NEW SCHOOL YEAR IS UPON US

Each new school year begins with a to do /mission list.  The more relaxed pace of the “summer holiday” gives time for quiet reflection on where we want to go in the coming year and how we will get there. We consider, how we continue on our journey making our school a place where learning takes place in an atmosphere of lightness of spirit, strength of curriculum, and enlightened and energetic discovery. And while we always remember the importance of learning, engagement often begins with fun times.

This is my hopeful and directed "to do" list for The STEP Centre this year.  I have divided it into three main parts, but with one over- riding principle.

 – TO BANISH THE TRICKSTER WHO SOWS DOUBT ON OUR ABILITY TO ACHIEVE OUR GOALS,  TO LET GO OF THE SMALL VOICE WHO SAYS BUT WHAT IF OR WE CAN NEVER, AND OTHER ANXIETY BLOCKS. 

Looking back on our past year, it is obvious that we did more than we thought we could and we will continue to grow in our capacity to serve.  So here is that dedicated to do list for our new school year. While we don't have the resources right now to attain them all, we will strive for those resources and these goals.  

Cleaning for the new year- excuse the date a camera oops!   

      Organizing is important 2014-15 school year- bring it on!  

   

Improvements to our building which will enable program development:

·         Install security grills. We have worked hard for the equipment we have so it makes sense to make it as secure as possible.

·         Furnish and equip our conference/resource room to make it a comfortable multi-purpose space usable for training and information sharing. ( We assist with training for outside teachers in special needs students as well)

·         Securing enough computers for administration so we are not time-sharing on one slow unit which cannot even read a disc. Our staff only has one computer for all of us and our children have only one for all their educational needs.

·         Turning the principal’s office from a de facto storage room into an efficient working space to meet the demands of a dedicated and expanding educational program and a place to meet with parents and guardians on progress and goals for their individual student.

·         Complete the tile work of the bathrooms to make them more hygienic, and pleasant.

2   The children’s program including curriculum development:

·         To refine individual/group scheduling to reflect individual learning targets.

·         To begin our recycling project and develop support curriculum material for it

·         To integrate our seedling nursery activities into the core curriculum

Our Seedling nursery

·         Expand the use of picture symbols including communication boards

·         Revitalize group assembly times

·         Develop multi-sensory storytelling as a part of literacy

·         Build on the strong foundations for inclusion of art and drama

·         Develop and adhere to a schedule for the optimum use of our wonderful sensory room.

For each individual child we consider the following questions:

·      Are we doing all we can to unlock this child’s capacity to experience and interpret the world ?

·       Are we recognizing quiet behaviors, not just the more demanding ones?

·       Are we securing and using new but available technology to assist this child?

·       Are we remembering the importance of play even for children with limited independent exploratory skills?

·       Are we respecting each individual’s right for choice?

Most important for all of us who work together, how can we strengthen each other as we try to work together as a team?

Inspecting the damage the drought has caused- sigh

As September comes closer,  it will be so good to see our children again and to begin to get to know our new students.  As always we start our year with a really focused and determined set of needs and goals, and through these missions we are cognizant that we build a better and more enlightened school. Most importantly, we work towards the goal that our children matter to this world and that each child has potential and personalities despite their many limitations.

Written by :Hillary Sherlock- Principal 

****Attention all*** 

We are collecting mobile phones (used) for a Digicel initiative. Digicel will give Ipad kits to special needs school who contribute to the drive and the school with the most donated phones gets $100,000 for their curriculum. Please bring us any old phones you have laying around. We are working hard for that goal!! We sure could use your help. Hey - make it an employee office project for a good charity!   
http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/magazines/career/Special-needs-school-to-trade-phones-for-tablets_16961311         

Bring us your old mobile phones

FINDING THE JOY WITH THE INVISIBLES

Written by Leslie Wan 

On more than one occasion when I mention that I love a little school called the S.T.E.P. Centre, I am asked to tell folks about it. I explain what it is, the children they serve, and the people who are there. The question that has come up a few times following the explanation is ..."How do you do that? Isn't it hard? I don't think I could deal with that sadness. " Now on those few occasions, I have been surprised. I have had to put together a less than articulate response. My first thoughts have been - "Sadness - what sadness?"  Then there is stifled anger because I think - "hard?" .....Hard is the child who lives with it..........Hard is the parent or guardian who deals with it at all the moments that are mundane, but totally important for that child....... Hard is the working parent who wonders how they can do this EVERY day for the rest of their life because they love that child no less than their other children, BUT will ALWAYS have that child for ALL of that child's life.

