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From the Director
DATES TO REMEMBER:
April 20—Spring Fling April 22-29—School Closed for Spring Break
April 20—K– 5 Family Night May 3—car wash at DSD to benefit the junior class
APRIL 2011 Delaware School for the Deaf
STATEWIDE PROGRAMS FOR THE DEAF, HARD OF HEARING AND DEAF-BL IND
A Letter to our DSD Community:
Life is about choices. From the most rudimentary thoughts and ideas as infants to the more sophisticated critical
thinking skills we possess as adults, we make hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions of choices in our lifetime. You
have heard me reference to you in the past the goal of DSD and Statewide Programs to help parents make informed deci-
sions regarding their child’s education. We do this through family education programs for newly diagnosed families,
through spoken language workshops and ASL classes for families, through family nights and family weekends spon-
sored by our various programs and last but not least, through the IEP team. Partnerships with our families is VITAL
to ensure that we are meeting the needs of the whole child, not just focusing on his/her language and communica-
tion needs.
At DSD/Statewide Programs, we see the whole child, not just his ears, not just his mouth, we see him for who
he is, and encourage all domains to grow and develop to the best of his ability. We support the development of both
signed and spoken language, written and read language and more importantly, we encourage each child to find his/her
own voice and be able to express himself as HE wants. Language and communication looks different for each child, and
we work to help that child/family find their individual path. To learn more about the research basis behind our educa-
tional approaches for deaf/hard of hearing students, please read page 3.
On May 14th, a symposium sponsored by the Delaware Academy of Medicine, the Delaware Academy of Oto-
laryngology as well as CHOICES Delaware entitled “Update 2011: Managing Listening, Language and Educational
Outcomes for Today’s Children with Hearing Loss” will be held in Newark, DE. This symposium focuses on the bene-
fits of a listening and spoken language approach to deaf education. It does not appear to address in depth the benefits of a
bilingual approach to education. In fact, this symposium was planned with no input from the curricular leadership at
DSD, nor from any other group that supports bilingual education for deaf students. Coincidentally, this symposium was
scheduled on the same day as our Community Day in Cape Henlopen.
As I said, life is about choices. In order to make sure we have enough representation at this symposium,
we have decided to CANCEL the Community Day for this year. We feel that we cannot sit by while this seminar
advocates only one view of education of deaf and hard of hearing students. We cannot sit by and watch while the medi-
cal/clinical view of deafness is promoted as the best way for deaf students to learn.
In lieu of a day at the beach, we will put our efforts toward attendance at the symposium. If you and your fam-
ily would like to attend, I encourage you to register at no charge - http://tinyurl.com/3dcjgzy . Other states have seen
their communities torn apart by this debate. We will not allow this to happen. DSD/Statewide programs has instituted a
number of innovative approaches in the last few years and will continue to provide parents with the full educational op-
portunities that their child needs. If you, the parents of students who are receiving a bilingual education, would like to
make your feelings known about the 360-degree program your child receives, I encourage you to take a seat next to us at
the symposium.
Let me know if you have any questions or would like to talk more about this topic.
APR IL 2011 PAGE 2
At DSD, we truly individualize each
students’ program. As you may or
may not know, there are currently 17
students who receive part of their edu-cation at DSD, but who also attend
local schools for specialized classes.
There are some DSD students who
attend these programs for the full aca-
demic day, and participate in sports/
activities at DSD only. In order to
make classes accessible for these stu-
dents, they are accompanied by certi-
fied educational interpreters. We’d
like to point out recent examples of
how our students have shined. Please read on for a few of those students:
Congratulations to senior Alanna S. for being presented the “Outstanding
Spanish Student” award for the 2nd
marking period at Christiana High
School.
Alanna was
chosen by her Spanish
teacher, Ms.
Katie Sevilla,
for her fan-
tastic work in Spanish 3. Alanna was
recognized for her Spanish skills at an
awards breakfast at Christiana High
School. Way to go Alanna!
Taylor C. has been placed on the
Distinguished Honor Roll list for the
second straight semester at Hodgson
Voc Tech.
