This weekend, students in the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. class enjoyed a wonderful evening celebrating the end of school year at Tarantella Ristorante & Pizzeria in the Weston Town Center. The students all came dressed for a night on the town and they all looked great!

Once everyone arrived, students looked over the menu to decide what they wanted to order. Some were thrilled to see fettuccine alfredo listed as an entrée, a favorite for some of them! Other students ordered lasagna and pizza.

 As everyone was enjoying their meals, students talked about summer plans, and enjoyed the jokes that Sebastian was sharing with everyone. After dinner, dessert was on everyone’s mind! HDS Program Manager, Liz Falk brought a chocolate chip cookie cake for the students to enjoy. Several of the students did a double helping of dessert, one from the restaurant and had a helping of the cookie cake.

Facilitators Kathy Gorman-Gard and Donna Mansolillo spoke to the students about how proud they were of all their accomplishments this year. Seniors were awarded a special gift certificate for all their hard work!

At HDS Foundation, we are so proud of all the students this year. They have made great progress during their Community Based Instruction (CBI) field trips practicing their Budgeting, Resources, Independence, Growth, Empowerment and Social Skills.

We wish the students and teachers a safe and happy summer!

After a great year of a variety of Community Based Instruction (CBI) fieldtrips, our B.R.I.D.G.E.S. classes enjoyed a delicious lunch at Japan Inn for their end of year luncheon! Students were given a special cooking show, as the chefs did their best to create an amazing experience for them with fire, volcanos, and trains!

Mrs. Lama and Mrs. Henry’s class ordered from tofu to steak for their hibachi style lunch and enjoyed every bit of it! As the meal was cooked and served, students practiced their table manners by waiting for everyone to get their food before they started to eat. Once all the plates were filled with rice, vegetables, and the meat of their choice, it was time to dig in!

The teachers awarded certificates to the students for the Most Responsible, Most Social, Leadership Award, Tech Award, Hardest Worker, Most Generous, Best Friend, Kindness Award, and Best Personality. Each student was so proud of their award!

The following week, Ms. Gorman-Gard and Ms. Mansolillo celebrated with their students at Japan Inn as well. Most of the students ordered hibachi, while a few others ordered a smaller meal. Many of the students had never been to Japan Inn and loved the culinary cooking experience.

After they were finished eating, students enjoyed a delicious dessert. Sebastian couldn’t stop talking about how delicious everything he had ordered tasted.  Some students tried the “Yum Yum” sauce for the first time and loved it! The all-time favorite was dessert! Students ordered a variety of desserts: Thai donuts, tempura ice cream, chocolate panache and regular vanilla ice cream.

When both classes had finished their meals, HDS Foundation Program Manager, Liz Falk presented gift baskets for each student with a gift certificate and other goodies for them to enjoy.

We are so incredibly proud of the progress the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students in both classes have made this year in Budgeting, Resources, Independence, Growth, Empowerment and Social Skills!

HDS Foundation wishes our students and teachers a safe and happy summer!

In preparation for their post-secondary journey, the students in the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. program, have spent time focusing on job skills to help prepare them for future employment. Facilitators Donna Mansolillo and Kathy Gorman-Gard provided opportunities for the students to practice their newly acquired skills during class time.

Over the past few months, students have been learning how to write a resume, practice interviewing skills and have met many guest speakers who shared their job responsibilities and what skills were needed for their type of work. The students also had the opportunity to learn about the benefits of a LinkedIn account and how to create one for themselves. Students uploaded a picture they had taken to their LinkedIn account and filled out the resume portion.   

Special thanks to the Microsoft Team, Jared Normile and Alec Goday who shared their expertise with the students on how to set up their LinkedIn Profile.

We are so proud of the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students as they prepare for their post-secondary journey using the following skills of Budgeting, Resources, Independence, Growth, Empowerment and Social Skills. 

As the year comes to an end, we are so proud of our B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students and their accomplishments this school year. HDS Foundation Board Member, Meagan Bouscher and HDS Foundation Program Manager Liz Falk, enjoyed time celebrating with the students and finding out what they were going to do over the summer. Pizza, garlic rolls, and soda was lunch for the day and for fun students were able to watch a movie, play on their computers or just spend time socializing with one another.

Throughout the year,  students enjoyed various Community Based Instruction (CBI) field trips to the movies, Cybrarium, the park, local restaurants, and a workshop about Substitute vs. Supported Decision Making with Family Network on Disabilities. Students learned life skills throughout each CBI they attended.

Congratulations to our graduating seniors, Jordan, Job Louis, Liza and Brian! We are looking forward to hearing their post-secondary success stories!

We are proud of all the students in the B.R.I.D.G.E.S. program and wish everyone a happy, healthy and safe summer!

The B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students combined an educational Community Based Instruction (CBI) with honoring their mothers for Mother’s Day.  In preparation for making a gift for Mother’s Day, facilitators Mrs. Karla Lama and Mrs. Courtney Henry, discussed the importance of empathy, giving to others and selflessness with the class.

The students were each provided a budget of $15.00 and made a list of 4 items that they thought their mother would like. Some of the items the students wrote down were: chips, pretzels, soda, candy, chocolate, candles, lotion and nail polish. In addition to those items, students added paint, paintbrushes, and cards to their list. The next step was to go to Walmart to purchase the items they needed.

Students had to locate their items at Walmart and ask for assistance from store employees when needed. They were allowed to buy only the items on their shopping list. This was a great exercise in paying attention to the preferences of others while maintaining self-restraint from making “impulse buys.”.

The students then used the self-checkout and a gift card to purchase their items. Students took turns scanning their items, determining if their items were under budget, bagging their items, and paying with a card.

Once they were back in the classroom, students painted and put together wooden toolboxes, which would serve as gift boxes for their Mother’s Day gifts. The students are excited to give the gifts that they shopped for and made for their mom!

Congratulations to our B.R.I.D.G.E.S. students for continuing to practice their Budgeting, Resources, Independence, Growth, Empowerment and Social Skills!