Arc Email: Please be checking your ne-arc email regularly. We recommend that you download the Outlook app on your smartphone.
Zoom Phone: Please make sure you are utilizing your Zoom phone associated with your Northeast Arc account. If you do not have a Zoom phone, please reach out to the Staffing Coordinator.
Progress Notes: All Progress Notes are due in Netsmart by Monday at 9:00 am. Remember to e-sign your progress notes. If you are unable to submit your progress notes on time, please notify the Staffing Coordinator immediately.
With the Holidays approaching, some of you may have plans to see friends and family. This is likely the case for our clients as well. If you happen to miss any sessions this week, that is okay. The hours can be made up at a later date as the hours are banked until the end of the fiscal year. I am working on calculating all client hours to see who is over or under. I will be sending everyone an update on your client hours to ensure we aren’t going over.
I will be in the office next week on Monday, December 23, to complete payroll. Please make sure your progress notes and any timecard requests are in before 9:00 am on Monday. Late punch requests may not be put in until I return to the office on Friday, December 27.
I will be out of the office next week from Tuesday, December 24 to Thursday, December 26. If you are seeing your clients during this time and have a question, please email GPS@ne-arc.org, and I will respond as soon as I am available.
Thank you all to the work that you do for your clients, their families, and the GPS program. Happy Holidays!
Matthew Ataya Staffing Coordinator
978-924-5845
mataya@ne-arc.org
WELCOMETO THETEAM! Community Support Coach Nikki Lewis
Please join me in welcoming our new staff to the GPS Team! Nikki Lewis will be a Community Support Coach for our Agency with Choice program. We’re excited to have them on board and look forward to the valuable contributions she will bring to our team!
GPSSupervisors
YourPoint ofContact
As a valued member of our team, we want to make sure you have the best support in your role.
It’s important to know who your supervisor is. Your supervisor will be your main point of contact.
Kailey Taggart is the Project Manager for the GPS program. She oversees our Social Group and A Weekend to Remember Respite program. If you work in either of these programs, Kailey will be your supervisor.
Matthew Ataya is the Staffing Coordinator for the GPS program. He is the supervisor for our Community Support Coaches, Autism Coaches, and College Navigators.
Andrew Hartigan is the Program Coordinator for the GPS program. He communicates with the clients and families that we support. If you are unable to reach Matthew, Andrew will be your second point of contact.
Kristy Aparo is the Program Director for the GPS program. She oversees the general operations of all of our programs. You can reach out to Kristy if you have any questions about filing a DPPC or Mandated Reporting.
Important Links
HOWTO PUNCHIN& PUNCHOUT
ACCESS YOUR ZOOM PHONE
Once the Zoom app is opened, click the Phone button, then click the keypad button.
CALLING KRONOS
In order to punch in, you need to call the time and attendance line. The number is 978-226-4865.
You will be asked to enter your employee ID, then press #.
This will punch you in.
To punch out, repeat this process.
REMEMBER YOUR PUNCH IN/OUT TIME
It is important to remember what time you punched in and out.
The start and end time on your progress note should match your punch in and out time.
When you arrive for your scheduled shift, you need to punch in. To punch in, open the Zoom app on your mobile device.
The Importance of Knowing
Human Rights
Understanding your human rights is important. They ensure dignity, respect, and equal opportunities for all. By being aware of your rights can create an environment that encourages independence, personal growth, and full participation in community life. If you would like to learn more about your human rights, reach out to our Human Rights Officer, Andrew Hartigan.
Your Human Rights include:
Dignity: To be treated with respect, including respect for ethnic and cultural diversity.
Have Questions or Concerns?
Please contact our Human Rights Officer:
Andrew Hartigan Program Coordinator
Guided Personal Supports (GPS) (978) 924 - 5872
ahartigan@ne-arc.org
Self-determination: To make meaningful choices and informed decisions about your life, including taking reasonable risks.
Communication: To communicate with others and fully express yourself, with access to necessary assistance and devices.
Relationships: To visit others, receive visitors, and have friendships and intimate relationships.
Privacy: In personal care, communication, visits, your home, and personal information.
Personal Safety: To feel safe and be free from harm or abuse.
Personal Property: To obtain, keep, use, and dispose of personal possessions.
Education, Employment, and Compensation: To have equal access to education and employment opportunities, and fair compensation for work.
Community Membership: To receive services that promote living in the least restrictive and most typical settings, encouraging meaningful community membership.
Northeast Arc’s Community Resource Center connects individuals and families with valuable resources and events in their local communities. By providing access to these resources, the Community Resource Center empowers families and individuals to actively participate in community life, creating a sense of belonging and inclusion.
Merrie Rothstein mrothstein@ne-arc.org
Christopher Marchese cmarchese@ne-arc.org
Eva Mostoufi emostoufi@ne-arc.org Holly Keane hkeane@ne-arc.org
Social Group
A Weekend To Remember: Respite Program
Join Northeast Arc for an opportunity to unwind, recharge, and discover your potential! We are excited to announce a first-of-its-kind respite program for young adults with disabilities looking to gain independent living skills. Each weekend retreat will provide a wide range of hands-on learning activities as well as unique outings in the community. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet other peers in the community during this shared living experience.
INDEPENDENT LIVING SKILLS
The retreat offers a relaxing respite opportunity for attendees while giving caregivers time to themselves.
Complete with activities such as cooking classes, budgeting workshops, safety seminars, and everything in between!
