Transition Newsletter October 2022
Ani Poladian
Hello - I am so excited to be joining LFHS Transition this year! This is my third year as a school psychologist and my first year at Lake Forest. I was previously at Attea Middle School in Glenview District 34 and completed my school psychology internship at Niles West High School in Skokie. I graduated from the School Psychology EdS Program at National-Louis University in June 2020. Additionally, I received an MA in Psychology (Clinical Track) from Indiana University in 2016, and I completed my undergrad at Northwestern University in 2014. When I am not working, I enjoy going on runs and spending time with my two cats, Sharona and Angela. I am looking forward to a great year!
Ruthie Salinas
I love working in Education. I started in 2018 at Grayslake North High School. This is my first year in Transition. I’m currently employed by District 113. Some of the things I like to do are travel, eat different foods and meet new people. I am excited to start my journey here in Lake Forest!
Laurie Landsverk
This is my first year with Lake Forest Transition. I am very excited to get to spend my days with these amazing students and staff. I love coming to work each day. I have been a nurse for almost 25 years. I have worked in many different settings: Doctors offices, home care, school nursing, Director of nursing in a supportive living community, public health nursing. My main objective in all my jobs through the years has been to help people live their life to the fullest of their ability. I love forming bonds with the people I work with and for. Outside of work I love spending time with my husband and 3 sons, 18, 17 and 5 years old! We love summers outdoors on the water.
The start of a new school year is always a great opportunity to set new goals for ourselves. Why is it important to set goals? Setting goals helps us clarify what we aim to accomplish and understand the steps we need to take to achieve success. Subsequently, achieving our goals can help build confidence and feelings of self-efficacy.
Some questions to think through when considering new goals can be:
What do I aim to do? How can I do that? What might I change to be more successful?
Goal-setting is an important skill for everyone to learn and practice. Goals do not have to be purely academic in nature. Indeed, we can set goals in any area, including social, personal, and work goals.
You may already be familiar with an important acronym related to goal-setting, SMART:
October Communication Opportunities
Language Opportunities:
Speech and language skills can be incorporated into so many fun fall activities! Going to a pumpkin patch? Target some core words such as “pick”, “want”, “put”, “help”, “go”, “finish”, “like”, “make”. Carving the pumpkin? Talk about: “make”, “open”, “cut”, “pull”, “wash”, “help”, “feel”, “look”, “like”. Going apple picking? You can talk about colors, “get”, “like”, “need”, “help”, “more”, “finish”. You can even bake pumpkin or apple pie together and talk about the steps needed to complete the task!
Tech Opportunities:
Take the opportunity to get familiar with Snap&Read! All students and staff at Lake Forest have access to it for free!
Employment Opportunities
Providing career awareness, considering and supporting the student, and building community relationships will lead to employment opportunities. With appropriate methods of instruction and guidance, our adult youth are prepared, competitively employed, and successful working adults.
The Lake Forest Transition Center offers effective career and employment training to help students make smooth transitions from the classroom to meaningful careers.
