HOPEhouse Happenings Fall, 2015

HOPEHOUSE HAPPENINGS Another Busy School Year is

Well Underway!

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Welcome to the first edition of HOPEhouse Happenings for the 2015 – 2016 school year! The students and staff of HOPEhouse at Cotting School put this newsletter together in order to keep people up to date with everything that we do here! We hope that you will enjoy reading all about what we have been up to so far this year!

HOPEhouse opened for its third school year this September. Riley and Max are both returning

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students and Jenel has moved in for her first year at HOPEhouse. Students are busy working, going to college, planning their meals, going on rec & leisure outings, and hosting parties for family and friends!

It’s hard to believe it’s already December! The winter is sure to be just as busy as the fall; look for another edition of HOPEhouse Happenings after the holidays to read all about it!

Fall, 2015 Inside:

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Riley writes about the work he is doing in the community this year.

Max talks about an addition to the schedule: Friday Brunch.

Read the spooky details of the HOPEhouse Halloween Party.

Here’s what’s Happening at HOPEhouse at Cotting School!

Max, Riley, and Jenel sit down to enjoy brunch. For more information about Instructional Brunch,

see page 6.

HOPEhouse Happenings Fall, 2015

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On Friday, October 30, Jenel, Max, and Riley opened their doors to the Upper School students at Cotting School for the 2nd Annual HOPEhouse Halloween Party.

The students decorated the downstairs rec room and created a dance floor and photo booth for their guests to enjoy. The photo booth was in the laundry room and contained many fun costumes and props for students to dress up with and take pictures with their friends. Party guests could

2nd Annual HOPEhouse Halloween Party a Spooktacular Success!

One of the many ghoulish goodies the HOPEhouse residents baked for the

Halloween Party

Mrs. Thibodeau, Mrs. Garceau, Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. Wharff, Jenel, Max, and Riley

pose for the camera!

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also choose to get wrapped up in toilet paper like a mummy!

The HOPEhouse students prepared for the party not only by decorating the downstairs, but also by baking many treats for their guests to enjoy. There were cakes, cupcakes, cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, and punch available for people to have at the party. The students even decorated

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pumpkins by carving faces and designs into them with a power drill!

The party was a lot of work, but it all paid off when Jenel, Max, and Riley saw how much their guests were having. Overall around 6 upper school classes, about 50 people, attended the party.

Special thanks to Mrs. Kelly, Mrs. Thibodeau, Ms. Marshall, and Mrs. Garceau for the decorating, baking, and costume guidance that made this party so fun!

HOPEhouse Happenings Fall, 2015

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I have 2 jobs this year.

I am working at Waltham Crossing. This is a picture of Waltham Crossing. It's a nursing home. This is a new job for me. I work for 3 hours on Thursdays. The jobs I do are vacuuming, dusting, and folding napkins. I think this job is fun because doing my work and talking to people is fun.

I also work at Coolidge Middle School. I work at Coolidge on Monday from 11:00 am to 3:00pm, Tuesday from 2:00pm to 6:00pm, and Wednesday from 2:00pm to 6:00pm.

My Work this Year By Riley

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This is my 3rd year at Coolidge. I take The RIDE to work. The jobs I do are vacuuming, take out trash, dry mopping, dusting, and set up for meetings and assemblies.

Something I have learned at Coolidge is how to move the tables in the cafeteria. The best part about my job at Coolidge is taking out the trash and dry mopping and mopping the floor because I do those things during the day or during the night. I help Bo and Rafael out.

I feel awesome and fantastic about my jobs!

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HOPEhouse students have a big presence on the Middlesex Community College (MCC) campus this year. Both Max and Jenel are taking classes at MCC and are on campus at least 3 days a week.

Max is taking two classes this semester: Graphic Design I on Mondays and Color & Design on Tuesdays. Both classes meet once a week for 2 hours and 45 minutes each. Color & Design is held in Lowell so Max has a PCA provide transportation to and from that class. On Wednesday Max goes to the Bedford campus with Jenel even though he does not have class. He uses that time to meet with his advisor, talk to Disability Support Services if needed, and to get homework done. Max says, “My classes are going good. I like my classes this semester. They are similar because they both have a lot to do with color and the principles of design.” Max is working toward a certificate of completion in Graphic Design.

