READS Academy's Inside Scoop

This September, both staff and students returned to school with a noticeable sense of positivity and readiness for the year ahead. The excitement was clear as classrooms quickly came to life with active participation, curiosity, and meaningful connections. Walking through the halls, you could hear students eagerly sharing stories about their summer and expressing how much they had missed their favorite activities, and trusted relationships that make school feel like a second home. This enthusiastic return created a warm, welcoming atmosphere and set a strong, hopeful tone for the months to come.

The first month of school for our secondary students has been marked by a steady transition back into structured routines and a renewed focus on emotional growth, academic progress, and personal development. As students reconnected with familiar staff and peers, many expressed comfort in returning to a supportive environment where they feel understood and safe. Staff focused on re-establishing expectations, building trust, and fostering a sense of community through group discussions, individualized support, and social-emotional learning activities. While students can find it challenging when adjusting to the demands of a new academic year, many have begun to show increased engagement, improved self-awareness, and a willingness to participate in both academic and therapeutic programming. In addition students have demonstrated a great deal of maturity with the introduction of the Yondr pouches which secure their personal technology devices until the end of the school day. If at anytime a student feels the need to call home they are invited into admin's office where they can reach out to parents/guardians for a reassuring touch base on their phone.

In addition to our Middleboro location, READS Academy has a classroom located within West Bridgewater Jr. Senior High School serving students in grades 9-12, who are ready for to step back into the public school setting. Here students are fully immersed in the student life at West Bridgewater while maintaining the therapeutic supports of the Academy. We have two highly qualified and licensed educators along with a School Psychologist on staff specific to for this classroom. Our WB team are committed to ensuring our students experience as much of the inclusion setting as possible along with the extra curricular offerings. They stay connected to the academy through regular touch base meetings and participation in varying trainings. During the summer many students come back to the academy to participate in our WBL internships.

This year our students will have the opportunity to showcase their selected artwork on the platform called Artsonia - https://www.artsonia.com/.Artsonia is a digital platform that allows schools, teachers, students, and families to showcase and celebrate student artwork online. It functions as a secure, school-managed art gallery where students can upload their creations, receive feedback from parents and peers, and build a digital portfolio over time. Teachers use Artsonia to manage student projects, track progress, and integrate technology into their art curriculum. Parents can view and share their child’s artwork, leave comments, and even purchase custom keepsakes featuring the art, with a portion of proceeds often supporting school art programs. If you are interested in having your child participate in Artsonia please complete the attached permission slip and return to our Art Teacher Mrs. O'Neill-O'Kane.

In Science this week Mrs. Burke started talking about matter and its 3 states (solid, liquid, gas). They made oobleck! This experiment is a mixture between corn starch and water. The students were able to see that the mixture acts like a solid when you apply sudden force to it, and a liquid when left undisturbed. The kids loved it! Here are some pictures of the kids as well as the recipe!

The standard oobleck recipe requires just two ingredients: cornstarch and water, with an optional drop of food coloring. The 2:1 ratio of cornstarch to water creates a non-Newtonian fluid, meaning it acts as a solid when force is applied but flows like a liquid when left alone.

Ingredients

• Cornstarch: 2 cups
• Water: 1 cup
• Food coloring (optional): A few drops

Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• Spoon (optional)

Instructions

1. Measure the cornstarch. Pour 2 cups of cornstarch into a large bowl.
2. Add food coloring (optional). In a separate cup, mix a few drops of food coloring into 1 cup of water until you achieve the desired color.
3. Combine the ingredients. Slowly pour the colored water into the cornstarch, mixing with a spoon or your hands. As you mix, it will become progressively harder to stir.
4. Adjust the consistency. If the oobleck is too watery, add more cornstarch, about a tablespoon at a time. If it's too thick and crumbly, add a little more water.

Did you know that READS Academy provides high school students with valuable exposure to Massachusetts Career Clusters through Work-Based Learning (WBL) classes? Currently, we offer hands-on learning opportunities in Engineering and Technology, Digital Media, Culinary Arts, and Healthcare. These experiences introduce students to the Career and Technical Education (CTE) standards established by DESE for secondary schools offering CTE programs.

Each week, students take part in employability skills classes led by our WBL Coordinator, Ms. Paradise. In these sessions, they learn the essential skills needed for today’s workforce along with exploring the varying opportunities offered. Based on their interests and goals, Ms. Paradise then helps students choose a WBL placement, where they participate in morning sessions within teacher-guided employment classes. During the summer, many students take part in our paid internship programs, where they apply their newly acquired skills in a simulated worksite environment.

We continue to grow and expand our WBL offerings each year and are excited about the new opportunities ahead.

The Collaborative Problem Solving approach recognizes what research has pointed to for years – that kids with challenging behavior are already trying hard. They don’t lack the will to behave well. They lack the skills to behave well. The belief is that Kids do well if they can. The CPS approach was developed at Massachusetts General Hospital a top-ranked Department of Psychiatry in the United States. It is proven to reduce challenging behavior, teach kids the skills they lack, and build relationships with the adults in their lives.

CPS helps adults shift to a more accurate and compassionate mindset and embrace the truth that kids do well if they can – rather than the more common belief that kids would do well if they simply wanted to. Flowing from this simple but powerful philosophy, CPS focuses on building skills like flexibility, frustration tolerance and problem solving, rather than simply motivating kids to behave better. The process begins with identifying triggers to a child’s challenging behavior and the specific skills they need help developing. The next step involves partnering with the child to build those skills and develop lasting solutions to problems that work for everyone.

10/13- No School - Indigenous People Day

10/31 - Halloween - Trunk or Treat. Staff members, parents and community members welcome. If you would like to sponsor a trunk or participate please reach out to Amy Saraiva - asaraiva@readscollab.org

In Massachusetts there are a variety of supports for families in need. Please take some time to check out the links below.