3 SCHOOLS ADDED TO PROGRAM; STUDENTS PROVIDED SPECIAL HELP.Byline: John Sanders John Sanders is the name of
The Palmdale School District The Palmdale School District is a school district that serves a major part of the city of Palmdale, California (USA). The Palmdale School District was first formed in 1888. Approximately 28,000 students are enrolled in the Palmdale School District. is expanding to three more schools a state Department of Mental Health-funded program aimed at youngsters who are exceptionally shy, aggressive or have trouble interacting with other children. Tumbleweed tumbleweed, any of several plants, particularly abundant in prairie and steppe regions, that commonly break from their roots at maturity and, drying into a rounded tangle of light, stiff branches, roll before the wind, covering long distances and scattering seed as , Manzanita manzanita: see bearberry. and Tamarisk tamarisk (tăm`ərĭsk), shrub or small tree of the genus Tamarix, native chiefly to the Mediterranean area and to central Asia. The plants are often heathlike and thrive in arid and coastal regions. schools are in their third year of programs funded by an Early Mental Health Initiative grant from the Department of Mental Health, and Palmdale trustees last month accepted a $104,000 grant to begin the program at Mesquite, Yucca and Wildflower wildflower Any flowering plant that grows without intentional human aid. Wildflowers are the source of all cultivated garden varieties of flowers. A wildflower growing where it is unwanted is considered a weed. schools. ``We have seen an improvement in their social behavior In biology, psychology and sociology social behavior is behavior directed towards, or taking place between, members of the same species. Behavior such as predation which involves members of different species is not social. and their attitude toward school,'' said Debra Hollis, Tumbleweed assistant principal. ``One of the things that I feel that we need to do with our kids is to allow them to be children, and sometimes with the pressures of life, I don't think it's always available for our kids. This program allows them that time to work out and to develop some positive social behaviors under the direction of an adult.'' Teachers use a questionnaire on childhood behavior to gauge which children might be eligible for the program, but their parents must approve. Each school will have two child aides, each of whom will be assigned 16 to 24 children. Each child visits with an aide for 40 minutes once a week on a one-on-one basis. The children can play with toy cars and dolls, or dress up and role-play. Or they might do other activities with the adult like bowling or other games. The weekly visits last for 12 weeks. ``It enables them to develop a strong positive relationship with an adult,'' Hollis said. ``So this gives them a little more self-confidence and reassurance, and it kind of works out those social adjustment problems that they may be experiencing so that they don't have to have future intervention of either counseling or psychological problems or more severe behavior problems.'' Hollis said the district tries to hire as aides people with close ties to the school, usually a parent, and gives them training on how to work with children. |
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