Higashi Highlights
Fall 2019
Life is full of beautiful surprises, if we keep looking up we might see one ourselves. www.bostonhigashi.org
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Helping children with autism exceed expectations since 1987
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(781) 961-0800
The Principal’s Perspective
“WHEN WE PLANT THE SEEDS OF TRUST AND KINDNESS, OUR HARVEST BRINGS ABOUT ABUNDANT LIVING THAT FEEDS OUR SOUL AND MAKES US READY TO SHARE THE BEST OF OURSELVES WITH OTHERS.”
The fall season is rich and robust at Boston Higashi School. There were many opportunities for students and staff to savor the beauty of the colors of autumn and enjoy the crisp air both on and off campus. Field trips yielded bountiful harvests of apples, pumpkins, gourds, bales of hay and cornstalks that made for wonderful decorations created by our students. All students are now fully engaged with their respective classmates, division mates, staff and busy schedules. The daily rhythm of life has been well established. At Higashi students are not simply judged and evaluated. They are applauded and appreciated. We value the uniqueness of every student and learn from every interaction. There is no such thing as a small step when it comes to educating children with autism. We know that hope takes work and the work is ever evolving. It is never a solo act. We need the power of collaboration to bring about growth for one and all. Our annual Gala was once again a very special night to step up and step out. Many staff attended along with parents, business supporters and friends. The auction items were well received. We are ever grateful to all our donors and benefactors. Your help enables us to build dreams for our students and transcend the limits that autism can place on children and families. Sports Day was a spirited gathering that brought families together to celebrate and bask in Higashi pride and team camaraderie. There were 20 students and their families who experienced Sports Day for the very first time this year. They were greeted warmly by veteran parents who were ready willing and able to show them the ropes. We were privileged to host Dr. Kristy Johnson from the MIT Media Lab who came to discuss some of the cutting edge research about affective computing and autism such as facial
HIGHLIGHTS Higashi School Store Handmade items by our students Open weekdays during school hours A great place to shop for those holiday gifts! Don’t forget to follow and like us on
recognition software and wearable devices that can identify and possibly predict emotions through measuring electrodermal activity. Of particular interest is her new project to study affinities/special interests and language. We are hopeful that she will return with members of her team to discuss this and also offer opportunities to parents for their children with autism to be part of the research. Former astronaut Dan Tami now an Executive with the Japan Foundation, returned for a visit. This foundation has supported two Japanese students from the Musashino Higashi School in Tokyo. We value this cultural exchange. It’s great to see Boston through the eyes of Japanese teenagers. We had a wonderful concert from students from Berklee College of Music. Joining us for the event were new Consul General and Mrs. Ohmori, Consul Yamamuchi, Holy Cross Professor Emeritus and Mrs. Lincicone and designer/architect Rumiko Taira. All were duly impressed with our school and our students. Music is indeed a powerful language that speaks beyond words. The month of October ended with Halloween celebrations that delighted both the young and the old. Costumes were creative and spirits were soaring as we took every opportunity to coach thematic language and learning across all content areas while having seasonal fun. Both day and residential staff went above and beyond to ensure that children were able to participate and enjoy this holiday while keeping their learning going strong. Thanksgiving sparks thoughts of blessings. On behalf of the staff I wish to express my deepest gratitude for your loyal support and shared belief in the possibility and positivity of the human spirit. May you enjoy abundant living long past this harvest season.
PG 4-5
GALA 5TH ANNUAL
PG 6-7
RENOVATION UPDATES
PG 10
PARENT ASSOCIATION
T A fi t b p c m t r
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T N O H s t T c c f
T C w “ I t f c p fl
This year there’s a new and exciting format for Language Our new teachers in Younger High School could relate to Arts instruction! Each division begins by choosing one the September book, First Day Jitters. Ever get nervous fiction book for the month on which to focus. The book is before your first day of school? It’s not just the students! then read at the beginning of each Language Arts lesson, It’s the teacher too in this heartwarming and relatable before working on one of the six “core skills,” which include story! October brought witch-y problem solving with Room prediction, vocabulary, writing, reading comprehension, on the Broom, and some creative thinking kept Pete the character analysis, and plot sequencing. By the end of the turkey from becoming dinner in A Plump and Perky Turkey! month, the students have a deeper understanding of each YHS text, and have had multiple opportunities to practice their reading and writing skills within a familiar format.
