BLUEBEE PAL PROJECT:RIVERSIDE MIDDLE SCHOOL,GRAND RAPIDS ,MI
https://bluebeepals.com/bluebee-pals-project-participants/
My name is Staci Bull I am a self-contained ASD teacher Riverside Middle School. Riverside is part of the Grand Rapids Public Schools in Grand Rapids, MI. We are an inner city school that teaches underprivileged students. I just found out about your bluebee pals this morning. Our speech path won one at a conference and she tried it out with my students. Today was the first day that the students were engaged the entire speech time and they answered all of their questions and completed all of the activities cooperatively. It is amazing what a talking stuffed animal can do for students with a disability! I saw that your organization partners with some nonprofit organizations. What does it take to become part of the bluebee pal project? After seeing how it motivated my students this morning I am very interested in finding out more.
I have a B.S. in psychology and a minor in sociology. I have a master’s degree in learning disabilities and another master’s degree in psychology. Grand Rapids Public Schools (GRPS) is Michigan’s fifth largest public school district and the third largest employer in the City of Grand Rapids, serving nearly 17,000 students with 2,700 employees, including 1,400 dedicated teachers. The student population represents 55 countries with 54 different languages spoken, creating a value-added educational experience and benefit that is above and beyond a basic education. Our special education mission is to meet the unique needs of students with individualized education programs (IEPs) by providing instruction and training to enable them to meet the district’s rigorous Academic Plan.
For our building we could use four-six Bluebee Pals. We have a couple of classrooms that are self-contained ASD classrooms that have very low functioning students.Our students got to experience a Bluebee Pal for the first time this week and their eyes just lit up! It is amazing how motivating a talking stuffed animal is. We had students doing academic tasks independently for the first time and students were on task for longer periods of time. All of the students loved the Bluebee Pal!
Thanks again!.. Here are a couple of photos. The kids absolutely love the Bluebee Pals!!! Thank you again for the very generous donation to our classroom. I will be sending you more pictures and hopefully a video next week.**Staci Bull M.Ed-ASD Teacher-Riverside Middle School,Grand Rapids, MI
