Bluebee Pal Project and Morris-Union Jointure Commission School
I am assistant superintendent of schools for the Morris-Union Jointure Commission (MUJC), which is a regional collaborative public school comprised of 29 member school districts in the state of New Jersey. The MUJC provides special education services to students with autism ages 3 – 21 through its Developmental Learning Center (DLC) schools and outreach services. Our DLCs are publicly recognized in the state of New Jersey 
as state-of-the-art schools for students with autism. As you know, technology provides students with autism the ability to communicate more effectively and learn a number of educational skills that are difficult to teach through mainstream teaching material.
Our students may frequently display aggressive behaviors due to the simple fact that they do not have the ability to express themselves verbally. Our oldest school, the DLC – New Providence, is being refurbished and redesigned as a school for elementary age students beginning in September 2017. I have seen the effect technology has had on our students’ learning. For our restyled DLC – New Providence, I want to employ the most current and effective technology throughout the building. One way to do this is to have a media center. I envision the media center to have state-of-the-art technology to engage young students. You can only imagine how happy I was to come across Bluebee Pals. I can see where our young children will become engaged, attached and increase their social interaction through a “friendship” with Bluebee Pals.
I would invite neighboring district general education students to demonstrate and teach our students how to interact with a Bluebee Pal. The ways to increase socialization, communication, and appropriate behaviors through using Bluebee Pals as a teaching tool appears endless. Our related service providers including speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavior specialists and adaptive physical therapists will all employ Bluebee Pals in their instruction to our young students.
I would like to propose that Bluebee Pals become part of our school’s new media center. I am respectfully requesting that you consider donating Bluebee Pals for the DLC – New Providence so that our students, their families, our staff and the community, as well as children in all of the neighboring school districts, may learn from and benefit by this very special innovative teaching tool. The media center will be enjoyed daily by the students, parents, and staff at our school. We envision the media center addressing the communication and learning challenges faced by our students to be instrumental in our students’ educational school day.
Integration of Bluebee Pals as a Learning Tool
Students at the Developmental Learning Centers have become fast friends with Riley the Zebra, Sammy the Bear, and Leo the Lion. These are names of a few of the Bluebee Pals that were generously donated to the Morris-Union Jointure Commission Developmental Learning Centers by Kayle Concepts. These interactive Bluetooth enabled plush animals are used by teachers and therapists to develop and enhance students’ abilities to play, communicate, attend, and interact with others. Through use of an ipad, students listen and watch their favorite animal sing a song, read a book, or interact using a variety of other educational apps. 
Therapists have incorporated the use of Bluebee Pals during individual and integrated therapy sessions and teachers are using the adorable plush animals during morning and afternoon circle time. The generous donation will allow the Developmental Learning Centers to incorporate their plush animal friends into the new media center that will be open for the 2017-2018 at the Developmental Learning Center in New Providence.
Denise Smallacomb
Assistant Superintendent
Morris-Union Jointure Commission
340 Central Ave
New Providence, NJ 0797