News

Parent Appreciation Day

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We can never do enough to thank our parents, grandparents and guardians but we do designate a special day to honor them and all they do for their students and to support Monarch. On April 18th we had a terrific morning thanking our parents for all they do!

Our Starbucks’ Partners volunteered their time and delicious coffee and tea to serve our parents.

World Renowned Youth Advocates Come to Monarch

In April, The Monarch Community hosted two passionate youth advocates in honor of Autism Acceptance Month. Howard Bath and Larry Brendtro toured the Monarch campus, learned about the Monarch programs and shared their insights with our community during two sessions.

The first session was in collaboration with the Challenger Voyager students, exploring the connections between the Circles of Courage model for reclaiming youth, and our own work on relationship development.

The second session invited parents and professionals from the Special Schools Coalition to hear from these two experts as they shared their insight with regard to how children with neurological differences are being served and supported, and the pressing needs and challenges that are arising with the worldwide proliferation of individuals with neurological differences.

Howard Bath, PhD, is the Children’s Commissioner in Australia’s Northern Territory where he advocates for the well-being of vulnerable children and families, a majority of whom are Indigenous Australians. Howard is a registered psychologist with broad experience in direct service roles and as executive of a children’s agency and founder of a national training institute. He has particular interest in children and youth with Asperger’s and related diagnoses who are experiencing conflict in family, school, peer group, community, and the justice system. He links neuroscience to strength based practice in training caregivers, educators, therapists, and other youth serving professionals throughout Australia and abroad. He is also published in areas of family resilience, residential treatment, and behaviour management for special populations, particularly children who have experienced neurological challenges and relational trauma. Dr. Bath is a senior trainer in the Circle of Courage model of reclaiming youth and in Starr Commonwealth’s Montcalm School program for students on the Autism spectrum.

Larry K. Brendtro, PhD, is former president of Starr Commonwealth which provides a full spectrum of treatment, education, and community based services at multiple campuses from headquarters in Albion, Michigan. He is currently dean of the Starr Global Learning Network which operates training institutes applying the Circle of Courage resilience model in addressing the full range of challenges facing children, youth, and families with special needs. He has been a licensed psychologist for four decades and draws on a wide range of direct experience as a youth worker, educator, and clinician. He taught on the faculties of the University of Illinois, The Ohio State University, and Augustana College. Dr. Brendtro is founding editor of the journal Reclaiming Children and Youth and has co-authored a dozen books and 200 articles advancing evidence based practices that respect and empower youth as full partners in their own growth and development. He and Starr’s current president, Martin Mitchell, are co-authors of Deep Brain Learning which is a blueprint for designing environments where all young people can flourish.

The Monarch School’s Earth Day Festival

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The Monarch School hosted its first Earth Day Festival on April 22, 2013. Activities included the reading of the City of Houston’s Earth Day proclamation recognizing The Monarch School for its green initiatives. After the reading of the proclamation special guests took an outside walking mini-tour of the campus. Tour guides Ian and Alex shared environmental information about the Chrysalis building and the “Green Points” that are needed to make a building LEED certified.

The tour included a look at the progress of the Butterfly Building, Monarch Center and the Living Building Challenge studio classroom. The guests also enjoyed puppet theatre and music and dance courtesy TUTS and Da Camera. Guests also received an update on all of Monarch’s green initiatives. This included the status of geothermal, wind turbine, and solar power initiatives for our Green Living Building Challenge Studio. Guests viewed the Galveston Bay Foundation partnership marsh grass replanting project. Earth Day tour volunteers Jack and Scott served tea from the environmentally friendly, all recycled wooden tea cart.

Special guests included Council Member Helena Brown (Houston City Council District A), Lisa Lin (LEED AP BD+C, Sustainability Manager, Office of the Mayor), Elaine Roberts,(Mayor's Office of People with Disabilities), Shelly Pottorf, AIA, LEED AP BD+C and Principal of Architend, Mark Robinson, Founding Partner, Energy & Sustainability for Momentum Bay Associates, LP, a team from Project Learning Tree, a team from Environmental Resources Management (ERM) Central Bank volunteers and Starbucks’ Partners.

In addition, The Monarch School-Houston, Monarch Guatemala, and Monarch Therapy School Mexico City joined together for “Power Down for 1 hour”, from 11:30pm to 12:30pm. All three schools participated by shutting off as much of power as possible, including lights and air conditioning. Students and faculty were asked to avoid using the microwaves, ovens, and to shut down their computers wherever possible.

LINKS:
Butterfly Building
Monarch Center
Living Building Challenge

Circle Drive Landscaping Collaborative

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After four years of planning, we finally have landscaped the circle drive in front of the Chrysalis building! Thanks to our community partners, Starbucks District 199 and Central Bank, and our newly formed Monarch Young Professional Organization (MYPO), we were able to accomplish this great beautification project.