So let me see if I can put into words what these children bring to my life or  anyone's life who is touched by them.

1. ...True joy, the kind that when I leave on some days, I ask myself why do my cheeks hurt? The answer is, because I smiled so much I didn't realize it, and my cheek muscles got a work out. Oh I smile in life as much as I can, but these children make me have marathon smiles, and yet I never even realize I am smiling. Who can't be drawn into the moment when a child sees you  approaching and is genuinely happy to see you, and smiles so beautifully in greeting?

Joy and laughter on any given day

2. Laughter - Example - Working with a young fellow when it is obvious he is tired and doesn't want to do any more. I say "__________  just write your name for me on the bottom of your workbook now and we can be done for today." He looks at me with a very cheeky grin and says " Auntie didn't you go to school?" ... Auntie says... " Ofcourse I went to school!"  That cheeky grin gets bigger when he says " And you can't figure out how to write my name?"  Well I "buss" out with one big laugh and THEN I make him finish my request. (Which he does and then we laugh some more.) They simply make you laugh with some of the goofy things they do!

Who knows what can be accomplished if you just reach for it. 

3. Reality..........Reality isn't always a bad thing actually. On any given day we deal with so many people who appear to only be on the surface. You question sometimes, is there a motive here? You circle around not engaging too much while you ponder that.   But these children do not have a motive behind their gratitude. They are who they are and unfortunately can never change that. Is that hard for me? Sure-  You betcha!!! Sometimes I realize by engaging my heart so much, I may one day deal with a deep loss, such as death. But that is far outweighed by the gratitude I feel that here, things are for simple uncomplicated reasons and the children ask only kindness, patience, respect and attention. Simple as that......  

  

4. Finding a moment far outside myself. .......Nothing about this place or these children is about me! It is all about them! It is all about placing my heart and my energy in a greater calling than what makes me happy. It is about spiritually and emotionally adopting more children than the Lord gave me. Putting yourself aside is necessary in life. If these side moments never happen you never have the clarity and the gratitude to see what you are blessed with in life or the wonder of what a heart connection can make or what you bring to the world to make someone happy. "The invisibles" - that is who these children are if we don't stop to see them as we step outside ourselves. They could be invisible, they could be scorned, OR,  they can be that moment to remember that we all have a place in this world, and we all bring something to others if we open our eyes and our hearts to the view.

So remember..... it isn't always about any grand gesture that should paralyze you from "getting involved" ..The conversation in your head can be ........Oh my time is so limited and I just don't have a moment to spare. .........Prices are rising and I can't catch my breath  for  trying to figure out how to keep up........... What good is it if I can't make a full commitment of  resources or time? ............... 

The answer to all these questions above are the following........
I walk( thank heavens for me), I breathe normally and naturally, and my head and heart needs to have  time - to step outside myself . I need to remember the blessings that I have in life, experience the unparalleled and uncomplicated joy of being with little people who enjoy a moment in life in its simplest form. Too much of the rest of our lives are full of complications.

 That is the fact here..... While you are spending time with them ( or for them) ..... you actually are doing for yourself too. Your heart is expanded, your blessings are magnified and your smiles and joy are evident when 
you leave. 

How do I answer those folks about dealing with the sadness..........

They give me far more than I give them and they make my life fuller and richer because of my time with the children, and my other activities for the school! 

  

Leslie Wan (11 year volunteer)             

    

       

SURVIVAL DNA

Creating art is the best it can be. 

                   By: Hillary Sherlock - Director..........

Sometimes it is about what you are made of, sometimes it is about fate or chance, and sometimes it is about the folks and friends you meet along the way!

When Ann and Bambi faced the reality that there was no appropriate school for their sons they did not wait – they acted and our school was born.  When it was obvious that if our school was to develop additional funding would be required, our physiotherapist and chairman set about to create our charity card venture.  When it became only too apparent that we desperately needed to move out of the church hall, our Chairman did not wait for a new school to appear – she acted – scouring the “for sale” ads and driving all over Kingston to find a suitable location.  Each of these challenges was met by action to ensure our survival. 

