IS Classrooms

The Cardinals and Owls classes are integrated classes of 2-year-olds.  APS toddler students with special needs have the opportunity to learn, play, eat, socialize, and engage in a classroom with their peers without special needs. The classroom is co-taught by a general education teacher, general education instructional assistant and a special education instructional assistant, and a special education teacher that supports both classrooms each day.

The Swans classes is an integrated classes of 3-year-olds preparing to turn 4.  APS pre-k students with special needs learn, play, eat, socialize, and engage with their peers without special needs during the school day. The classroom is co-taught by a general education teacher, general education instructional assistant, a special education teacher, and a special education instructional assistant each day.

The Cranes class is an integrated class of 4-year-olds preparing to turn 5 and getting ready for Kindergarten.  APS Pre-K students with special needs learn, play, eat, socialize, and engage along side their peers. These classrooms are also co-taught by a general education teacher, general education instructional assistant, a special education teacher, and a special education instructional assistant each day.

The Lorikeets classroom is a multi-age partnership classroom with The Children’s School. The classroom is comprised of children ranging in ages from 3-5 years.  APS and The Children’s School staff work together to plan and teach developmentally appropriate skills for building friendships, becoming more effective communicators, engaging in creative thinking, and most importantly, becoming independent problem solvers.  Utilizing a combination of APS literacy and math curricula, along with developmentally appropriate play and thematic curricula, the Lorikeets learn about the world and their individual roles in it.  We celebrate our differences and share in individual triumphs.  Each Lorikeet is treasured for their individuality and for how their personality adds to the life of our classroom.

The Penguins class is a special-education classroom for children ages 3-5. The classroom is supported by a special education teacher and two special education assistants. Children in the Penguins class have opportunities for inclusion time with the Finches and Flamingos classrooms.

The Robins class is a Mini-MIPA (Multi-Intervention Program for Students with Autism) classroom. MIPA classrooms are reduced-ratio, special-education classrooms designed to provide more intensive supports to students with autism. Each student’s goals are individualized to his or her needs, however common areas of focus include functional communication, self-advocacy, adaptive skills, and foundational attention and social-emotional skills. The program uses a variety of strategies within a highly structured setting with the goal of preparing students to transition to less restrictive settings. We implement direct instruction (systematic, comprehensive, and structured instruction to implement educational goals and objectives). We use a total communication approach to instruction to provide our students with a multitude of communication modalities to improve receptive, expressive, and pragmatic language skills. In addition to communication we also address sensory motor needs of each student (vestibular, proprioceptive, tactile, auditory, visual, and movement). Children in the Robins class have opportunities for inclusion time with the Finches and Flamingos classrooms.