Central Bank generously donated half of the cost of plants and materials. Starbucks' volunteer hours were matched by company dollars, so the whole project was covered by generous donations. Starbucks’ Partners dug the huge holes and planted the trees. MYPO prepared the soil for additional plantings, and the project will be completed on May 4th by Central Bank volunteers.

In acknowledgement of the project, Central Bank is purchasing a plaque with the collaborating groups named. It will be displayed in the circle drive.

In addition, Monarch Young Professional Organization joined with the Voyagers to work on landscaping and shed construction at the Monarch homes.

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Be on the lookout for even more butterflies on campus thanks to the wonderful work by these volunteer groups!

The Monarch School's Chrysalis Building Earns EPA’s ENERGY STAR®  Certification for Superior Energy Efficiency for Third Consecutive Year 

For the third consecutive year, The Monarch School's Chrysalis Building, has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) ENERGY STAR certification, which signifies that the building performs in the top 25 percent of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

"The Monarch School is pleased to accept EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification in recognition of our energy efficiency efforts,” said Dr. Debrah Hall, Head of School and Institute. "Through this achievement, we have demonstrated our commitment to environmental stewardship while also lowering our energy costs.”

 

Dear Monarch Community and Supporters:

We have leaped over another major Capital Campaign hurdle! On behalf of the entire community at The Monarch Institute for Neurological Differences, we are so grateful to all of you for your incredible response to our last update on our Capital Campaign.

We are thrilled to announce we have just successfully completed the fundraising needed to meet the match requirements to receive the $750,000 challenge grant from The J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation.

This is an exciting milestone and we are so grateful. This is one of the largest grants they have given to a school of our type and size.

At this time, we are at an extremely critical point in the campaign. We need to raise approximately $1,500,000 to finish and cash gifts made this year will be especially helpful. If you have made a multi-year pledge and are able to pay it off sooner, please contact Jenny Ferguson, Capital Campaign Assistant. Again, we are so grateful for the support of our generous parents and incredible Houston community.

As we drive by the buildings, we remain in awe of what our community has accomplished with so much support from Houston and beyond. We are humbled by those who have joined with us on this journey to build the Monarch Institute for Neurological Differences, a dream for so many that we know will reach out and serve Houston and other communities through our successful model.

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Click here to make your commitment now! Please consider joining those of us who have already made a commitment to this campaign. We need the collective support from our community to cross the finish line. You may make a cash or credit card donation now or you may make a pledge of a gift to be completed over the next three years. Every donation of any size will help us finish the campaign! Many thanks to you all who have supported us in the past, and to those who are still considering a gift, thank you for your kind consideration.

Most sincerely,

Marty F. Webb, Founder, Executive Emerita
David G. Matthiesen, President, Board of Directors

Students brought things to school to help dogs and cats that don’t have homes or things like beds. For example, I brought a bed to keep them warm so they can sleep well and a leash so their new owners can walk them. We also donated dog houses, pet food so the animals can be healthy and blankets so they won’t be cold because right now it is winter.

Mr. Christopher, our program director, took all of our donations to Corridor Rescue so now they have all of the things we collected for them. The people at Corridor Rescue were very thankful for all of our donations. If you would like to learn more about the mission of Corridor Rescue, please visit their website at http://corridorrescue.org/

Max

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Monarch students from the Life Academy brought some holiday cheer in the form of a Poinsettias donation for residents of The Hamptons at Spring Shadows. Students delivered 14 plants to the Hampton Memory Care Unit and an additional 40 plants to the Assisted Living Care facility. Thanks to Ms. Joey Christopher for her gift that benefited so many.

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On January 19th, The Monarch School participated in Houston’s first Mini-Maker Faire. Our students gathered at Stafford Center with 130 other Makers from around the Houston area. We shared space with artists, scientists, green energy enthusiasts, electronics and robotics hobbyists, high school science teams, Art Car creators and more! The Monarch School students built their projects and honed skills learned through their Math/Science classes.


Evan teaching a peer how to use a hand drill.

What is a Maker Faire, you ask?

Maker Faire brings together families and individuals to celebrate the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset and showcase all kinds of incredible projects. What makes this event special is that all these interesting projects and smart, creative people belong together. Sounds like the place our students need to be, wouldn’t you agree?

The Monarch School offered two exhibits. At the Hand Tool Woodworking: Old School in the New School exhibit, student-experts taught members of the public, from ages 3 to 93, how to build try squares.

Before 3D printers, before robots, humans built objects from stone and wood. At the Mini-Maker Faire, our students showed that engaging our hands engages our mind and creating objects of beauty connects us to the wider world.

