As we celebrate our 20th Anniversary, the future is bright for Arbor Bay School and our students! I will be retiring at the end of December and have had the most amazing 44-year career. My time here has been a pleasure and a privilege for the past twenty years. Your support has made such a difference in the lives of all our students. The new administrative staff, Bonnie Silverman (Executive Director), Katie Schwarz (School Principal), and Emily King (Program Manager), have my complete confidence and possess the creativity and passion to move the school forward.
While we head into our next decade, I think back to 2003 when we first opened the doors to Arbor Bay School. The time has passed in the blink of an eye – twenty years and hundreds of kids! Our goal has always been to foster academic and social success for all our students. Our vision is for our students to be accountable resilient members of society. They are accomplishing this and making us proud every day!
Last year's graduating class of 2023 was our largest one yet. Nine remarkable students are finding success in private and public high schools. I get messages from them almost weekly and we celebrate their achievements! Also, we are pleased to welcome a new staff member (and former student), "Teacher Ranjini" as a Teacher's Aide in Room D as part of our JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) Work Project. Our students' successes are due to the personalized academic program designed by our amazing teaching and therapy staff.
Our staff needs all the necessary tools to make this happen. We purchased Chromebooks in 2018 and were able to provide them to students during distance learning due to Covid in 2020. At this point, we need to keep current with the technology to connect and educate our students. They are online and learning; their digital literacy skills are critical for their education, now and beyond our classroom walls. We are seeking to upgrade and update our technology and need your help. Your investment in our Annual Fund will provide essential technology including updated hardware, access to the latest educational software, digitalized documentation, and cloud storage.
I hope that you will join us in our dedication to the fact that "every student's education should be special." We deeply appreciate your support.
Wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season,
Susan Rose, Executive Director
Arbor Bay School