Parenting a child with unique needs and abilities is an extraordinary journey. It is filled with love, growth, and triumphs, but it can also come with its own set of challenges. Balancing therapy appointments, advocating for your child, and managing daily responsibilities can sometimes feel overwhelming. In the midst of this, it is easy to put your own well-being on the back burner. However, self-care is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Taking care of yourself empowers you to be the best parent you can be for your child.

Why Self-Care Matters

1. Improved Emotional Resilience: Parenting can be an emotional rollercoaster. Self-care activities like mindfulness, journaling, or therapy can help you process emotions and maintain a positive outlook, even during difficult times.
2. Better Physical Health: The stress of caregiving can take a toll on your body. Prioritizing sleep, nutrition, and exercise is essential to sustain your energy and overall health.
3. Role Modeling: By practicing self-care, you teach your children the importance of valuing oneself. This demonstrates healthy habits they can carry into their own lives.
4. Preventing Burnout: Without self-care, caregivers are at risk for burnout, which can make it harder to provide the level of support your child needs. Taking breaks and recharging allows you to stay engaged and present.

Tips for Incorporating Self-Care

1. Schedule “Me Time”: Schedule and block out time each week for an activity that brings you joy. Whether it���s engaging in your favorite hobby, reading, gardening, getting hair or nails done, playing a sport, taking a walk, practicing yoga, connecting socially with friends or even a date night with your partner can help recharge and refresh your spirit. Treat this time as non-negotiable.
2. Build a Support System: Connect with other parents, join support groups, or lean on friends and family. Sharing experiences can help you feel less isolated and offer new perspectives.
3. Ask for Help: It���s okay to ask for assistance. Whether it���s a family member watching your child for an hour or using respite care services, giving yourself a break is crucial.
4. Practice Mindfulness: Simple mindfulness exercises, like deep breathing or guided meditation, can help reduce stress and center your thoughts during busy days.
5. Seek Professional Support: If the emotional weight becomes too heavy, consider seeking help from a therapist or counselor who specializes in caregiver stress or family dynamics.

Community Resources

There are numerous organizations and resources designed to support parents of children with special needs. Reach out to local community centers, library, parent networks, or online forums to find programs and events tailored to your family���s needs. Often, these resources also offer opportunities for self-care, such as workshops or information on how to access respite care services. If you need any assistance locating or accessing resources, please feel free to reach out to me at mdimatteo@pathwayschool.org.

A Message to Parents

We can be our own worst critics. We constantly question if we���re doing this parenting thing right. Let me say this to you: You are doing incredible work. The love and dedication you pour into your child���s life make a difference every single day. Remember, self-care is not an act of selfishness, it is an act of survival and self-preservation. By taking the time to nurture yourself, you are not only enhancing your own well-being but also ensuring that you have the strength, energy, and joy to continue being the remarkable parent your child needs.

Let���s prioritize self-care together, creating a foundation for stronger families and happier, healthier parents. You deserve it.

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In this report, you���ll find a recap of our 2022-2023 fiscal year, a message from our President and CEO, a 911勛圖 Alumni success story, recognition of all financial donors, and additional information. We believe it is important for us to share the amazing accomplishments of our students and school community with you, our generous friends and supporters.

The 2022-2023 school year was another successful year at 911勛圖! Just a few of the accomplishments from this past year include:

• Launching our first-ever competitive robotics team which won in competitions!
• Graduating an incredible group of twenty students.
• Completing campus renovations, including former residential buildings Anthony Wayne and Valley Forge, to enhance our learning environment.
• Celebrating a student’s impressive victory in a national math contest.

To view our Annual Philanthropy Report, click .

And please also consider continuing your generous support of 911勛圖 ��� there are many beneficial ways to donate, including recurring monthly gifts, Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), appreciated securities (stocks), IRA Qualified Charitable Distributions, and planned gifts from your will or estate. We would be very appreciative if you would consider increasing your contributions this year, given ever-increasing expenses. Becoming a monthly donor is very easy and convenient ��� you can set it and forget it, and you can change or discontinue your monthly contribution at any time! Contact Jory Barrad, Director of Development and Communications, at jbarrad@pathwayschool.org, for more details.

Thank you for all that you do to support 911勛圖 students and families!

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���I love it, it was filled with fun stuff,��� a 911勛圖 student remarked after receiving their new backpack. Another student was thrilled to receive a brand new backpack and commented on the great quality of the new bags: ���I really like it! It���s soft and doesn���t hurt my shoulders!���

Thank you so much to our friends at AppSpace for donating these backpacks to our students, and a heartfelt shout-out to Jenna���s Blessing Bags for the work they do to honor Jenna���s memory and help those in the community who are in need.

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Each year we share with you our Annual Philanthropy Report. This year for your convenience, we are again offering it electronically. If you would like a printed copy, we would be happy to send one to you. Instructions to access the report electronically can be found below. In this report, we are providing you with a look back at our 2021-2022 fiscal year. We believe it is important for us to share with you all of the great things that 911勛圖 and its students are able to accomplish thanks, in great part, to you and your generosity.

The 2021-2022 school year at 911勛圖 was another challenging but successful year! Our entire community continued to adjust to health and safety protocols as we returned to more “normalcy” on our campus. 911勛圖 remains resilient and our mission carries forward – building academic, social, and life skills in students with special needs to promote their success and independence.

