Bridge Services at Churchill

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kids are allowed to participate in extracurriculars and clubs. Most of the clubs are held during lunch or during PRIDE time (similar to homeroom). Clubs are very welcoming. Drama is also a great group of kids.

There are also new sports options called Allied sports which are supposed to be an easier way in for kids with disabilities. I know there is handball and bocce. There might be others. My child did not participate in them, but I have seen emails.

From what I have heard, Bridge is a school within a school. It is in the Churchill building but their classes are mostly separate. That doesn't mean that kids that can handle it aren't allowed to mainstream, but it sounds like it is an IEP team decision. Therefore, there is as much or as little interaction with the other kids as your child wants.

NP. If Bridge is a school within a school, do the Bridge kids change classes with the rest of the students. I could forsee my kid having an issue with the number of kids in the halls in between classes and not understanding that when he gets jostled, it's not someone hitting him, it's just people moving fast through the halls.

OP here. My understanding is that Bridge is a hallway all on it's own and the self-contained classes are only Bridge kids, so your kid would not have to deal with the masses in switching classes. But, my understanding (which I hope is true) is that they can join clubs that meet during lunch or take electives or other classes in the mainstream school if they want to.

My son went to ESESES which is also a self contained program within a school. In theory kids could join clubs and participate in after school activities. But in reality it had to be approved by the IEP team. They could also take classes in the regular school with IEP team approval. My son got approval to take theater in the regular school but he didn’t make it long. He was pretty ostracized. The other kids all had their groups and he knew no one. It’s really not that easy to go from self contained into the mainstream. Maybe if your DD takes the same school bus as the other Churchill kids, she won’t have the same issues. My son had his own bus and didn’t have a chance to meet kids outside the program.

Not sure if Bridge is the same but thought I’d share.

Thank you for your honestly. Was it hard to get approved for clubs and activities?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kids are allowed to participate in extracurriculars and clubs. Most of the clubs are held during lunch or during PRIDE time (similar to homeroom). Clubs are very welcoming. Drama is also a great group of kids.

There are also new sports options called Allied sports which are supposed to be an easier way in for kids with disabilities. I know there is handball and bocce. There might be others. My child did not participate in them, but I have seen emails.

From what I have heard, Bridge is a school within a school. It is in the Churchill building but their classes are mostly separate. That doesn't mean that kids that can handle it aren't allowed to mainstream, but it sounds like it is an IEP team decision. Therefore, there is as much or as little interaction with the other kids as your child wants.

NP. If Bridge is a school within a school, do the Bridge kids change classes with the rest of the students. I could forsee my kid having an issue with the number of kids in the halls in between classes and not understanding that when he gets jostled, it's not someone hitting him, it's just people moving fast through the halls.

OP here. My understanding is that Bridge is a hallway all on it's own and the self-contained classes are only Bridge kids, so your kid would not have to deal with the masses in switching classes. But, my understanding (which I hope is true) is that they can join clubs that meet during lunch or take electives or other classes in the mainstream school if they want to.

My son went to ESESES which is also a self contained program within a school. In theory kids could join clubs and participate in after school activities. But in reality it had to be approved by the IEP team. They could also take classes in the regular school with IEP team approval. My son got approval to take theater in the regular school but he didn’t make it long. He was pretty ostracized. The other kids all had their groups and he knew no one. It’s really not that easy to go from self contained into the mainstream. Maybe if your DD takes the same school bus as the other Churchill kids, she won’t have the same issues. My son had his own bus and didn’t have a chance to meet kids outside the program.

Not sure if Bridge is the same but thought I’d share.

Thank you for your honestly. Was it hard to get approved for clubs and activities?

Not initially. But after it wasn’t successful it got harder. And everything was dependent on performance within the program which wasn’t where they had hoped. And then there was covid which added another layer.

One issue was elopement. The school did everything they could to prevent it and, frankly, it was harder to leave from the self contained wing so they didn’t like having kids in the mainstream areas. I really didn’t see or hear of kids successfully integrating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kids are allowed to participate in extracurriculars and clubs. Most of the clubs are held during lunch or during PRIDE time (similar to homeroom). Clubs are very welcoming. Drama is also a great group of kids.

There are also new sports options called Allied sports which are supposed to be an easier way in for kids with disabilities. I know there is handball and bocce. There might be others. My child did not participate in them, but I have seen emails.