Scott B recently participated in the
Get SET job skills competition and placed 3rd in the bussing/setting ta-
bles completion through Networks
Following the demonstration by
Professor Rocco, Professor Jimmy
Musto and his percussion ensemble
delighted students with a variety of
instruments, ranging from tympanys
to marimbas, a complete drum set
and bass guitar. Featuring the mu-
sic of Beethoven, the Kean Univer-
sity music ensemble performed
twice - to the PreK-5 and 6-12
grade students. DSD students had
been studying Beethoven's life and
works in their classes and this con-
cert was a wonderful illustration of
the maestro's magic. To see our
photo gallery of the day's events,
click here.
Families of DSD students,
students from other districts in
Delaware, and visitors from
the Newark community all
took part in this fantastic
event. Students were given the
opportunity to try their hands
at playing instruments and for
Kean University's music program
visited the Delaware School for the
Deaf and Statewide Programs for
the Deaf, HH and Deaf-Blind on
Wednesday, March 30th. The radio
baton of Professor Rocco intro-
duced students to the rhythm of
music as students were able to
watch a video while trying to keep
the beat. The radio baton for Kean
is a key component in that it can
control a wide range of sounds and
vibrations and it allows students
with hearing loss who may have no
musical training actually conduct
the performance.
DSD students shine in all local school district skies
Kean University “Rocks” DSD/Statewide Programs
a while made music of their own.
The concert, made possible by a grant to Kean
University as well as support of our local com-
munity, not only enriched student's lives, but
opened their eyes to the world of classical
music. Thank you to Kean University for
making this experience possible and thank you
to the teachers and
parents in the state
who made the trip to
Newark so that stu-
dents could partici-
pate in the experi-
ence!
School for Entrepreneurial Services.
Josh B-Y was selected to participate
in the Christina School District art
show housed at Guager Cobbs Mid-
dle School
Tamar G has been selected “student
of the month” for her class at Jennie
Smith elementary and will be an honored guest at a luncheon with the
principal.
DELAWARE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF PAGE 3
Funnel Cakes ... Courtesy of the Residence Program
DSD Recycles! Congratulations to our high school depart-ment who won our recycling competi-
tion. They collected magazines and
newspapers that when piled up, reached over 101 inches! All together the school made a pile equivalent to 18
feet high! Keep up the good work every-one. Even though the contest is over, the school is still collecting all paper items to be recycled for money! We collect almost
2 tons of paper every month! You can send it in to school with your child or just drop it off in the green and yellow dump-ster in the corner of the parking
lot. Thanks again!
Whoever said that men can’t cook have
never met the aspiring chefs who live in
Dorm A of the Residence Hall. As part
of their activity for the week, the boys
shopped for their ingredients, and
planned out the lesson to teach students in
Dorms C and D how to make the delecta-
ble treat of funnel cakes. The boys in
Dorm A made the activity fun for all, and
even
taught the
girls a
thing or
two about
these deli-
cious
treats!
We realize that many of us do not have the time nor the inclination to read lengthy articles or abstracts about the latest re-search. However, research is a very im-
portant piece of our curriculum develop-ment and approach to education. Please read a very brief highlight of research that we feel is pertinent to educating students
who have hearing loss:
Laura Ann Petito (e al) writes that
the language development milestones are the same for any language in any mode, therefore all young children have the innate ability to learn lan-
guages regardless of modality
Tijsseling shared with us that full cognitive development for children depends on the stimulation of the five senses—and that students with hearing loss have unlimited potential
to develop visual language
Grosjean has stated that when look-ing at what a deaf child must do with language, bilingualism (the use of American Sign Language,
Written English and Spoken Eng-lish) is the only way to meet all of the tasks: “communicate early with his/her parents, develop his/her cognitive abilities, acquire knowl-edge of the world, communicate fully with the surrounding world of the hearing and of the deaf” Each
child uses each language for differ-
ent purposes at different times.
If you have questions regarding the re-search stated here or other research that applies to deaf/hard of hearing students,
contact Karen Martin, Literacy Specialist martink@christina.k12.de.us or 302-454-
2301.
Make your own funnel
cakes!
1 Beat one large egg in a large mixing bowl with a wire whisk. Stir in 2/3 cup milk slowly, stirring
constantly .
2 Combine 1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 tsp. salt, 2 tbsp. granu-lated sugar and 3/4 tsp. baking powder in a separate large mixing
bowl.
