November 2019

St. Augustine Medal to be Presentedto Joe and Carrie Sindelar

At the annual Mass Celebrating Peoplewith Special Needs on November 17th,Bishop Caggiano will present Joe andCarrie Sindelar of New Canaan with the St.Augustine Medal for outstandingvolunteerism. (The couple was unable toattend the presentation service inOctober.)

A longstanding member of the Board ofDirectors, Joe never passes up theopportunity to talk about Saint CatherineCenter. Carrie has volunteered her timeand expertise in numerous ways, includingreading in the Library Program andorganizing tables for our annual "Joy &Gratitude" Dinner. "Both Joe and Carriehave been outstanding advocates for ourstudents and young adults," said HelenBurland, Executive Director. "They alwaysrespond to whatever is needed. We are sograteful for their service and dedication."

All are welcome at the Mass, which will beheld this Sunday, November 17, at 2p.m. at Holy Cross Church in Fairfield,adjacent to Saint Catherine Center. PleaseRSVP to Mass@StCatherineAcademy.org.

An IndividualizedApproach to Reading

There are a variety of ways our teachersin the Academy approach reading, butcommon—and key—to each approach isthe intensive, individualized attention thateach student receives.

On a recent morning, four students workedat their own pace under Sr. Cheryl’sguidance. Fabricio was identifying wordson a list; Philip read paragraphs aloud toSr. Cheryl and answered questions. Anna

read from "20,000 Leagues Under theSea" and completed a comprehensionworksheet, while Antonio laid out theletters of the alphabet and practicedwriting "U" and "E" with his finger on aniPad app called WetDryTry. Goals areestablished in each student’sIndividualized Education Plan (IEP). Reading skills are reinforced with iPad andcomputer applications, such as Edmark, awhole-word, interactive program. On abeginning level, students are directed toidentify a word and match it with an object.In more advanced levels, they listen toshort paragraphs read aloud, focusing onidentifying particular words. Otherprograms, such as Start to Finish, helpstudents focus on memory andcomprehension. Occasionally the classalso enjoys the friendly competition ofBingo, matching a named object to thepicture on their card and then using theword in a sentence.

Mrs. Loh uses the Wilson Reading System(WRS) with her students, a research-based program that starts with matchingsounds with letters. Students learn tobreak word sounds down by tapping outeach sound with their fingers and thumb.Students also learn to recognize "highfrequency" words, building confidence andmaking sentence comprehension morefluid.

Mrs. Loh works individually with eachstudent, using sound cards, helping themrecognize different letters and theirsounds, then identify objects that beginwith that letter. "I tweak it to meet thestudents’ needs," says Mrs. Loh.

In her class, Mrs. LaPorta uses acombination of Edmark and WRS,supplemented with internet resources,such as an alphabet rap song that thestudents love. A word-of-the-day isrepeated throughout the school day. "Isend word lists home with the students,"she says, "and the repetition at homemakes a big difference."

A weekly session in the library at theCenter, organized by volunteers from theOrder of Malta, reinforces skills learned inthe class, and promotes the pleasure ofreading. "The kids come back excited,"says Sr. Cheryl. See more photos. Readmore about the Library Program in nextmonth’s enews.

Helping Out withEveryday Tasks

Each week there are many everyday tasksthat our young adults assist with at theCenter, each of which builds life skills andalso contributes to keeping the Centerrunning smoothly.

"Would you like to hear the joke of theday?" Patrick R calls out jovially mostevery morning to whomever is working atthe front desk as he hands over theattendance sheets he and Tommy and Mr.Pat have gathered from the classrooms.While Patrick relays the joke, Tommy helpsMr. Pat distribute the mail they havecollected from the mailbox. The interactionis an important part of a satisfying morningritual.

Sorting and bagging the Center’s recyclingis one of Emily’s favorite tasks, but it takesa team to sort through all the bottles andload up a van to take the recycling to afacility in Stratford. Refunds from thebottles and cans are used for activities inthe community.

Ryan enjoys the interaction withemployees at the bank each Friday whenstaff takes a small group to make a weeklydeposit for the Center.

Working in the garden is another activitythat involves everyone over the seasons.Recently Ms. Sonia had assistance fromJacki, Ryan, and Jack to harvest the lastcrop of herbs and put the garden to bedfor the winter. Participants learn how touse basic garden tools and how plantsgrow.

A lot of time is spent in our vans as wetransport participants to and from theprogram and to all of the daily activitiesand worksites. Keeping the vans tidy hasbecome an important Center job. Overseveral afternoons this fall, Mr. Patorganized an enthusiastic crew to cleanand vacuum the vans.

There is satisfaction in each of theseactivities, and especially in workingtogether for the benefit of each other andthe Center. See more photos.

Halloween inspired some creative costumesand was lots of fun. See Adult Program photos.See Academy photos.

The dance floor was filled at our Fall FlingDance in October. See photos.

Join Us!

Mass Celebrating People with Special NeedsSunday, November 17, 2 p.m.

Bishop Frank J. Caggiano, Principal Celebrant

Holy Cross Church | 750 Tahmore Drive | Fairfield

Adjacent to Saint Catherine Center

RSVP to Mass@stcatherineacademy.org

2019 Christmas PageantFriday, December 20, 10 a.m.

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