The instances of our rescue from the everlastingly depleted bank account are numerous. It is just the nature of what we do I suppose and the “invisible” nature of our beloved children. We each have our own explanation of how our rescues have come about. Some say it’s the laws of attraction, others – it’s divine intervention, others – it’s the intervention of a loved one who has passed, but still is looking out for us. Serendipitous or fate or the kindness of people and organizations – we have survived.  It is as if our school in reflecting the struggle for survival faced by many of our children, has developed survival DNA of our own.  Certainly we must have assimilated some of their determination and perseverance.

It has happened so often, unvoiced needs have been met by unexpected gifts. There was the time in the early days when an English Volunteer had a chance encounter at a camp site in the Scilly Isles out of which a friendship of over twenty years with a group of UK Quakers has led to donations, sponsorship of children and much more.  Or what about the time when we were selling Christmas Cards at a craft fair  begin a conversation with Suzanne Mahfood  (a talented dance teacher) who has since become our dance Aunty. Even a comment on Mundo Grass and its potential to provide sensory feedback led to the involvement of students from the Caribbean School of Architecture to inspire our sensory garden/playground. Is that fate, is that our survivorship or is it the blessing of folks you meet along the way?  All, I would say of it, our will to not only survive but to thrive.

Every encounter hasn't always been positive, sometimes offers have not been fulfilled, let downs are a part of any mission, and the struggle to meet daily expenses continues.  However, it is impossible not to acknowledge connections, not to believe in the power of people and it is easy to have faith that the mission we are on, to save children who too many forget, is worth all the struggle of continuance.

Painting with our feet is fun! 

I love Everybody

For each of you it is a reminder that even when the goal is a tall one and the road constantly seems like a dead end, there is always a clearing if you look hard enough.  Always someone or something to encounter to lead you past the tall obstacle and restore your vision.  

As always believe – we do!

Alligator eggs.......

Believing beyond possibilities and looking beyond the present

Believing no matter where we begin

I start my life on shifting sands but still I rise

Written by Leslie Wan 

It is hard to know what anyone who has never been to the STEP Centre will feel when they walk into our school. I would guess there are those who walk in and are overwhelmed by the challenges  our children face in daily living.  I would hope there are those who think as they enter....how wonderful that there is a place with such dedication and perseverance! But here is what you will KNOW after a few visits. You will know that the school is filled with children who love being here. It is  filled with staff who though this is their job, it is their passion as well. Our staff knows what each child is capable of (or not capable of) and on most days they make a choice to look beyond that, to what they HOPE for them to be capable of. You will learn that most of our staff has been with us for years and many of our children have grown up before our eyes and reached many landmarks along the way . You should be aware that behind each of our students is a dedicated parent or guardian or children's home that cares about that child and wants the best for them. Why would a child ever leave our school? Well for many reasons... illness beyond what the school or that child can handle, financial hardship of those who support these children, migration  of a parent or guardian, their age has placed them beyond our parameters, the parents/ guardians feel that what the student can gain is more than the sacrifice to keep them there and sadly also death. BUT EACH ONE OF THOSE STUDENTS ARE TRULY AND DEEPLY MISSED when they no longer pass through the door anymore. So mostly I would say that the visitor to the school becomes the STEP Centre believer and the believer becomes our ambassador for special needs children.

Concentration and determination, one step at a time 

 

     

What sets apart the STEP Centre from many other places is joy - pure and simple joy. It is not always something you see, but something you feel. It is that mischievous smile of the child who thinks he can get away with something and yet isn't upset when a staff will have none of that! You'll see a place where individual diversities are magnified to the "nth degree" and yet no one even sees them as unusual. You'll see laughter, messy fun hand painting, wheelchair dancing, and singing that is sometimes little more than squawking and grinning, but it will be LOUD and HAPPY and DETERMINED! You will hear children getting a geography lesson on the parishes of Jamaica,  teachers and students reviewing their homework of grammar and math, and teachers who are not afraid to scold them gently when they see a lazy day or a homework that has not been completed. Puzzles and color lessons, sensory work, physiotherapy, massage to relax tight muscles and calm the distressed, handwriting practice and on and on can be any part of a regular day. Through it all you will see happy children who thrive in the dedicated time and teaching they are getting, when most would look at these children  and think why bother. 

Lessons via the computer - sadly only 1 computer to share

Standing exercises and motor skills are worked on.