Young adults will learn valuable social skills while making new friends in a supportive and inclusive environment.
Session 3: January 2nd - February 22nd NortheastArc’sRecreationprogramgivesourclientstheopportunitytoengagewith peers and find events they will enjoy. Although you cannot attend recreation with your clients, this is a great resource to show them and to work on signing up for eventsduringyoursessions. For more info and registration, visit https://tinyurl.com/nearc-rec
Please Note: Prior to attending any recreation activities, registration and an intake is required.
Please Note: Prior to attending any recreation activities, registration and an intake is required.
Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder
Do the winter months get you down more than you think they should? Explore the signs and symptoms of seasonal affective disorder, when it’s time to see a doctor, and what treatment options are available. Discuss practical ways to manage symptoms in this one-hour webinar sponsored by United Way of Central Iowa.
TUESDAY
JAN7,2025
1-2PMEST
Meet the Instructor: Jaymi Dormaier is a Licensed Master Social Worker with 10+ years of experience in the mental health field. In Jaymi's career as a social worker and therapist, she has worked with diverse populations focusing on anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, foster care, adoption, homelessness, and addiction. She is passionate about helping others live a life they love.
BLUE ENVELOPE PROGRAM
THE BLUE ENVELOPE PROGRAM IS AN EFFORT TO EASE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN INDIVIDUALS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM AND LAW ENFORCEMENT DURING MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATOR INTERACTIONS.
Streamlining Communication Encouraging Preparedness
The Blue Envelope is more than just an envelope; it's a symbol of our commitment to inclusivity and understanding. It represents a step forward in ensuring that every driver, regardless of their neurological differences, can experience a sense of safety and respect on the road.
Through this program, we aim to build bridges between law enforcement and the autism community, fostering a culture of awareness and compassion that benefits everyone involved.
For more information, visit: www.mass.gov/info-details/blue-envelope-program
For more information about this recipe, visit https://www myplate gov/recipes/deep-dish-apple-cranberry-pie
For more information about this recipe, visit https://www myplate gov/recipes/berry-bread-pudding
Holiday Light Shows
Buy Ticket
Located in Methuen, MA, at Mann Orchards Riverside Farm location guests can see over 1 mile of roadway that has been transformed into a glittering display of over 1 million LED lights featuring the longest tunnel of lights in New England.
To book:
Select a weekday, weekend, or holiday. (Friday is a weekend day, and December 24 and 25 are holidays.)
Select a car type. (Van is only for limos/school busses or anything larger than an 8 passenger.)
Select a date and time.
Tickets are PER VEHICLE, not per person.
Harry Potter™: The Exhibition
Celebrate the film-making magic at Harry Potter™: The Exhibition in Boston! 09/13/2024 – 01/05/2025
A space to build a support system, and a sense of chosen family, with your community.
Our community gatherings are peer-led support groups that are non-clinical and led by a collective of individuals with lived experience in the group's topic or community. Each community gathering is unique to the population it serves and is created in a peer-led collaborative group process There is no pressure to share to attend We welcome anyone, anywhere that is 18+.
For more information, visit https://peersupportspace. org/communitygatherings-1 Daily Communal Gatherings
Peer support
You are not alone! Come join us for a peer led support group.
Every Tuesday and Wednesday from 2 pm to 3 pm
Scan the QR code or Click here to join
GRATEFUL ASPECTS
young adults peer support group
Mondays 3pm-4pm on Zoom
Scan the QR code
Registration is require. Scan theQRcode toget startedtoday!
Connecting YOU(th) is a monthly get-together for teens and young adults with disabilities. Every second Tuesday of the month, we have a topic for discussion, and we’re always changing and growing in response to what participants want to happen next.
HOLIDAY ASSISTANCE: NORTH SHORE
CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH - PEABODY, MA
4 Coolidge Road, Peabody: A sit-down meal will be served on Christmas Day. Doors are open at 4 p.m. with dinner served at 5:30 p.m.
MY BROTHER’S TABLE
- LYNN, MA
98 Willows Street, Lynn: To-go meals will be offered to families from 2 to 6 p.m. on Christmas Day. Up to five extra meals will be available to take to neighbors, friends or others who are unable to pick them up for themselves.
LIVING FAITH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH - BEVERLY, MA
2 Dame Street, Beverly: A sit-down meal will be served for evening supper on Christmas Day at 6 p.m.
LIFEBRIDGE - SALEM, MA
56 Margin Street, Salem: Meals will be served at the Salem location on Christmas Day for those with reservations. Reservations must be made by Sunday by dropping by the day center or by calling 978-744-0500. There will be no to-go offerings this year.
Those looking for food to prepare in their homes are encouraged to call their local food pantry on the North Shore.
NEIGHBORS IN NEED - LAWRENCE, MA
276 Essex Street, Lawrence, MA 01841 (978) 685-8321. Must be a client of the food pantry or referred by a caseworker from a local social service agency. Food pantry may provide holiday meals and Christmas/Thanksgiving baskets to those in need. If you are a client and would like to sign up for your holiday meal, please check with Neighbors in Need by calling 978-685-8321 for sign up dates. Pick up will be at the pantry where you usually get your food.
OUR NEIGHBOR’S TABLE - AMESBURY, MA
145 Main Street, Amesbury, MA (978) 388-1907
Free food is for both Thanksgiving and Christmas to families that would otherwise go without. Their holiday programs offer a variety of groceries to help families prepare a delicious holiday meal in their own home for Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