3 Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture slowly, beating constantly with the wire whisk. Continue beat-ing until the funnel cake batter is
smooth.
4 Pour vegetable oil into a large, deep skillet to a 1-inch depth. Heat the oil to approximately 375 de-grees F, using a food thermometer
to check the temperature.
5 Place your finger over the hole in the bottom of a medium-sized fun-nel. Fill the funnel with one large ladle of batter and remove your finger, allowing the batter to run out into the hot oil. Move the fun-
nel from the center of the pan out-ward in a circular motion to create
a round funnel cake.
6 Fry the homemade funnel cake for two to three minutes in the oil
or until golden brown. Turn the cake over using metal tongs, and fry for two to three minutes on the
opposite side, until golden brown.
7 Remove the funnel cake from the
oil with the tongs, and place on paper towels to drain. Sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar while it's
still warm, and serve immediately.
IF…….Recycling one ton (about 2,000
pounds) of paper saves 17 trees, two bar-
rels of oil (enough to run the average car
for 1,260 miles), 4,100 kilowatts of energy
(enough power for the average home for six months), 3.2 cubic yards of landfill
space, and 60 pounds of pollution.
THEN….DSD saves 34 trees, 4 barrels of
oil, 8,200 kilowatts of energy, 6.4 cubic
yards of landfill space and 120 pounds of
pollution EVERY MONTH !!!
Research drives the education at DSD
APR IL 2011 PAGE 4
As part of the Middle School's ongo-
ing series of guest speakers who come
in to talk about their voca-
tions, Johnny Wu, a junior at DSD, presented a well thought out
program to our stu-
dents. Johnny attends school at the
Hodgson Vocational Technical
School (HVT), in Glasgow, in the
Masonry field.
Johnny held the attention of the 23
students by sharing information about
the successes and frustrations of going
to school with hearing peers, the type
of work he does in masonry and the
tools he uses. He also taught students
about the soft skills one needs to
achieve (never giving up and persisting
in your work despite challenges).
He was able to speak about the pro-
gramming available to other students at
HVT, working with an interpreter, and
getting chosen to compete, for the first
time, in the statewide Skills USA com-
petitons between the vocational techni-
cal schools in Delaware.
We are fortunate to have a student such
as Johnny set an example for our mid-
dle school students to follow. Way to
go Johnny!
He fell out
of the car
and cracked
(see picture
left)
We named
our second
person, Lucy, who is wearing a seatbelt
(by taping her to the car). We rolled her
down the ramp and she did not fall out of
the car.
We looked at the difference between the
two persons. We realized that if we did
This March we were learning about
transportation. In this activity we dis-
cussed the importance of wearing seat-
belts. We used two hard-boiled eggs,
a car, tape, and a ramp. Egg 1—who is
not wearing a seatbelt is John Ghost.
He
sat in
the car
and
went
down
the
ramp.
Finding vocational success in our own backyard
ECD3 Classes learn that seat belts are “egg -stra” important!
not wear a seatbelt, we could suffer multiple
injuries. The students were quite happy that
John Ghost did not “break his face”.
DSD End of Year/Summer Program Schedule
Thanks to good old Mother Nature,
the end of year schedule as printed
in all district calendars has needed a
bit of tweaking. That has also influ-
enced our ESY/Summer Program experiences. Please read on for the
most up-to-date information regard-
ing the schedule over the next few
months.
June 9—DSD Graduation, 7pm Kirk
Auditorium
June 15—last day for students (prek-
K)
June 16—last day for students (grades
1-12
June 17—last
teacher/paraprofessional day
June 20/21—ESY/Summer programming
professional development/set-up days
June 22—ESY/Summer programs begin for
students
July 7—Preschool summer program ends
July 21— ESY ends
For the most up to date information, please visit the Christina School District website:
http://www.christina.k12.de.us/
DELAWARE SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF PAGE 5
May 24th Ribbon Cutting Announced
April is National Poetry Month
Inaugurated by the Academy of American Poets
in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held
every April.
The high school English/Language Arts classes
are celebrating all month, by enjoying poetry in
all its forms. Just to name a few: some students
are creating ASL poems using vocabulary words; some are translating written po-
etry into ASL; and others are using art media to illustrate poetry.
