Educational Services

During a child's tenure in the Hoffman Homes for Youth treatment program, they attend the on-campus school program on a daily basis. A teacher and teacher assistant from the Lincoln Intermediate Unit # 12, a division of the Pennsylvania Department of Education, staff each of the eleven on-campus Emotional Support special education classrooms. On occasion, some students with treatment team approval will attend the local public school for part or all of their education.

Hoffman Homes for Youth provides and maintains the school facilities.  A library, classrooms, lunch cafeteria, computer lab, and gymnasium are some of the school facilities available to our children.

Instruction is provided as part of a beneficial expanded school calendar that includes 180 days of school.  School starts at 8:30 AM and ends at 2:30 PM.

2009-2010 School Year Calendar

The overall purpose of the school program is to provide a positive experience that will meet the social and emotional needs of each child as well as to assist in the development of their respective functional skills needed to meet specific academic tasks.  These individual needs are addressed through the development and implementation of an Individual Education Program (IEP).  All education programs require parent/guardian approval.

Individual and group instruction provides creative and flexible methods of meeting the needs of each child.  Programs such as Title I Language Arts and Math are provided to eligible children.  These programs, with a counseling emphasis, compliment the classroom teacher's provisions of reading, writing and math skill development.  Crisis counseling and intervention services are also provided throughout the day on an as needed basis. Specialized services facilitated by certified clinicians for qualifying students include occupational therapy, speech language services, and English as a Second Language.

Other educational services include:

• Academic awards assemblies at the end of each marking period for recognizing academic and behavioral growth.
  
• Reading challenges to encourage leisure reading skills.
  
• Frequent, state of the art presentations and live performances with a focus on positive life choices.
  
• Life Skills Therapy is coordinated by the education department. This program is available with treatment team approval for children ages 13 and older. Its purpose provides skill development and experiences in real life situations to include appropriate responses to authority, cooperation and compliance, teamwork, socialization development, and work readiness skills training.
  
• Students are administered the Pennsylvania System of Schoolwide Assessment (PSSA) according to state guidelines and testing periods

Special Presentations and Activities:

First day of School - August 3rd

Jun 2nd - Fourth Marking Period Academic Awards Assembly
June 3rd - Fun Day and Last Day of School - Campus-Wide Picnic

May 10th - Brent Daniels - master musician gets the students involved in making music and an original song.

Apr 13th - Third Marking Period Academic Awards Assembly
Apr 29th - Wild About Animals - educational/entertaining assembly about animals of the wild

Feb 9th - Art of Inspiration - live performance with theme of motivation and getting things done

Jan 11th - Caryn Lin presents a musical performance utilizing her multitude of electronic instruments with a theme focused on the generational music "From Bach to Rock"
Jan 26th - Second Marking Period Academic Awards Assembly

Dec 7th - Poetry Alive - live performance putting action to the words

Oct 27th - First Marking Period Academic Awards Assembly
Oct 28th - Campus Life Multimedia Presentation by Camfel Productions with the theme of "Balance of Power" and who is really in control of one's life and how to balance making positive decisions among the peer group and responding to authority.

Sept 16th - Prismatic Laser Light Show - rescheduled for the coming year with a theme of American Pride.

First day of School - August 4th

June 11th - Last day of school

June 10th - 4th Marking Period Academic Awards Assembly

May 5th - World of Robotics assembly designed for entire student body pertaining to Science and the wonder of robots.

April 22nd - 3rd Marking Period Academic Awards Assembly

April 15th - Prismatic Light Show with a theme of American Pride for all students

March 3rd - A music-based presentation entitled "Simple Gifts"

February 25th - as part of the multiculture theme for the month, a special presentation called "Poetry Alive" for all students

February 24th - the Hanover Ballet performers will provide students with an artistic rendition in the field of ballet.

February 17th - 2nd Marking Period Academic Awards Assembly

February 4th - Career Exploration Assembly for ages 13 and older in the field of Army National Guard

February 2nd- 5th - All classes participate in Multiculture Week giving presentations to all students about the various cultures and characteristics of people from all states and regions of the United States.

January 21st - Lisa Lou and her Magic of Chemistry Presentation for the younger students about how chemistry is part of everything