EL
In Older High School, exploring the genre of fantasy and tall tales with How I Spent My Summer Vacation was a great transition book for back to school in September. The changing of the seasons in Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn, accompanied by non-fiction texts about why leaves change color, set the tone into the fall months. Finally, ‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving once again brought the element of quick-thinking into focus in order to save the day (and the lives of 8 turkeys!).
The Elementary Division started the year by reading Arthur’s Nose, a story about learning to love all parts of yourself! In October, we learned the importance of sharing in Harriet’s Halloween Candy, and got ready for the changing of the seasons with Mouse’s First Fall. This month we continue to explore the themes of friendship and helpfulness in OHS The Falling Leaves and the Scarecrow, and Leaves. We capped it all off by celebrating “Friendsgiving” with our classmates, practicing our manners, and trying some new foods!
MS
The EP division had a blast during their annual golf tournament. The students all had a great time. Our new academic unit has our students focusing on charities and helping others. This year our students will once again be donating to the organization, School On Wheels. This organization gives school supplies to those less fortunate or homeless. The students are learning about the charity and working on budgeting in order to buy their own school supplies on our community trips to donate.
The Middle School Division kicked off September with Clark the Shark, learning all about the school rules, and what happens when your behavior, like Clark’s, is just “too much.” October brought Halloween excitement with I Need My Monster, and we continued the fall holidays EP theme with Maria’s Thanksgiving. Both of these books focus on being flexible when plans invariably have to change. From a monster on vacation, to a snowstorm preventing holiday travel, reading about (and practicing) flexibility is an important life skill!
CLASS NOTES
Gala - Building Dreams
On Thursday evening, October 10th, the Boston Higashi School hosted its 5th Annual Gala “Building Dreams” at beautiful Granite Links Golf Club in Quincy. With an audience of over 300 supporters the school raised $256,000. Gala honoree, Sean O’Brien, President of Teamsters Local 25 was called to Washington on last minute business and could not attend. However, in a recorded speech, Mr. O’Brien made a commitment of $100,000 to the school and affirmed that he and the Teamsters would always be there to support the school. With David Wade leading the way, assisted by first-time student Emcee George Sierra, the night was filled with lots of laughter and compelling stories. Executive Director Mike Kelly and Principal Deb Donovan mesmerized the crowd, sharing insights and invaluable viewpoints on the subject of autism. David Wade once again ended the evening with a fun filled live auction raising much needed funds for the school. Thanks to everyone who attended, volunteered and donated!
Salute to Our Good Friend - David Wade On April 20, 2015 WBZ-TV News Anchor David Wade ran the 119th Boston Marathon on behalf of Autism Speaks and in honor of his nephew Jacob who has autism. Marilou Wilkinson suggested we invite David to our first-ever Higahi Gala. A quick note to David and before you know it, we have our Gala Emcee; he has been with us ever since, just completing his 5th Gala. Over a five year period David has become an invaluable friend and partner to our school, our families and the greater Higashi and Autism Community. He brings an unparalleled sense of duty, compassion and humor to each event. David has become familiar with our audience and knows many attendees by their first names. David has already committed to be with us for our 6th Gala. In between Gala’s, David can be called upon for additional help. David traveled with his crew to the school on the night of March 30, 2015 to interview Dr. John Maina and his son Joe Mark for a piece to be aired on the nightly news. David was also instrumental in sending a crew to our school to cover last April’s visit by New England Patriot Duron Harmon. Few people know this, but on the evening of our Annual Gala, David completes the 6 p.m. news, jumps in his car, drives from Brighton to Quincy and is never late for his 7:25 introduction. Thank you David for all you do!
A p th o
At Higashi we are a family. That family not only includes our students, parents, and staff but also extends to our many partners from around the world. As with all family members, we welcome our guests with open arms into our home. Any and all are always welcome to visit us!
