ISVI Happenings
August, 2007
Registration Day is Approaching Fast
Please mark August 19th in your calendar! It is ISVI’s registration day and it
is quickly approaching. It will be held from 10:00am until 3:00pm in the ISVI
Dietary. Mrs. Forney will be having a meeting for parents in the library at
11:00am and 1:30pm. All parents are encouraged to attend one of these meetings.
Also, the Fall Carnival will be held in conjunction with Registration. ISVI
students and their families are all welcome for lunch and to enjoy the carnival
activities. We are really excited to get the 2007-2008 school year started! ISVI
has a tradition of excellence and will continue this tradition with the upcoming
year.
ISVI Parent Association Needs Your Help
ISVI’s Parent Association is holding a flea market and craft sale in conjunction
with our Braille Car Rally on September 29th, 2007. They are looking for
vendors!! If you are interested or know anybody who might be interested, please
call Tracy Orr at 217-248-3620.
Summer Workers
Students who attend ISVI have been working hard this summer. There have been
numerous students working and ISVI is very proud of them. Just to name a
few...One student has been working as a Social Security Administration Vending
Machine Attendant in Chicago. Four students have been working for the Chicago
Lighthouse as Summer Youth Workers. One students is working at McDonalds in
Springfield and another is working at an autobody shop in Chicago. Keep up the
wonderful work!
Language Arts Curriculum Completed
The language arts curriculum for grades Kindergarten through Grade 10 was
completed this past June. This curriculum will be implemented in the fall of
2007. ISVI’s language arts program strives to provide instruction so that all
students have what they need to learn and grow as lifelong readers and writers.
The comprehensive reading /language arts program offers tools and strategies to
give students success at their personal level in the medium appropriate to their
individual needs, whether through print, Braille, auditory presentations or a
combination of these media. Language Arts includes reading, writing, speaking,
listening, and the study of literature. ISVI believes that every student learns
in an individual way and at an individual rate; therefore, each language arts
curriculum is further differentiated and adapted through the IEP process to meet
those individual needs. The curriculum is aligned with the Illinois State
Learning Standards and Social Emotional Standards, and includes a documented,
diagnostic process that works within the assessment framework of "No Child Left
Behind".
Transition Curriculum Completed
The second curriculum that ISVI staff developed this summer was the Transition
Curriculum. The Transitional Living Program (TLP) curriculum at ISVI includes
the essential knowledge and skills required by the Illinois State Board of
Education (ISBE) for all students. In addition to achieving ISBE expectations,
the TLP curriculum also aims to achieve the mission of ISVI which is, "...to
serve as a statewide resource offering students with visual impairments quality
services which will enable them to become personally productive and
self-sufficient citizens." The TLP curriculum also incorporates the seventeen
essential workplace skills and includes a diagnostic process that works within
the assessment framework of "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB). The curriculum is
based on methods of instruction which are integrated into a variety of units,
providing students ample opportunities to acquire needed skills that will allow
for personal and independent growth beyond high school. The TLP strives to
impart knowledge to our students in order to make them as ready for the "Real
World" as possible. A wide experiential base including opportunities in work,
college courses, technology, advocacy, extra-curricular activities, independent
travel, involvement in the community, and adult living skills gives our students
the best opportunity to succeed and maintain a responsible adult lifestyle.