Jenel is taking three classes this semester: Short Story, an English class that meets Mondays and Wednesdays, Intro to Graphic Design, which meets on Tuesdays, and an online Math class. Jenel has been learning to use her time wisely in order to get all of her homework and projects done for her classes as well as keep up with her HOPEhouse responsibilities, events, and the activities she does at home with her family. Jenel says, “I learned don’t force yourself to take 3 classes upon your arrival at HOPEhouse because balancing your school schedule and your HOPEhouse activities and responsibilities can be really hard when you’re taking 3 classes.”

Both students are looking forward to being finished with their finals later in December.

HOPEhouse Students at Middlesex Community College

Max getting homework done in the MCC library.

Jenel taking a coffee break in the Student Center

cafeteria.

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HOPEhouse Happenings Fall, 2015

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Instructional Brunch By Max

Here at HOPEhouse we

plan a brunch every Friday

unless we have a big event

planned for certain a Friday.

For example, we didn’t do

brunch on the day of the

Halloween party or any other

holiday hosted by HOPEhouse.

We plan a brunch

unanimously during our meal

planning time on Wednesdays with all of our other dinner options.

Then we look up recipes for our brunch ideas. For example, some

of our brunch ideas were omelets, home fries, French toast /

pancakes, breakfast burritos, spinach and feta quiche, fried

zucchini, bacon and egg sandwiches, steak, home fries, and

hotdogs and beans.

Sometimes we have a class from Cotting come to brunch. We

have only invited one class ( Mrs. Lancione’s class ) so far and

had scrambled eggs, bacon, English muffins, and fruit salad. There

were at least 20 people for brunch that day and it was a little

hectic in the kitchen but it worked out in the long run.

I think brunch is a new and fun addition to the HOPEhouse

schedule because I love to cook.

Riley and Jenel prepare home fries.

HOPEhouse Happenings Fall, 2015

Thanksgiving Dinner at HOPEhouse: Family, Fun, and Food

Along with the HOPEhouse staff, Max, Jenel, and Riley hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for their families on Thursday, November 19.

The students started planning their dinner in early November, making decisions about the food, recipes, drinks, who to invite, and creating the invitation to send to their guests. Grocery shopping for the event started on November 9, allowing the students to add Thanksgiving items to their regular shopping lists for two of their grocery trips. Cooking and baking took place the week of the party, with students having specific responsibilities each day of the week so that everything would be ready by the time the party started on Thursday.

Each student had food that they were responsible for making or buying. Max made squash, green beans, beets, cranberry sauce, hot pepper jelly and cream cheese appetizer, and 2 key lime pies. Riley made turkeys, stuffing, 2 pumpkin cheesecakes, and chicken tender appetizers. Jenel made cracker brittle dessert, 2 apples pies, and helped with the mashed potatoes and spinach dip appetizer.

“I liked making and eating the key lime pie,” said Max. “I even ate it for breakfast the next day!” Riley said he liked having a lot of people join them for the event. Jenel agreed. “I miss not seeing my family during the week so I really liked having them come here” she said.

Overall, about 30 people attended the Thanksgiving dinner. The living room space was transformed into a dining room with 3 large banquet tables for guests to eat at. The kitchen had a buffet for the dinner and desserts and a drink table was set up in the living room.

Their families were impressed by the hard work Max, Riley, and Jenel put in to the event and, like at all HOPEhouse events, no one went away hungry!

Special thanks to Mrs. Kelly and Mrs. Thibodeau for their extra time, energy, and cooking skills that made this party a huge success!

Max with his grandmothers, father, and step-grandfather.

Riley and his brother, Colin.

Jenel with her aunt JoAnn.

HOPEhouse Happenings Fall, 2015

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HOPEhouse at Cotting School

451 Concord Avenue Lexington, MA 02421

www.cotting.org/hopehouse

• Holiday Open House on December 17

• End of Fall Semester at Middlesex Community College

• Winter Break!

Things We’re Thinking About…

Max deciding if the giant candy corn is a trick or a

treat.