Students Visit Local Long-Term Care Facility
Students of Mrs. Miracle's class participate in an activity with residents of the Slovene Home for the Aged.
After a long summer break, the teachers and staff at Lakeshore Intergenerational School could not be more thrilled to welcome students back to our building. We have many things to look forward to this year, but we are most excited to begin our classroom Intergenerational Visits.
Each one of our classrooms is partnered with a local long-term care facility for the school year. They visit these facilities once a month and participate in activities that are designed to create meaningful interaction with residents, as well as reinforce their classroom learning.
We are fortunate to include the Slovene Home for the Aged in our list of local partners. They have done a tremendous job ensuring that our students and their residents are able to make the most of their time together. They generously offer their space and resources to host two of our Primary Cluster classrooms, one of which belongs to Kristin Miracle.
Mrs. Miracle’s Primary Cluster class will return to Slovene Home for a third year this Fall. In preparation for the start of the program, she has already begun planning lessons and activities that her class will share with their residents. “I especially enjoy times of the year when we have practiced a song or poem to perform for the residents. The children work very hard to memorize them and get the motions just right.”
Her enthusiasm has quickly traveled throughout her classroom. As she reminded children of their upcoming visit, students were eager to share their own experiences with their newer classmates.
“I like to ask them questions because they can tell you about what happened in the past,” says a beginning stage student. “I like to write with them and help them,” adds another.
These testimonies serve as perfect examples of the growth and development our students can achieve from our Intergenerational Partners. Teacher Vaiva Neary has also had the pleasure of collaborating with the Slovene Home for the Aged and, after serving with The Intergenerational Schools for 9 years, her passion for our mission is unwavering.
“The students are able to participate in an authentic community-building experience and get to know people they may not interact with otherwise. They are able to gain respect for all types of people and all stages of life,” says Neary. “As the teacher, my favorite part of the visit is seeing my young students share smiles with the residents! I know my students love our visits and constantly ask when we are going on the next one. Our mission is to create, connect, and guide, a multi-generational community of lifelong learners and spirited citizens. Where better to live out this call than at an Intergenerational Visit, where our youngest generation works and plays alongside our eldest?”
We are so grateful for all of our community partners who make these valuable experiences possible for our students and cannot wait to embark on another year of multi-generational learning.