Paving the way to Adulthood

Community Transitions
18-21 Program

2008 Ready Guide

Bellingham School District

Class Information |Services½Calendar½Eligibility| Admission | Curriculum | Contact Teacher

Welcome to Community Transitions web page

Community Transitions is a special education program within the Bellingham School District that helps prepare young adults up through the year in which they turn 21years of age for a new beginning. As students leave high school, they often encounter a set of adult challenges requiring new responses. This is an additional program for students and families to help with a successful transition to independent living and community work settings. The program provides support for students as they leave the traditional school setting and transition to a place with new structures and expectations, like a community or technical college, an independent living situation, a work training experience, or paid work experience.

The staff, parents, and adult students work as a team to create and nurture partnerships with adult services, college staff, and businesses in the local community to identify the best place to maximize each individual student's potential for success

Class Information

· Schedule 2008/2009

Monday	10:00-11:30 Relationships 12:45-2:15   Self-Determination
Tuesday	10:00-11:30 Math/Reading 12:45-2:15   Real World
Wednesday	10:00-11:30 Job Club 12:45-2:15   Relationships
Thursday	10:00-11:30 Self-Determination          12:45-2:15   Math/Reading
Friday	10:00-11:30 Independent Living Skills 12:45-2:15   Job Skills

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Eligibility

To be eligible, a student must:

• No longer be in a traditional high school setting or be transitioning from a high school
• Be 18 to 21 years of age and not have received a diploma
• Be able to be enrolled in the Bellingham School District
• Be supported by an Individual Education Program (IEP) and still need Specially Designed Instruction
• Be recommended to participate by the IEP Team
  

Services

The Community Transitions program provides services which include:

• Academic Support:
  

Coordination of Running Start programs
Coordination of community academic programs

Individualized/small group academic support

• Employment Support:
  

Job coaching
Job developing

Job training

• Counseling Support

Self-advocacy and self-determination skills

Coordination of community services

Vocational counseling

Vocational assessment

Support in independent living

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Calendar 2008-2009

Please refer to the Bellingham School District calendar.

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Admission Steps

• Community Transitions staff meets and discusses the student's placement in the program with high school staff  
• Staff meets with the student and family about the program and conducts interview  
• After student decides to enter the program, staff collects referral information
• Family, student, and staff develop an individual Transition Plan that suits the student's needs  
• Staff reviews student's roles and responsibilities and establishes a regular reporting schedule  
• Student begins program

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Curriculum

• Learning Lab
• Self-Determination
• Math and Reading in the Community
• Job Skills/Job Club
• Relationships
• Independent Living Skills (ILS)
• Real World

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Contact Teacher/Counselor

• E-mail Teacher: kneubaue@bham.wednet.edu
• E-mail Counselor: thayes@bham.wednet.edu
• Phone: 676-6470 Ext: 5180/5178
• Phone messages are checked through out the day. If the message is urgent, please contact the District Office at 676-6400

Copyright Notice: No materials on any of the Bellingham Schools WWW pages may be copied
without express written permission, or unless permission is clearly stated on the page

Image Credit: Microsoft Clip Art Gallery