Greetings from Mrs. Patten

Hello and welcome to Tales from the Therapy Room!  I am so glad that you have found your way to our collaborative therapy blog and hope that you find some helpful information while you are here.  

My name is Amanda Patten, and I am the speech-language pathologist for Coal City Elementary, Intermediate and Middle Schools.  I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and my master’s degree from Northern Illinois University.  This is the start of my 12^th year working with the students in Coal City.  This is my fourth year as an employee of Coal City; prior to that I was employed by the Grundy County Special Education Co-Operative.  It is a joy and honor to work with the students, staff, and administration of this district.  My students teach me something new everyday and always put a smile on my face.  

In speech this year I am asking my students to work hard during their therapy sessions to in order to gain new “superpowers”.  Those superpowers are the goals and objectives that have been written for them in their IEP and include tasks like answering questions following a story, describing by attributes, improving expressive and receptive vocabulary, and expanding their use of age appropriate speech sounds in their conversational speech. 

Last week students identified one “ultimate superpower” that they want to master before the end of the year.  It was a great activity for helping students recognize and understand their learning objectives when they are in speech.  My students this year are very motivated, and I have no doubts that they will all do their very best at obtaining new superpowers in the speech room and beyond!

Make sure you bookmark this blog and check back often for updates from the therapy rooms throughout the district.  My contact information is located on the right sidebar of this blog - please do not hesitate to get in touch with me if you ever have any questions or concerns about your child's speech and language development!

Welcome Everyone!

I hope you find this blog an exciting place to keep updated on what goes on behind the scenes in speech and occupational therapy here at CCUSD #1!  My name is Margaret Marsaglia, and I am the new speech-language pathologist in the district.  I currently provide speech-language services at the Early Childhood Center and the High School.  Before graduating in May 2013, I completed my education externship at the ECC, so I am excited to be back in Coal City as an employee!

The start of my therapy has been focusing on the theme "Speech is Super!"  Using super heroes such as Spiderman, Superman, and Super Girl, kids are learning to "Be safe, responsible, and respectful!"  They are also learning to be a good friend to one another, and to listen and speak well.

To go along with the Super Hero theme, students had the opportunity to create their own super heroes during the first week of speech therapy.  Everyone got to pick out all of the different parts to build their super heroes, which included suits, capes, masks, and symbols.  Many kids chose to use elements that reminded them of their favorite super heroes, while also choosing parts that represent their own unique personalities (such as picking out a mask that is their favorite color).  I have so many creative super heroes that are now flying around on my walls!

During these first full weeks of school, various Super Hero games have also been played, including articulation and vocabulary board games.  It has been a great way to target speech sounds and language goals while still getting to play a game that is fun and features super heroes.  I have really enjoyed getting to know all the kids, and look forward to many more weeks of fun therapy activities to share!

Margaret

Welcome back friends!  I'm excited to be starting off another school year with the students, staff, and parents of Coal City Unit District #1.  My name is Jen Swanson and I am the occupational therapist for the district.

I have the pleasure of serving the entire district and enjoy the opportunity to work with students in all of our buildings.  Occupational therapy is a profession founded on the belief that people are healthiest when occupied with meaningful activity.  It is my job to help students to achieve functional skills and independence in performing activities within the school setting that help them to be successful in all they do at school.

Here is a little info about me.  I earned my undergraduate degree in Occupational Therapy from the University of Missouri--Columbia and my master's degree from the University of Indianapolis.  I have worked in the district for 10 years now (WOW!), 7 years with Grundy County Special Education Cooperative and the last 3 years as a district employee.  Areas of concentration for professional growth for me include sensory integration, visual impairments, and assistive technology.

I believe in the potential of all of our students no matter their level of ability.  I love supporting them and challenging them to become the best they can possibly be and helping them find joy in their journey.  Please continue to check back on this space for updates about what the students are getting up to in therapy as well as helpful information about supporting their growth.  I'm looking forward to an adventure-filled year!

Welcome Back!

Welcome back to school everyone!  We are all so excited to be back and to see our students again after a fun and relaxing summer!  My name is Cassie Spicer and I am the Speech-Language Pathologist at the Coal City Early Childhood Center.  This is my 9th year as an SLP and my 4th year with Coal City.  This school year I will be working with students in preschool and in kindergarten.  I look forward to seeing my old friends as well as meeting new friends this year.

I hope you enjoy visiting our blog and catching up on the fun activities in the therapy rooms across the district.  We love our jobs and can't wait to share the fun with you!

Cassie

Welcome to Tales From The Therapy Room!

We are so glad you are here! It is our goal to use this space to update visitors - students, parents, colleagues, and administrators - on the fun and exciting things that happen during speech and occupational therapy sessions within Coal City Unit District 1. We hope you find this blog informative, giving you an insight into what happens behind the closed doors of the therapy room.  There are many amazing things that go on during therapy sessions with the students of Coal City, and we can't wait to share them with you!