ALPHA BETA FOUNDATION

October 10, 2021

 

Dear Alpha Beta Foundation,

 

From February 2018 through June 2021, I was my school’s IEP/Special Education Support Service Provider.  I service at risk students and special education students who need extra support.  Starting September 2021, I am going into my own classroom for the first time in four years as a Special Education Teacher in a self-contained classroom with 12 students.  These students have been diagnosed with either learning disabilities, autism, and speech or language impairment.  

 

Since the upcoming school year is my first year in the classroom, it is a blessing to be a recipient of this stipend.  With the $300 stipend I was able to purchase a multitude of learning aids such as ELA games for kids to encourage children to learn and improve their letter formations and improve their letter formations and decoding skills while having fun.

 

For students with high energy and active students I purchased children’s balance balls.  Research shows that flexible seating helps to stimulate students’ sense of touch.  Flexible seating also helps improve students’ physical health because it allows them to wobble, rock, stand, or bounce. The ball movements help to improve concentration and increase focus, reduce restlessness, and prevent boredom and distractions in class by keeping their bodies active and their minds engaged.  In addition to the Balance Balls, I purchased Scoop Rocket Chairs to give students the chance to use a seat away from their desks.  These chairs provide an outlet for excess energy and help to reduce fidgeting and a Wobbly Cushion to help children that are constantly moving about, fidgeting, and rocking in their chair.  The working cushion helps improve the focus of a student that needs to move. It also helps to improve their core stability.  I also purchased Fidget Chair Banks which stretch around a chair’s legs so that the student can push on it while sitting in their chair.  They can help a child who must be moving much of the time.  Chair banks help to increase focus and attention while letting kids move while learning.

 

I created a Writing Office which helps students to have resources in front of them to encourage them to produce their best writing pieces.  It also helps students to focus and stay on task instead of getting distracted by their peers and surroundings.  

 

I purchased three Math Games, Find the Number Activity Center, Addition Learning Locks, and Nuts About Counting, to encourage children to learn and improve their number formation, addition, and subtraction while having fun.   I then purchased school supplies for students who were not able to purchase their own.  

 

Thank you, Alpha Beta Foundation, for your help in purchasing the supplies needed in a special education classroom.

 

Michaele Guido

PS 39 

Francis J. Murphy, Jr. School