Summer School: Lawrence is currently enrolling students for Summer School programs, taking place from June 16 - July 11. The Lower School hosts a morning academic program offering remediation in reading, written expression, language arts and math. Its afternoon program will focus on creativity and fun with technology, art and physical education. The Upper School is offering courses in subjects such as math, science, assistive technology, organization, music, drama, cooking, physical education, history, creative writing, keyboarding, forensics and more. High school students may take courses for credit. Students do not need to be enrolled at Lawrence during the school year to register, so please help us spread the word! For a complete listing of courses and details on enrollment, please visit the Summer School link on www.lawrenceschool.org or click here.

Lifesavers Presentation: On Wednesday, Feb. 27, please join us for an evening with Bob Schuppel of The Family Center by the Falls. As a therapist who works extensively with adolescents and their families, Bob will present a special program on the topic "Helping Parents Develop and Enforce Age and Developmentally Appropriate Rules, Expectations and Consequences -- both Positive and Negative."  Bob is an excellent resource to teens, families and schools and we hope you will be able to join us for this special evening. Lawrence families (Upper and Lower) are welcome, as are friends and community guests. We will meet at 7 p.m. in the Garfield Theatre at the Upper School. For questions or to RSVP, contact Mr. Jason Culp.

OGT Testing: The week of March 10-14, all 10th graders will be taking the Ohio Graduation Test (juniors and seniors who have not passed a section will also be retaking those section(s)).  Between now and May of their senior year, current 10th graders must pass all five sections of the OGT, which include reading, mathematics, writing, social studies and science.  Students will be given the appropriate testing accommodations needed, based on specific learning needs addressed on a daily basis at Lawrence School. To familiarize yourself with the test and review information at home with your child, log onto the Ohio Department of Education website www.ode.state.oh.us and go into "Testing and Assessment."  You then need to access "Ohio Graduation Test" followed by "Practice Tests."   If you have any questions, please contact Joyce Walker via e-mail or at 440-832-7818.

Benefit Auction Donations: The Benefit Auction committee would like to thank the many families who contributed to the High Tech Class Baskets. This generosity will allow us to offer a wide variety of popular tech items at our Benefit Auction on Saturday, May 3. If you've been meaning to purchase a Wii, a PlayStation 3, an iPhone or a GPS System, please consider doing so at the event so your purchase can benefit the school.

Upper School Store: The Upper School Store, sponsored by the National Honor Society, is open Mon., Wed. and Thurs. from 3:20 - 3:35 pm and Tues. and Thurs. from 8:05 - 8:25 am. Items for sale include a limited number of Lawrence School sweatshirts and t-shirts, car magnets, hats, rally towels, pencils, pens, and USB drives.  If you have any questions regarding the operation of the store or the merchandise please contact Cheryl Cook at the Upper School.
 

Free Parent Tech Classes: The next free technology course is "iTunes and iPod Basics" on Thursday, March 6 from 4-5:30 pm in Room 412 of the Upper School. The course will discuss Podcasts, DRM, how to work the iPod, and how to get songs into your iPod from iTunes.  Parents, staff and friends of the school are invited to attend. For questions, contact Sally Garza via e-mail or at 440-832-7840. To see the complete list of free courses, click here.

  HEAD NOTES

WHAT DOES IT TAKE FOR KIDS WITH LD TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL ADULTS?

Last week's blog, written by Mya Gonick, '08, touched concerns many readers were willing to share. This week we continue our exploration of the transitions in store for our students by taking an important step away from schools and colleges towards the marketplace--what our kids and we often refer to as the 'real' world.

Marshall Raskind, Ph.D., is a researcher who has looked closely at success - or what other researchers have called resilience - in people diagnosed with learning "disabilities" at an early age. In addition to completing extensive interviews with LD adults, he and his team perused diagnostic records, voting records, and court records to broaden the scope of their analysis. Putting the lives of these people under such a microscope, the researchers determined six specific ingredients that led to success.

