WE LOVE OUR PEERS!!

 Anyone who knows me knows exactly how I feel about my wonderful peers. For those of you who aren't familiar with our peer program, here's a quick rundown:

The peer facilitators were selected from a group of applicants at the end of last school year. 6th and 8th grade peers work with our students on a variety of academic and functional skills. Peer facilitators are integrated into the daily routine and provide support and modeling of appropriate social, behavioral and communication skills. They take initiative with classroom projects, data collection and technology integration. Our peers have been an incredible addition to our program; they have formed meaningful relationships with our students and consistently show a level of maturity beyond their years.

Our peers have been such a gift to our program- I really don't have the words to explain just how impressed I've been by these young people. Every day, regardless of their mood or what's going on in their lives, these kids come to our room and give 110% to my students. To thank them for their contribution, our two lifeskills classes threw a brunch in their honor.

 Here are some of the kids at the buffet line. The food was prepared by our students- they worked so hard to put together this brunch!

 The kids set the table beautifully! They have been working on special holiday placemats this week and were proud to display them at the tables.

 Here's my wonderful cohort, Mrs. M., putting one of my kiddos to work at the pancake station!

 Here's a picture of our Director of Student Services/Special Services, Mr. B. enjoying some eggs with one of my students. We were so happy he could join our celebration!

 Love this group shot! Have I mentioned how amazing my peers are??

 Our awesome school counselors came to honor our peers as well. They were so helpful in getting our peers scheduled! Here's our 7th grade counselor, Mr. M. chatting with one of my kids.

 We even squeezed in a minute to take a picture of my INCREDIBLE instructional assistants and me. Special thanks to Officer S. for being patient and taking about fifty pictures until we were all happy with the shot! As always, thank you to Ms. J. and our newest addition, Mrs. P., for their hard work in pulling off this event.

 As a thank you to our peers, my students made beautiful ornaments from pipe cleaners and beads. One of our rockstar 6th grade peers (pictured below with our assistant principal, Mr. H.) helped us figure out the best way to assemble the ornaments.

 Here's one of my favorite shots from the day. One of my students grabbed his favorite peer for a sweet photo. We have been so lucky to have this wonderful girl as a peer for the past two years.

 Here's one of my students with another fabulous peer facilitating veteran. This awesome girl has been a ray of sunshine in our room!

 Love these kids!

What a great way to wrap up such a memorable semester! We've learned like crazy and made amazing friendships that we hope will last beyond the classroom. Kudos to our 1st semester peers- these kids have such bright futures, and we will always be grateful for the impact they've made on our program. 

We're off on Winter Break for the next few weeks and will be back with new adventures in 2014. 

Happy Holidays to all!