From what I have heard, Bridge is a school within a school. It is in the Churchill building but their classes are mostly separate. That doesn't mean that kids that can handle it aren't allowed to mainstream, but it sounds like it is an IEP team decision. Therefore, there is as much or as little interaction with the other kids as your child wants.

NP. If Bridge is a school within a school, do the Bridge kids change classes with the rest of the students. I could forsee my kid having an issue with the number of kids in the halls in between classes and not understanding that when he gets jostled, it's not someone hitting him, it's just people moving fast through the halls.

OP here. My understanding is that Bridge is a hallway all on it's own and the self-contained classes are only Bridge kids, so your kid would not have to deal with the masses in switching classes. But, my understanding (which I hope is true) is that they can join clubs that meet during lunch or take electives or other classes in the mainstream school if they want to.

My son went to ESESES which is also a self contained program within a school. In theory kids could join clubs and participate in after school activities. But in reality it had to be approved by the IEP team. They could also take classes in the regular school with IEP team approval. My son got approval to take theater in the regular school but he didn’t make it long. He was pretty ostracized. The other kids all had their groups and he knew no one. It’s really not that easy to go from self contained into the mainstream. Maybe if your DD takes the same school bus as the other Churchill kids, she won’t have the same issues. My son had his own bus and didn’t have a chance to meet kids outside the program.

Not sure if Bridge is the same but thought I’d share.

Thank you for your honestly. Was it hard to get approved for clubs and activities?

Not initially. But after it wasn’t successful it got harder. And everything was dependent on performance within the program which wasn’t where they had hoped. And then there was covid which added another layer.

One issue was elopement. The school did everything they could to prevent it and, frankly, it was harder to leave from the self contained wing so they didn’t like having kids in the mainstream areas. I really didn’t see or hear of kids successfully integrating.

I wonder if there were supports available, would there be more opportunities to integrate students in special programs with general education students. For any student, one go to person such as another student or staff member. Could a para educator or special educator help the student adjust and get acclimated to the routine of the activity and help the student with initial problems? Could there be a an organized Best Buddy type program where the special needs students is introduced and paired with a general ed students who has similar interests? Can the school do more to have Bulldog Day activities helping general ed students with getting to know their Bridge peers?

The school is one community. There should be more integration to help with understanding between Bridge and General Ed students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kids are allowed to participate in extracurriculars and clubs. Most of the clubs are held during lunch or during PRIDE time (similar to homeroom). Clubs are very welcoming. Drama is also a great group of kids.

There are also new sports options called Allied sports which are supposed to be an easier way in for kids with disabilities. I know there is handball and bocce. There might be others. My child did not participate in them, but I have seen emails.

From what I have heard, Bridge is a school within a school. It is in the Churchill building but their classes are mostly separate. That doesn't mean that kids that can handle it aren't allowed to mainstream, but it sounds like it is an IEP team decision. Therefore, there is as much or as little interaction with the other kids as your child wants.

NP. If Bridge is a school within a school, do the Bridge kids change classes with the rest of the students. I could forsee my kid having an issue with the number of kids in the halls in between classes and not understanding that when he gets jostled, it's not someone hitting him, it's just people moving fast through the halls.

OP here. My understanding is that Bridge is a hallway all on it's own and the self-contained classes are only Bridge kids, so your kid would not have to deal with the masses in switching classes. But, my understanding (which I hope is true) is that they can join clubs that meet during lunch or take electives or other classes in the mainstream school if they want to.

My son went to ESESES which is also a self contained program within a school. In theory kids could join clubs and participate in after school activities. But in reality it had to be approved by the IEP team. They could also take classes in the regular school with IEP team approval. My son got approval to take theater in the regular school but he didn’t make it long. He was pretty ostracized. The other kids all had their groups and he knew no one. It’s really not that easy to go from self contained into the mainstream. Maybe if your DD takes the same school bus as the other Churchill kids, she won’t have the same issues. My son had his own bus and didn’t have a chance to meet kids outside the program.

Not sure if Bridge is the same but thought I’d share.

Thank you for your honestly. Was it hard to get approved for clubs and activities?

Not initially. But after it wasn’t successful it got harder. And everything was dependent on performance within the program which wasn’t where they had hoped. And then there was covid which added another layer.

One issue was elopement. The school did everything they could to prevent it and, frankly, it was harder to leave from the self contained wing so they didn’t like having kids in the mainstream areas. I really didn’t see or hear of kids successfully integrating.

