Bright Beginnings

*We are please to share another family story. Guest blogger Patrick Flanery

Our son, Jack (age 7), has just completed his first year at Madonna School. He went to OPS for kindergarten and was required to switch schools for first grade to attend an ACP classroom at another school. Upon finding an ACP classroom, we learned that particular classroom would be moved to yet another school the following year.

We knew at some point we wanted to send Jack to Madonna and agreed it was probably in his best interest to make the move for first grade in order to eliminate all of the transitions. Not only do we have a more stable situation for Jack, but also a loving and caring environment with Christian values. Jack’s two older sisters have the benefit of receiving Catholic education and now Jack will be able to have the same benefit.

What the Madonna School Means to Our Family

*This week’s Guest blog is by Madonna School Parent Tara Harper

Before the Madonna School

For Years, we dealt with suspensions and weekly calls from the school about our son’s behavior. I felt like my husband and I were always fighting to keep services that were supposed to be provided through the school system, including basics to his education like appropriate tools and resources to increase his language and fine motor skills. It was a battle that I honestly could not fight anymore.

The time came when we had to decide whether to send our child to a huge middle school where he would be segregated in one part of the building all day or look at schools outside our school district.

I was exhausted!

Then we had a respite provider last summer who connected us with another family whose child attended the Madonna School.

A Chance to Fit In

Choosing the Madonna School

Happy New Year Friends,

This Post is taken directly from the website Grown Ups & Downs

It's a shameless plug to share with everyone why we are

gearing up to Celebrate again in 2014!

School Choices Part 2 - Choosing the Madonna School

So we left off last blog at the impasse between the public school system and me when Marcus was not yet 5 years old.  What happened next is someone told me about a local school for special needs students called the Madonna School. “OK. We’ll look into it.”

 In 1995 we toured the school, a small converted church in Benson, desperate for an option…We were greeted by book pages covering the principal’s floor. He apologized for the disarray, explaining he was creating the 40 odd math syllabuses for the nearly 50 students.

“Wait-” I said.  “You don’t force everyone into three peg-hole options?” Marcus was only five years old and I already displayed battle fatigue from our public school experiences.  The idea of school staff being on the same team as Marcus, of our educating and preparing him together to face the world-that concept created hope.