Otome & Yuko
Mr. Daniel Tani former astronaut Director of US-Japanese Foundation
Our Family
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Last year, Mr. Daniel Tani and the US-Japanese Foundation agreed to a $10,000 scholarship for two Japanese students from our sister school, the Musashino Higashi Gakuen High School, to intern at the Boston Higashi School for one month. This year we had the pleasure to host two wonderful students from Dr. Kristy Johnson from MIT Media Lab Japan. This year Mr. Tani had the opportunity to meet the students here at Boston Higashi but also had a reunion with them in Japan at the Musashino Higashi Gakuen High School. That’s where he learned about their trip and how it had made a difference in their lives. Otome wants to explore cultural differences while Yuko has expressed a desire to become a teacher. Thank you retired Iron Workers, Jim Lawler & friends
Universal Language of Music
Once again we had the Berklee Jazz Band come and play for our students. As can be expected, the music was infectious and had Higashi students bouncing around in the audience! It’s clear that jazz music really speaks to our student body, even the Higashi Jazz Band members themselves couldn’t keep themselves from dancing while playing! We know our students look forward to this event each year and we couldn’t be more thankful to the Berklee Jazz Band for their time and music. We’re always dancing and smiling when we get the chance to hear some incredible Jazz.
Sensory Motor Room New Renovation
Our new sensory motor room is designed to provide sensory experiences that promote self-regulation and learning opportunities for our Elementary Division. The students engage in age-appropriate play and sensory-motor activities in a nurturing environment that facilitates self-organization, self-regulation, and sensory awareness to prepare them for classroom readiness. Generous grants from the Boston Bruins Foundation and Autism Speaks Inc. helped to make the motor room a reality. This is the fourth consecutive year the Boston Bruins Foundation has issued a grant to support programs at the school and the first-ever grant from Autism Speaks Inc. We are incredibly grateful for their support!
BEFORE AFTER
Evan Henry Nature Trail Mathew McAllister, a teenager trying to choose an organization to help for his Eagle Scout Project, didn’t need to search far. Having been through the Luy Day Care at a young age and having two parents on staff, it was an easy choice to make; Boston Higashi School. To earn the highest achievement as a Boy Scout, Mathew was tasked with completing an extensive service project where he had to plan, organize, lead and manage the whole process. Mathew chose to update the Evan Henry Nature Trail. His project included creating new paths, cutting open entrances, updating the trail sign, and re-grading steep parts of the path. After months of planning, raising money and donations it took Mathew and Brockton Boy Scout Troop 17 and volunteers two weekends of 200 work hours. Donations came in from TL Edwards INC, WELLS Landscaping and ATL Construction Inc. The trails are now open and ready to be used by Higashi students!
Our first major event of the school year was full of energy, enthusiasm and excitement! The morning started off a bit chilly but as soon as we got our games going, everyone started to heat up. Sports Day 2019 was one of our most attended events in recent history. For many families it was their first time running the games with their children, but that didn’t matter because our students were pros at their activities for the big day! Sports Day is always an incredibly fun way to invite parents and families to come join in on the fun of Higashi that our student’s experience daily. We may have tallied scores for a winning team but with how much fun we all had, we think everyone came out winning!
SPORTS DAY Our Emergence Program has shown us time and time again that they can adapt to anything and still have smiles on their faces! Each year for Sports Day, the EP Division hosts a golf tournament. Last year they were rained out and had to change the event to be held entirely indoors, while this year they found a new golf course to host our students. It may have been different, but the results remained the same. Fun was had by all and memories were created! Our EP division is very competitive in nature but at the end of the day we are reminded of true sportsmanship from our students. No matter the winning team or player, our students are the first ones to show support for each other. It’s always a reminder that our staff are learning just as much from our students as they are from us.
Where were you on the night of October 30th? Wherever you were, we know you could feel the excitement as our students put on their favorite costumes and danced the night away. This night is extra special as we all get to put on new outfits and explore new personalities! We saw a lot of super heroes and mythical creatures this year, but sometimes it’s nice to simply pretend to be an everyday working citizen, or food, because who doesn’t like being food? Whatever the costume, it was clear that the night had a special feel to it for all students, staff and alumni that showed up for a great time!