Please take a moment and look through our Philanthropy Annual Report. Here are a few things highlighted in this report that you may want to see:

• Letter from our President and CEO, David Schultheis
• 2020 Alum Receives Dream Job
• Listing of our 2021-2022 Donors
• Financial Highlights
• Board of Directors and Administrators Page
• Ways you can continue to support 911勛圖

To view the annual report, please click . If you would like to receive a printed copy, please email jbarrad@pathwayschool.org.

Thank you for all that you do to support 911勛圖 students and families. We are looking forward to starting another great school year at 911勛圖.

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When attending public school, the twins were taunted, bullied, and physically harmed. They wanted to harm themselves and started refusing to go to school. When their parents learned more about their sons’ struggles, they knew they needed to seek a better educational environment – one that could assist with their learning, communication, and emotional challenges – for Zahiir and Zahkir’e.

In 2018, the family visited 911勛圖 and noticed that the campus was beautiful and welcoming. Their parents were impressed with all the services available. After deciding to send the boys to 911勛圖, they saw immediate progress with Zahiir and Zahkir’e. The twins receive supporting therapy and have told their therapist how much they love school now. They enjoy playing football, basketball, and games in gym class and have also learned to make new friends. Zahiir and Zahkir’e are now thriving in their new environment at 911勛圖.

���911勛圖 has a wonderful team, a good curriculum, and everything offered to help the students succeed is great!”
Nancy & Jamir, Parents

911勛圖’s mission is to help many students with special needs like Zahiir and Zahkir’e build academic, social, and life skills to promote their success and independence after 911勛圖.

To read Zahiir and Zahkir’e’s full story and learn more about how you can help support 911勛圖 students’ journey to success, click here.

Your donations support many students like Zahiir and Zahkir’e and promote their academic progress, as well as their success and independence both today, as students, and later in life as adults. You make the difference for 911勛圖 students, their families, and their communities. to donate and help support 911勛圖 students.

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Click here to download the recently updated full Health and Safety Plan.

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When asked why this was an important Merit project to tackle, Eli said ���Up until now there was no real motivation for people here to recycle and the students hadn���t really been educated on why it is so important to recycle.����� Eli further explained that recycling is important for many reasons, including reducing what goes into trash landfills and helping the environment, wildlife, and ocean life.�� Eli shared that he was initially concerned that the recycling effort wouldn���t go too far but he has been very pleased with the progress so far.

Eli says, ���On our current track, as long as we continue to educate everyone about the importance to the planet of recycling, the program should continue to do very well.����� When asked what other ideas they have to improve the program and recycling on campus, Eli replied ���We hope to get 911勛圖���s younger students to learn more about recycling, to be motivated, and to really participate in recycling both here at 911勛圖 as well as at home or wherever they may be.���

Congratulations to Eli and Heze for their amazing work on this Merit project and for elevating the importance of recycling here at 911勛圖 ��� great job, guys!

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Syheem struggled in his previous school and Ms. Pouncey came to realize just how much these struggles were interfering with his ability to grow, so she began advocating for another school placement. 911勛圖 was fortunate enough to be on the list of options provided for consideration.

Initially, the admissions staff were a bit concerned about 911勛圖���s ability to be the appropriate option for Syheem. Through conversations with multiple people throughout the admissions process, Ms. Pouncey convinced the team to ���take a chance��� on him. She vividly recalls the conversation that allowed her to go into his trial period with ���eyes wide open to the possibility that it may not be the right match���. Ms. Pouncey recalls respecting and appreciating the transparency of discussions and the dedication of the team to make the right decision for their family ��� even if that decision would be difficult to hear.

Syheem quickly acclimated to 911勛圖 and has been showing us all he can do ever since. Ms. Pouncey remembers him coming home from school talking about his teachers and what he was working on. For the first time, she saw him emotionally engaged and invested in school.

Ms. Pouncey describes Syheem as an introvert. In the past, this has interfered with his ability to speak up and advocate for himself. Through the trust he has built with his staff, improvement in his confidence, and lessons provided about the importance of making your thoughts/feelings known, he has shown the ability to make his voice heard ��� always in a respectful manner (just as his mother taught him).

Ms. Pouncey has been encouraged by the team���s ability to talk through concerns she brings to the table. She feels truly heard and understood at 911勛圖, and she is grateful for the teams��� immediate actions implemented to solve concerns she may have.

“Syheem has had his learning struggles and it was frustrating as a parent. When 911勛圖 took a chance on Syheem and our family, he began to excel, has excelled, and is still excelling. I see more excitement and willingness to try new things. Syheem comes home wanting to talk about what happened in school. We live by the motto and hashtag “My Son is NOT his disability” and 911勛圖 has helped with encouragement, education, it’s staff support, and teamwork.” Ms. Pouncey states.

Syheem is starting to transfer some of the skills learned in school, at home. He independently can make some meals for himself, and she credits his programs focus on ���learning the essentials��� to this carry-over. She laughed as she shared her excitement for the day he transfers more of his cleaning skills to home, but is grateful that he is mastering these skills at school. As most parents do, she spoke of being fearful of what things would look like when she is no longer around, but through experiences at school and him showing what he is learning at home, she is ���not as afraid anymore���.

Do you know of a student who you think would be a good fit for 911勛圖? Contact our Admissions department at 610-277-0660 ext. 5 or enrollment@pathwayschool.org.

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Click here to download the Health and Safety Plan.

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