Success in this research was defined as "having good friends, positive family relations, being loved, self-approval, job satisfaction, having physical and mental health, financial comfort, spiritual contentment, and an overall sense of meaning to one's life."

The ingredients that contributed significantly to successful adulthood were not good grades, high achievement or high IQ.  The attributes that led to positive life outcomes were:

SELF-AWARENESS: The successful adults were aware of their strengths and challenges, and did not allow themselves to be limited by their "disabilities." They accepted them as part - but only part - of who they were. They sought occupations and activities that played to their strengths.

PROACTIVITY: The successful individuals were involved in the world around them; contributing members of their communities. They made things happen rather than passively reacting to whatever happened to them. The adults who had positive outcomes acknowledged that control of their lives resided primarily within themselves. They did not blame others for their misfortunes. They took responsibility for themselves and for events that were within their control.

PERSEVERANCE: While researchers found both successful and unsuccessful adults who didn't give up, the difference was that the successful people knew when to quit! They did not persist just for the sake of persistence; they were able to change direction if the situation warranted. If they failed, the successful ones were aware of having failed but did not define themselves as failures. They viewed their failures as opportunities to learn and adjusted their courses to accommodate their new learning.

GOAL SETTING: The adults categorized as successful were able to set sensible and attainable goals based on their particular strengths and weaknesses. They maintained fluidity in attaining those goals so that they could get around obstacles. They dissected the process necessary to reach their goals and, often with support, followed a step by step process, recognizing and committing to all the little actions that culminate in achieving the their goal.

PRESENCE AND USE OF EFFECTIVE SUPPORT SYSTEMS: If the significant people in a child's life tell him that he can be the next Michael Jordan - despite the fact that the child spends more time watching basketball on TV than actually playing it - they are not providing effective support to that child. Support is effective when the supporters are realistic about the child's strengths and weaknesses and encourage development in the child's areas of strength. The successful adults in Dr. Raskin's study were able to both ask for help when they needed it and to let go of that support to continue on their own.

EMOTIONAL COPING STRATEGIES: Having a learning "disability" frequently puts people in stressful situations. Those adults who were aware of their stress, knew what triggered it, and had developed several ways of coping with it tended to have better outcomes. Their coping strategies did not have to be elaborate; these strategies included taking simple steps such as talking to someone, doing some deep breathing to lower the level of anxiety, getting counseling, planning ahead, or sharing their feelings with family or peers. What mattered is that they were able to get a handle on the stress and not let it overwhelm them.

This list of attributes, attitudes and behaviors are significant for all children, but they are especially important for children with LD.

This research encourages all of us to take the long view of our children's lives. Let's stop worrying and talking so much about grades and test scores - and shift to focusing and reflecting on the skills and attitudes they will need to acquire in order to achieve success as adults in the 'real' world. Working with young people now in school to acknowledge, accept, and appreciate their strengths and challenges is a critically important way for the adults who care about them to provide honest, effective support.

We can use our children's experiences in school - the triumphs as well as the crises - to help them set realistic goals, identify sources of support and learn to employ coping strategies when they face stressful situations. Let's remind ourselves and our children that what they learn about themselves from their experiences in school is far more important than what they 'get' for grades or test scores. An exciting, successful  'real' world awaits all our children provided we do not allow them to get stuck in school.
Check out these resources and have a great weekend!

http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=742

Goldberg, R.J., Higgins, E.L., Raskind, M.H., and Herman, K.L. (2003). Predictors of success in individuals with learning disabilities: A qualitative analysis of a 20-year longitudinal study. Learning Disabilities Research and Practice, 18(4), 222-236.

Did this week's Head Notes column inspire you, puzzle you, or otherwise stir a response you would like to share? Let Lou know how you feel!  He welcomes all comments and correspondence via e-mail or phone (440-832-7820).