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PARTY TIME At Higashi we can’t just celebrate someting once, where would the fun in that be? So naturally we had another costume party on October 31st, this time involving all day students as well. Staff decided to spice up the party by bringing back some of our student’s favorite games from Sports Day but this time it was harder since they all had costumes on! After some fun showing off costumes in the gym, students went through our fan favorite: Higashi Haunted Hallway. Getting a couple spooks and mostly laughter, younger students were lead to classrooms where the older students were handing out candy. If there is one thing we are good at here at Higashi, it is having fun!
Each new school year we try to kick off the season by inviting parents to the school to meet all the staff that will be working with their students. Typically we host two Parent Nights, one with day side staff and one with residential staff. This year we decided to change it up and have one evening for parents to meet both residential and day teachers and staff. Parents of residential students began the evening by going to their child’s division and learning all about their daily routines and expectations. Then it was time to meet the day teachers where parents got an inside look at the academic plans for the year!
Parent Night
Parent Association
This school year is off to a super start. This year’s theme is TRUST, and we certainly do put a lot of trust in the Higashi staff. Back to School Parents Night on September 25th was an excellent opportunity to meet the staff and learn about how they care for our children each day. The Parent Association provided a snack and pizza to all staff that night. A small gesture to say thank you for all the work they do each and every day for our kids. Sports Day, was fantastic, with near perfect weather! We had a very successful sales. We sold baseball tees, totes, water bottles, donuts and lunches. Thank you to all who supported us. Halloween at Higashi is always full of tricks and treats. The festivities at the school were full of surprises and fun. Once again the Parent Association provided the prizes for best costumes and posters winners and also the candy for trick-or-treating throughout the school. We have begun planning for the annual winter staff appreciation raffle. Be on the lookout for information on how you can
participate. This year we would love to see 100% parent participation! We are also gearing up for a winter sale - please stop by the Parent Association table at Winter Music Festival on Friday, December 20th. We will have Higashi sweatshirts, mugs, blankets and ornaments just in time for you to purchase gifts for people on your holiday list. We hope to see you at our upcoming Open Parent Association Meeting on Saturday, December 7th @ 10:00am. You can bring your child to Sibling Day and then join us at our meeting (Please note this is for siblings ONLY). It is a great opportunity to connect with other families. On behalf of the Parent Association, I would like to thank everyone for your support throughout the year. Your support makes it all possible! If you ever have any comments, suggestions, or questions do not hesitate to contact me at jillgichuhi@ gmail.com. I love hearing from you. Jill Gichuhi President, BHS Parent Association
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For the first time ever at Boston Higashi School, we hosted our very own Fall Fashion Show! Clothes were donated by UNIQLO giving us the opportunity to put our residential students in the spotlight. Students from Residential Divisions, High School B & Emergence Girls were able to strut their stuff and show off their unique personalities. Each student had outfits designed specifically for them. It was an incredible evening as parents came and watched their children have a once in a lifetime opportunity to be a model on the runway! The energy in the room was off the charts! With how succesful this fashion show went, UNIQLO has agreed to sponsor a larger event in March where more students can experience the thrill of the fashion world!
FASHION SHOW
BOSTON HIGASHI SCHOOL 800 North Main Street Randolph, MA 02368 (781) 961-0800 www.bostonhigashi.org
UPCOMING EVENTS DEC 11 DEC 20 DEC 21 to JAN 1
WINTER DANCE / PARTY (R) Girls/MS Party 6:00-7:30 (D/R) HS/EP Dance 6:30-7:30
WINTER MUSIC FESTIVAL
DEC 7 ǀ Sibling Day (siblings only) 9:30am - 12pm Parents Assoc. Meeting 10am - 12pm DEC 13 ǀ Open House / Guided Tour 9:30am - 12pm
10am - 12pm Higashi Gym
WINTER BREAK Vacation Program Dec 23, 27, 30 - Jan 1
JAN 2 ǀ 217 Program Reopens - Parent Collaboration Meeting Breakfast 8:30am - 9:45am Opening Ceremony 10am Meeting 10:30am - 12pm
JAN 29 ǀ Parents Training 6:30pm - 8pm
For latest news and events visit our website at www.bostonhigashi.org