Follow this link to find “30 Ways To Celebrate” poetry in your home this month.
http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/94
Learn more about ..
These ASL Poets !!!
Clayton Valli
Ella Mae Lentz
Peter Cook
Ben Bahan
Spread the word—the moment we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived! On May 24th
at 2:30pm, the Delaware School for the Deaf/Statewide Programs for the Deaf, Hard of
Hearing and Deaf-Blind will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at its new home
630 E. Chestnut Hill Rd., Newark.
In conjunction with the Deaf Treasure performances, this
ribbon cutting will symbolize the beginning of a new era
of statewide Deaf education in Delaware.
Please, mark your calendars and consider this an open in-
vitation to join us as we celebrate the potential and the
promise that this new building will afford deaf, hard of
hearing and deaf-blind children in the state
Spanish as well as ASL interpreters will be provided.
Early Childhood 2 Class Visits Newark Fire Station #9
Every year the Newark Fire Station on Academy Street
welcomes our youngest children into their fire house and gives
them a hands on tour. This year the children learned about lad-
der trucks, pumper trucks, fire safety and even got to “drive”
the huge, brand new, never used truck. We tried on real fire-
fighter gear and even put on the oxygen masks so we won’t be
afraid if we see a real firefighter wearing a mask. On subsequent
days we turned our classroom into a fire station. Some children
prepared meals for their fellow fire fighters while others were
more interested in responding to fire calls. We had to use our
imaginations to create fire trucks as well as fire in the classroom
and we had to work in teams, just like real firefighters do.
620 E. Chestnut Hill Rd
Newark, DE 19713
Delaware School for the Deaf and
Statewide Programs for the Deaf, Hard
of Hearing and Deaf-Blind
Phone: 302-454-2301
Fax: 302-454-3493
E-mail: thomasd@christina.k12.de.us
Building for our Future
Visit our website:
http://www.christina
.k12.de.us/dspdhh/
The Mission of the
Delaware School for the Deaf
The mission of the Delaware School for the Deaf, a pro-gram serving deaf and hard
of hearing students birth through twenty-one years of age, is to educate students with rigorous achievement standards, to develop their
linguistic competence in both ASL and English, and to pre-pare them to be contributing citizens, by providing access to language and information
in a safe and supportive learning environment.
Elementary ASL/ELA “Goes Fishin’”
After studying the ocean in ASL/ELA class, Mary Hick’s class decided to make their very own Cup 0’ Fish recipe. Utilizing pragmatic opportunities to read paired with real-life experiences is a cor-
nerstone to the ASL/ELA class at this level. Read on to make your very own “cup o’ fish”
Make blue jello according to the directions on the box
Pour the jello into plastic cups
Let the jello cool in the refrigerator until partially set—about one hour
When the cups are partially set, place a few gummy fish in each
Leave in the refrigerator until they are fully set
Eat and enjoy!
Join us for the 3rd Annual DSD Community Day:
When: Saturday, May 14, 2011 12-5pm
Where: Cape Henlopen State Park - Main Beach Pavilion (15099 Cape Henlopen Drive, Lewes, DE 19958)
Who: All DSD Community Members are invited
(DSD Students & their families, DSD Staff & their families, DSD alumni & their families, DE Deaf Community members,
Deaf & HOH students from other DE school districts & their families, Itinerant Teachers, Special Education Directors…)
Admission*: FREE for Deaf / HOH students (from DSD and other DE Schools) and their families For other community
members, the admission fee is $5.00 per family; $2.00 for individuals
*The park entrance fee will be waived for our attendees. You must identify yourself as attending the DSD Community Day
Event at the park entrance booth.
From March 10th—12th, 2011 four students from DSD em-
barked on an adventure—to walk the walk of college stu-dents at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) in Rochester, NY for the week-
Secondary students visit NTID
end. The 4 juniors, Rianna W., Robert L., Johnny W and Unique R. had a wonderful experience getting a better
understanding of what “college
life” is all about.
Alongside chaperones Candy Yoder and Mary Donnelly the students
toured the campus, dorms, dining halls, class-rooms, and met many won-derful people. The stu-dents could not believe how many deaf people
actually attend NTID.
NTID offers a wide array of classes/majors and is a perfect opportunity for any deaf/hard of hearing student to go after
he/she graduates from high
school
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