All of us on any given day, in any given week, can find ourselves annoyed and frustrated with things we haven't accomplished yet.  We think we are tired of fighting and slogging through things we think should come easier.  Life is like that, many valleys to climb  and hopefully the  hills are reached when we aspire to them. But importantly.........let's hope we have the wisdom to recognize those hilltop moments when we reach them, and isn't that something we often overlook? 

I hope that the next time you find yourself at one of those tired moments, you take a lesson from some of our children, their parents, and our staff.................SMILE because just smiling can change a moment and a mood. Remember that often it is about thinking greater than  the present, and believing beyond what you think is possible. 

Finally remember that every day brings new possibilities and most certainly more reasons to have faith that what you do now, no matter how small, is a step in the path to the higher moment just around the corner.   

Post by Leslie Wan

   

    

Building the wall - affirming the dream

 BUILDING THE WALL     

Another piece of our dream was becoming reality.  Lesli-Ann Belnavis, the artist (and Art Therapist) and Stefan, the sculptor were walking and discussing what new textures were going to be added to the wall.  Bianca, the jeweler was sitting watching them, hands busy twisting copper wire into tiny orbs.  Berger, the carpenter (handyman) was threading coloured, plastic balls onto cable.  I watched from the classroom as our art wall began to take shape, going from a dream to a reality.  It was a great day!

Beginning as part of a garden/playground in our school for very special children, the wall has become so much more than I had hoped.  Our space keeps evolving - it has gone from building site rubble to dirt with a concrete pathway. It has gone from zinc fences to concrete walls and our dirt is giving way to grass.  We endured days of noise as boulders were broken into beautifully cut limestone that shine in the sun and that with each fracture, held the promise of tiny fossils.  Trees, many given by friends, have been planted promising shade, fruit, flowers and bird nests. Really, it is all about the vision for the future, while celebrating the present work along the way.

The once sad perimeter wall is now the focus of young creative energy.  This wall which was  intended to provide visual and tactile stimulation to wake up the senses of our children with severe learning challenges, is waking up the creative energy in ALL of us.  This creation of the wall is now part of the long road, an affirmation of the goal, and the belief in our children is stirring all of us to walk together to achieve it.   We say thanks to the Digicel Foundation and the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, for believing that our children deserve an environment reflecting their joy of life and for sharing the belief that no matter the child, they deserve nothing less. Thanks to all of you who have given of themselves in this process.  Most of all though, thanks to our children for challenging us to journey with them daily.  A wall usually built to keep people out, has become a symbol of inclusion and an affirmation that believing in our children is a belief shared by many. 

Finally, as I gaze at that wall, it purely and simply speaks "Happiness", happiness for the dream that is finally becoming reality, happiness for the wonderful people and organizations that are making it possible and happy that the children will have one more reason to smile when they come to our school every day. I end this post with a simple and powerful word..................Gratitude............... that says it all!!!

                         Hillary Sherlock- Principal

Welcome to the journey

Welcome to the beginning of a journey of all things S.T.E.P. Centre, the passionate creation of our school and some wonderful folks who support us in ways we can't begin to thank them for. This blog has been a thought in the making for some time, and finally has come to fruition.. We now are ready and want to share with all folks who we are, how we love, how we teach and the magnificence of spreading the joy of our children and our daily beat here at the school.

In a future blog we will share some history of our school, but let's start with introducing our blog and asking you to follow us via e-mail as we enlighten you, inspire you and meld our hearts and mission with your lives.  We will share pictures, thoughts, and inspirational messages to bolster your day. This blog will give you some idea of who we are and how the lives of our children differ, and  the ways the heart and soul of our children are the same.  We also will highlight folks who help us in our daily progress. Our blog will be a collaborative effort at times with contributions from people who make us who we are, and help us to be the best we can be.  

We hope to inspire you through your life's missions on our blog , as it is clear that it is all of our supporters who keep us going financially and spiritually. We hope to give back that support to you into your lives.  Learning and sharing is a two way street. Sure our blog will be about us, but we readily admit that US is a very big word and maybe should be a very big "WE" , that includes all of you. Inspiring and teaching others is the important part of what we do. Learning is an never ending dynamic and we grow as we learn.  

So join us and share us by signing up via e-mail in the continuing celebration of our children, our staff, our school, our mission and the inspiration of living and loving, no matter who or how we are as people.  

                                              Leslie Wan