various careers to share their career journeys with the students.
As part of their Community Based Instruction in Career Exploration, students had the opportunity to request guest speakers who work in the career path they’re interested in pursuing. The requested Cartoon Animator, Entrepreneur, Theater / Drama, Astronauts, Teacher Assistant, Cashier at Costco, Tae Kwon Do Instructor, Computer Animator, Biologist, Hospitality, Electronic Repair, Computer Science, and Food Critic.
The teachers turned to HDS Foundation Program Manager Liz Falk for assistance in securing guest speakers. Today’s guest speaker was Rixys Alfonso, CEO of CauseMo Marketing. Mrs. Alfonso is a public relations, marketing, licensed fundraising professional, and impact strategist. An innovator in creative strategy, renowned for connecting brands with causes and consumers. She founded CauseMo Marketing 10 years ago to drive cause-related movement in key markets by consulting brands, non-profits, and civic organizations to develop Corporate Socially Responsible (CRS) partnerships, initiatives, and campaigns.
We want to thank Rixys Alfonso for taking time out of her day to share her career journey and knowledge with the HDS B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students. Stay tuned as our B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students will have the opportunity to meet with other guest speakers in the weeks to come.
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