The month of September has come and gone quickly. It is so hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, we were in the lazy days of summer. It is always amazing that while Cornerstone is a twelve-month school and our students attend through the summer, September always brings with it that new school year excitement!
Our students are off to another successful year participating in all the Cornerstone experiences, including therapy, academics, trips, clubs, after-school social, and electives. Trips have included Supercharged, Grounds for Sculpture, and the opera Grounded. This opera trip was an enormous success as it was the premiere and was performed in English so that all could fully embrace the story and music. Several students are again participating in our collaboration with Union County College, taking college-level classes on a college campus.
This month, we have also implemented and schoolwide clinical initiative in response to today’s world, where we as educators grapple with the challenges posed by rising stress and the overwhelming influence of social media on both students and parents. Here at Cornerstone, we are proactively addressing our students’ fast-changing mental health needs. This fall, we developed a customized clinical care model. This customized care model enhances our ability to respond in a more preventative, intensive manner, addressing our student’s complex needs. Through collaboration with the student, their family, and our clinical/medical staff, we now develop an Individualized Care Plan that customizes a clinical “prescription” for each student that is based on ongoing data.
As you can see, September has been a busy month for Cornerstone. Wishing you all a great school year!