I wonder if there were supports available, would there be more opportunities to integrate students in special programs with general education students. For any student, one go to person such as another student or staff member. Could a para educator or special educator help the student adjust and get acclimated to the routine of the activity and help the student with initial problems? Could there be a an organized Best Buddy type program where the special needs students is introduced and paired with a general ed students who has similar interests? Can the school do more to have Bulldog Day activities helping general ed students with getting to know their Bridge peers?

The school is one community. There should be more integration to help with understanding between Bridge and General Ed students.

At least in the past, I think that there was a student club of neurotypical students who visited the Bridge students at lunch once a week, probably to pad their resumes for college. The Bridge kids were not always that enthusiastic about socializing with the neurotypical kids, at least in this format.

You have to remember that kids with autism are going to have a harder time integrating in the greater school community whether they are in Bridge or not. Unfortunately, having a para in the room for social skills help can keep them safe, but can also contribute to them further being labeled as "other."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:All kids are allowed to participate in extracurriculars and clubs. Most of the clubs are held during lunch or during PRIDE time (similar to homeroom). Clubs are very welcoming. Drama is also a great group of kids.

There are also new sports options called Allied sports which are supposed to be an easier way in for kids with disabilities. I know there is handball and bocce. There might be others. My child did not participate in them, but I have seen emails.

From what I have heard, Bridge is a school within a school. It is in the Churchill building but their classes are mostly separate. That doesn't mean that kids that can handle it aren't allowed to mainstream, but it sounds like it is an IEP team decision. Therefore, there is as much or as little interaction with the other kids as your child wants.

NP. If Bridge is a school within a school, do the Bridge kids change classes with the rest of the students. I could forsee my kid having an issue with the number of kids in the halls in between classes and not understanding that when he gets jostled, it's not someone hitting him, it's just people moving fast through the halls.

OP here. My understanding is that Bridge is a hallway all on it's own and the self-contained classes are only Bridge kids, so your kid would not have to deal with the masses in switching classes. But, my understanding (which I hope is true) is that they can join clubs that meet during lunch or take electives or other classes in the mainstream school if they want to.

My son went to ESESES which is also a self contained program within a school. In theory kids could join clubs and participate in after school activities. But in reality it had to be approved by the IEP team. They could also take classes in the regular school with IEP team approval. My son got approval to take theater in the regular school but he didn’t make it long. He was pretty ostracized. The other kids all had their groups and he knew no one. It’s really not that easy to go from self contained into the mainstream. Maybe if your DD takes the same school bus as the other Churchill kids, she won’t have the same issues. My son had his own bus and didn’t have a chance to meet kids outside the program.

Not sure if Bridge is the same but thought I’d share.

Thank you for your honestly. Was it hard to get approved for clubs and activities?

Not initially. But after it wasn’t successful it got harder. And everything was dependent on performance within the program which wasn’t where they had hoped. And then there was covid which added another layer.

One issue was elopement. The school did everything they could to prevent it and, frankly, it was harder to leave from the self contained wing so they didn’t like having kids in the mainstream areas. I really didn’t see or hear of kids successfully integrating.

I wonder if there were supports available, would there be more opportunities to integrate students in special programs with general education students. For any student, one go to person such as another student or staff member. Could a para educator or special educator help the student adjust and get acclimated to the routine of the activity and help the student with initial problems? Could there be a an organized Best Buddy type program where the special needs students is introduced and paired with a general ed students who has similar interests? Can the school do more to have Bulldog Day activities helping general ed students with getting to know their Bridge peers?

The school is one community. There should be more integration to help with understanding between Bridge and General Ed students.

At least in the past, I think that there was a student club of neurotypical students who visited the Bridge students at lunch once a week, probably to pad their resumes for college. The Bridge kids were not always that enthusiastic about socializing with the neurotypical kids, at least in this format.

You have to remember that kids with autism are going to have a harder time integrating in the greater school community whether they are in Bridge or not. Unfortunately, having a para in the room for social skills help can keep them safe, but can also contribute to them further being labeled as "other."

It depends on the para educator or special educator. I have an autistic DD who graduated from Churchill. Some staff implemented universal design strategies. Not all, but some. Those environments were ones in which my DD could thrive.

She had about three really close friends. Two had different disabilities. Her friends had interests in common with her such as band. However, high school was extremely rough years and many students were not understanding or kind.

She had gifts that were able to shine beyond high school. If I had to do it over again, I would have put her in a private school vs. a large public like Churchill.