Open Wings Year in Review 2020

What are you thankful for? Mfartainaoetndonsyudbchnrseoiifacnroteigels.-nncMdhicsoaeocel y 2020 YEAR IN REVIEW You guys, because I’m thankful you’re my teachers! for the sensory room, so I can -Zach play in it! - Maddy Snack and lunch! – Simeon Zeavcehry!oAn-neJdealmsee!s Art! – Esther

FAMILY IMPACT “We need you to come in to school right I need to graduate from High School and away. She’s having a meltdown - and is being get into college. That just isn’t going to harmful to herself.” We have gotten that call happen at my school. I’m not learning there, a hundred times before - so it didn’t seem and I really want to learn.” So, we enrolled like a big deal. We’d go in to school - help her her in Open Wings Virtual School. get re-regulated, and move on with our day. It is now early November. School has been When we walked in the room, it was sheer in session for two months. Our daughter, for terror. For us - and for our daughter. There, the first time ever, is thriving at school. Her in the middle of the room was our eleven teachers are working to figure out what kind year old daughter, handcuffed, lying alone of a learner she is - and helping her to feel on the floor, crying. She didn’t know where like she is learning, growing and reaching she was, she didn’t know what happened to her potential. She knows how far behind her her. She couldn’t communicate. All she knew age group she is - but she doesn’t care. She is was that there were police there, and that determined to learn as much as she can and she was handcuffed. catch up. For the next year, we kept her at school Since starting at Open Wings, our daughter there - and she did everything she could has changed. Sure - she’s still into teenager to avoid getting handcuffed again. She stuff - and she’s exploring her world, but she was bullied constantly. She fought to pay wants to do homework. She wants to read. attention and to learn - but in the Self- She wants to be a helpful member of the Contained program, the cards were stacked family. She wants to figure out a way to use against her. She had given up. her story to help kids just like her to realize that there is always hope. When COVID hit, and we knew that we wanted our kids to attend school virtually, I literally cannot say enough about the staff we knew that our daughter would learn - at Open Wings. They are simply amazing. I but she would still be in an environment only wish we had known about Open Wings where her peers would trigger her. We four years ago. had heard about Open Wings, but never really considered it as a possibility for her. —Cate’s Dad She needed the Special Education services she was receiving at her school. Or - so we Open Wings has been so helpful in helping thought. me heal. My teachers, Mr. Rowe and Ms. Uwhat want me to learn, and help me To serve more students during COVID, have new experiences. They make learning Open Wings launched a cohort of virtual safe for me and I can focus and keep up learners. My wife and I were talking about with the work. Mr. Naylor works with it - whether or not it might be a good option me - and helps me to understand what I’m for her. She overheard. “Mom, Dad, I WANT feeling, and how I can respond to what I’m to go to Open Wings.” feeling. There is no other school like Open Wings - for the first time, school is helping “OK, Sweetie. What do you know about it?” me heal and feel like a normal kid. “Well,” she replied, “I know that it is a school —Cate for kids just like me. The teachers there want to make sure that I learn. I realized that if I want to help people when I’m older,

STAFF SPOTLIGHT Open Wings' approach of accepting and celebrating the child as an individual, ANTHONY ROWE setting firm but loving boundaries, and building an inclusive community has helped children learn to believe in themselves, believe in the community, and open themselves up to learning. Q: What is your educational background? Q: What is one special memory A: In 2018, I retired as a public school or highlight you would like to share? teacher after a 27-year career. I spent 24 of those years teaching in Winnetka, A: One day in math, I had handed out a Illinois, a school district renowned for its worksheet to students seated around progressive education principles. the table. As I was helping a student to my right get started, I could hear the Winnetka was where I met Dr. Kim student to my immediate left begin to Hufferd-Ackles, the founder of Open read the instructions. She was a student Wings. She was my assistant principal, who was learning how to read and and during our time working together, it had made great strides but still wasn't became clear that we shared essential beliefs about teaching children. Kim confident in her abilities. and I stayed in touch after she left I don't think she knew anyone was Winnetka, and she kept me apprised of listening, so she kept reading out loud Open Wings' growth. As I planned the to herself. Though I was physically next stage of my career, I knew I wanted helping the student to my right, my ears to continue my career working for an perked up as I listened to her. She kept organization with a strong progressive going, and she was reading every word. education vision and mission, so I Internally, I was cheering her on loudly, reached out to Kim, and here I am. but I remained cool on the outside. When she finished reading the whole Q: What is one thing you've learned while page of instructions, she sat straight up being an instructor at Open Wings? and exclaimed, \"I read the whole thing!\" She was smiling ear to ear. I smiled back A: I've learned that Open Wings has been a godsend for families who have lost at her and said, \"Yes, you did!\" the hope that their child can learn (or Moments like that happen all of the even function) in a school setting. In my short time at Open Wings, I have heard time at Open Wings. Sometimes it's a numerous parents (and grandparents) kid saying, \"Look what I did!\" and other share stories of the struggles they faced times it's the teacher saying, \"Look what in their child's previous school. Many of you did!\" These moments happen in these stories would break your heart. schools all over the country, but at Open Wings we often have students who come to us thinking about what they can't do rather than what they can.

OPEN WINGS ONLINE This fall, a need arose for us to begin an Open Wings Online online group of students. The prospect of moving our successful school program to the They now teach daily from their homes in virtual world was daunting. It called on us Illinois and Kentucky. We have other members to think deeply about our core Open Wings of the Open Wings teaching team join at other beliefs we felt we could bring with us to times during the week live ovr via video. online learning. We believe that our relational teaching The results have far exceeded our and learning approaches, our school day imaginations. Our online cohort of students schedule, and learning in community with is thriving in many similar ways to our our friends scaffolds our face-to-face students at school and we’ve learned some school environment. All of these have been different ways students can grow in this new implemented in our online program. Working way of learning. very closely with families has been a true benefit of our online days. Our parents We believe we have created an effective and grandparents are a critical part of our online school because core to our success learning community and it is a joy to work with students is our people. Our teachers with them as the students’ Home Helpers. have always been the way we help students move forward. We were fortunate to keep Our current group of Open Wings Online two core teachers who were not going to students is a lovely community of learners, be able to be part of the 2020-21 teaching ages 7 to 14. We enjoy morning meeting and team. welcoming guests as a full group and break in smaller groups for academic learning. In a world where virtual learning is becoming more common, we are thankful we have found ways to bring our well-honed strategies to students online. The joy of learning and just being together radiates from the Open Wings Online screens every day. John Naylor, new student: Coming to Open Wings has been great! At my other school, kids would tease me for how I looked. They would purposely try to get on my nerves. At Open Wings, everyone wants to be my friend. They are all nice to me!!! It is so much calmer here. I know I am getting a better education because it is a slower pace and they help me. I worked on my multiplication and started to get it. And I am not good at multiplication. They taught me 1:1 so I could learn it. I can be myself at Open Wings and that’s ok. Open Wings Learning 7951 - 36th Avenue, Kenosha, WI 53142 info@openwingslearning.org | openwingslearning.org | 262-697-7744