A visit at Matty's new school.

Maria and I went to visit with Matty's teachers tonight at his new school and it was very interesting to see what his school day is like. He attends middle school now and he is in a self contained class with his main teacher and 2 assistant teachers. He seems to be adjusting well to the new school and his schedule and we are happy that he is making progress and that he likes his teachers and the new school. He gets a locker which he was thrilled about. We spoke with his teacher for his self contained class and we are very happy with her. She seems very good with Matty and addressing his needs and the needs of his fellow classmates. The assistant teacher is very sweet too and she seems like she would be very good with the kids. He has the benefit of changing classes during the day for a few of his other classes such as art, family & consumer science and gym. Matty prepared his schedule for us to follow and we had the opportunity of walking the hallways in between classes as we went from one class to the next on his schedule and it was nice as it reminded me of my school days when I attended junior high.

Matty's schooling is different in some ways from mine in that he is in one class for most of the day and it is a very small class with 7 students and he gets a lot of individualized attention. I think that is essential for him as he would have difficulties in a large group and would not get the necessary attention he needs. I was quite impressed with the teachers, the school and the students. There were boys and girls who are students at the school positioned in the halls who were available for giving direction and assistance. They were all mature kids and all were very polite. I had the benefit of sitting in Matty's family and consumer science class as Maria was trying to find a parking space. I thought the class was very practical and the teacher was very good. She is teaching the class about responsibility with money, learning tips on saving, learning how to share in family responsibilities, learning about using coupons and learning how to sew a button on a shirt. All are essential things we all need to know about and I think it's a great class for him. Maria and I also had the pleasure of meeting Matty's art teacher and we thought she was tremendous. She has a lot of great projects for her class and I think Matty will have a lot of fun in her class and will learn a lot and she will bring out his talents and abilities as he does enjoy drawing and coloring. She showed us their first art project which was a drawing of a bowl of fruit and Matty drew it beautifully and painted it perfectly and you could sense he enjoyed the experience. His art teacher seems very dedicated and is a lovely lady who has all the kids interest at heart. We are happy he is in her class. I remember when I was in junior high school art was one of my favorite subjects and I remember learning about cubism and drawing a baseball bat, mitt and baseball and really put a lot of effort in it and receiving a compliment from my teacher on my artwork. I feel Matty will do well in her class and in all his classes.

I was also impressed with Matty's gym teacher and feel he needs to find some athletic activity that he will enjoy. He seems to like to run and maybe he may one day be suited for track and cross country like I was when I went to high school. His gym teacher also seems dedicated and I feel Matty will get some good exercise in his class and also have some fun as well.

We were very impressed with the school and enjoyed stepping into life as a student again and seeing what Matty's day is like. We are thrilled with the school and think it is better suited for Matty's needs and we look forward to seeing how he progresses and will be patient and expect the best from him.

Edward D. Iannielli III