At the Geodesic Dome, Monarch students built, disassembled and reassembled a 16’ diameter, 8’ tall geodesic dome made from PVC originally created for Math Effect 2012.

“Our Trigonometry project team first made a Geodesic Dome out of rolled up newspaper and tape, to get a feel of how the project was going to be carried out. Once done with the prototype, we were ready to make the real thing,” said Griffin.


Challenger students celebrate inside the Geodesic dome

If you what to see more of the Monarch Projects, check out the student’s work at www.monarchschool.org/blog

The Simple Box Project at TX/RX

Last year, Nathaniel, Challenger student, helped design and build simple tea boxes to sell through the Life Academy. Perhaps you saw his work at last year’s Miracle Makers Morning, or read about his work on the student blog. This year, with an invitation by Mr. Waters, Nathaniel kicked his woodworking up a notch.

As well as teaching in the Math/Science classes in the Challenger Program, Mr. Waters teaches introductory woodworking classes at TX/RX Labs, a local non-profit hackerspace. For this semester’s woodworking class, Mr. Waters invited the public to build “The Simple Tea Box” with him. Who better to help facilitate the class than the student that inspired the project in the first place?

Nathaniel and Mr. Waters taught eight students the basics of woodworking, from milling lumber to assembling and finish. While Mr. Waters took over the power tool stations, Nathaniel managed the sanding and hand tool stations. How did Nathaniel do? Take a good look at Nathaniel (in the white shirt.) Take a good look at his smile. He didn’t get to build a box that day. He had to work and work hard keeping up with a super motivated teacher and seven students as a teaching assistant. He hustled and bustled and sweated through a long day in a shop he didn’t know, with people he didn’t know, with a project he helped design and make happen. Here he is, seven hours later – still smiling.


Teaching Assistant Nathaniel (in white shirt) and the basics of woodworking class at TX/RX Lab.

Later that week, Mr. Waters received some feedback from his students –

“It’s been a couple weeks now, and I was just reflecting on how much I enjoyed the class. Thanks very much to you and Nathaniel for spending the better part of a Saturday being very patient with us and imparting a great deal of knowledge,” said Glynn.

Math Effect 2012

The Geodesic dome completely assembled on the small hill on The Monarch School campus.

On Dec. 7th, the Math/Science classes held Math Effect 2012, a visual arts centered exposition on the enormous amount of work Monarch students completed this past semester in the Math/Science classes. We had community outreach, mathematical sculptures, music exhibits, CAD drawings, perspective drawings, product prototyping, stop motion animation, interactive displays, claymation and more!


Scott displays his mathematical sculpture

Catch all the action at Math Effect 2012’s digital homepage at http://www.monarchschool.org/blog/?p=4651

Eric and Max have been caring for and monitoring a Monarch chrysalis in their classroom. On 12/12/12, the butterfly emerged from his chrysalis and began spreading his wings in preparation for his new life. Monarch is a way station and our students are learning to tag migrating Monarchs.

Mr. Klein and Ms. Sharon have started teaching Challenger students how to tag Monarchs through Monarch Watch, www.monarchwatch.org and were invited by Ms. Alison and Mr. Andre to tag the new butterfly. Challenger students Meg, Lulu, and Catlin helped record the data, determine the sex of the butterfly, and attach the tag.

All students practiced their self awareness/self regulation objectives during the tagging, and Eric and Max did an excellent job of being gentle and focused to protect the butterflies from the high winds we have been experiencing on campus.

Everyone celebrated the release with smiles and hugs! The butterflies were seen flying over the construction site later in the afternoon.

Hello, this is Ryan, “teacher” at the Monarch School for Monarchs. Here, we coach and educate new Monarch caterpillars. Here is the step-by-step process of how we do it in the cold.

Step One – Find and rescue caterpillars. We find caterpillars that are freezing in the cold, and put them in our creature container, inside our building that is MUCH warmer.

Step Two – Feed the little ones. We grow and harvest milkweed leaves, put them in the container with the caterpillars, and watch them eat.

Step Three – Academics. Soon, after a while of eating, we let them mentally exercise. From Math to History, English to Science, they all can learn what they need to move on in life.

Step Four – Coaching! When we find a caterpillar stuck to a leaf, or the roof, we coach with the caterpillars by gently petting them and talking it out. After a while, they are ready to move on from Novice to Apprentice, Apprentice to Challenger, and then they are ready to move on as Voyagers.

In conclusion, we enjoy taking care of these caterpillars and know that they will be great butterflies one day. To all the butterflies out there, thank you for taking your young ones to our school. –Ryan

The Voyagers take time to reflect on what they are thankful for and what GRATITUDE means to them.

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