Life Skills

The Life Skills class consists of students who need to focus their learning on skills that will improve their quality of life.  These skills normally consist of money management, personal care, domestic maintenance, social skills, functional reading (community signs), pre-vocational activities (such as assembling, sorting, and packaging), and vocational activities.   The students in Life Skills enjoy physical education, art classes, computers, and other special area classes.

Mrs. Melissa Koehler

Mrs. Koehler began teaching at Stroudsburg Jr. High in 2008. She graduated from Penn State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife & Fisheries Science in 2003. She then attended East Stroudsburg University to receive her Special Education teacher certification and Master’s Degree. Mrs. Koehler presently teaches the Life Skills Support classroom operated by IU 20 and helps out with Building Buddies.

mkoehler@stroudsburg.k12.pa.us

Physical Support Program

This program provides students with orthopedic impairments the opportunity to participate in an educational program based on strategies offered by physical and occupational therapists to assist these students in mobility and adjustment to his/her individual handicapping condition.

A trans-disciplinary approach is implemented to ensure all services are coordinated and focused to address the students’ Individual Education Programs (IEPs).  A strong emphasis is placed on communication and daily living skills.  Additional interventions may include special diets, modified teaching materials, and adaptive equipment for seating.  The life skills domains and opportunities are also available in this program.  Assistive technology plays a major role in helping these students communicate and access their environment more independently.

The following curriculums are used and adapted based on individual student needs.

 

The Eden Core Curriculum encompasses teaching strategies for students ages three through fourteen. It includes teaching programs in the areas of learning readiness, pre-academics, academics, occupational skills, social and play skills, as well as general information regarding behavioral teaching techniques.

 

SRA Corrective Reading provides intensive intervention for students who are reading one or more years below their chronological age.  This corrective reading decoding program provides tools to determine an accurate starting place for students.  Daily lessons are teacher directed and scripted to insure an appropriate pace of instruction.  There is also a management system to track student progress.

 

Star Reporter is designed to provide curricular integration through alignment with general education standards and functional areas as defined in student IEPs.  This supplemental program is designed to incorporate assistive technology into real-life learning experiences for children with special needs.

 

Mrs. Kyle Sherman