We have enjoyed a wonderful start to the 2019-20 school year at Tennessee School for the Blind! We take pride in ensuring our students have a welcoming, supportive, academically-rigorous, and safe experience at TSB. Positive energy from students, teachers, and staff has been evident throughout the building. Teachers are teaching and students are learning! Each calendar year, we focus on building success across our campus!
We have updated our former life skills program to focus on the academic learning and success of our students with the most significant disabilities by renaming it the Alternate Academic Program (AAP), after the state assessments that students are required to take each year. Additionally, students pursuing a general education diploma focus on academic learning that aligns with the TNReady assessments, thus this program has been renamed the TNReady Academic Program (TAP). In this school year, we have also initiated our new social/emotional learning program, called LionsQuest, school-wide during one class period on expanded core curriculum (ECC) Fridays. This comprehensive K-12 curriculum learning program “promotes the development of healthy and responsible young people by supporting social and emotional learning (SEL), character development, negative behavior prevention, and a commitment to community service” (Lions Club International).
Our Work-Based Learning (WBL) program is off to a great start this year, too! Our amazing work-based learning team of teachers and educational assistants is dedicated and motivated to see our students succeed. Our students are working on campus in the O & Mmmm Coffee Shop, the cafeteria, the media center, and the resource center. Also, our students have resumed working off campus at the FiftyForward Senior Center, Second Harvest Food Bank, Bojangles, and the Donelson Café. We are very proud to announce that a new worksite, the Donelson Library, has partnered with us and is another worksite where our students can build their skills in the world of work. It is a privilege to be able to build on classroom-based instruction to develop employability skills for our students. In this way, our students are being prepared for success in postsecondary careers. We are very grateful to our community partners for believing in and supporting our students by providing these worksite opportunities.
Finally, as our season moves from summer to fall, please be reminded of several events at TSB. Our Orientation and Mobility (O & M) department is sponsoring a White Cane Day (WCD) contest for students, and it will culminate on October 14th. The winners will be announced on WCD, October 15. Our annual Rocktoberfest is set to kickoff on Thursday, October 24 after school. Food trucks, music from local bands, and festival-like activities will permeate our campus. Bring your family and friends to join us in this celebration of fall!
Last, but not least, please remember that student attendance at school is a measure of student success. When students are present at school and engaged in learning, successful outcomes are increased all around. Let’s continue to work together to ensure achievement for our students.
