Laura Briggin, Cypress School Director, BCBA

Cypress Primary School and Cypress Secondary School:

Our Cypress Administration, Teachers, Therapists, and our Educational and Behavioral Consultants Dr. Colleen Arnold and Sarah Doherty, have been supporting our students, families and teaching staff during the Covid crisis. Each Teacher and Therapist has group sessions, individual sessions, live and recorded videos available, and individually designed boxes of hands-on and supplemental learning materials delivered/mailed to student homes. Nate and Laura have been holding bi-monthly family meetings. We are looking at a modified ESY (Extended School Year) with the possibility of in class options but we are awaiting more guidance from the state.

Our Cypress Behavior Team has increased our meetings to bi-weekly as we support more families during the Covid challenge. The new team has provided Zoom behavior consultations as well as daily distance learning supports – monthly all staff trainings, classroom, afterschool and in-home Zoom methods. Laura Briggin will retire as of 6/30/2020 and will continue as a Behavioral Consultant through June 2021.

We are moving the current primary based, middle-high school class with Special Education Teacher Jennifer Finney to the secondary school on June 22^nd.  Our UCPNB Administrative, HR and Accounting group has moved to a nearby Petaluma office location. We are opening a new elementary class to allow new referrals to join us at the primary school on 8/18/20. We will have Addie Stoich and Renee McCarthy as the two primary teachers.

The Administrative Team presented to the Sonoma SELPA In February in person and we did receive the COLA, but did not receive the additional request for increased rates in all areas. We were much more successful at the Bay Area Collaborative negotiation and received very positive increases in all billing areas plus the COLA. Four students are graduating 6/5/2020 but between now and regular school year starting on 8/18, we will be adding four new students.

Cypress ABA Afterschool Services and ABA Special Summer Programs:

The Cypress June ABA Program will continue with tele-health/distance learning and is currently targeting 50 participants. Activities scheduled by Zoom, learning packets sent home, videos, morning social skills, virtual field trips, shared movies, dance parties, music, art, drama, PE, and Yoga.

BOOST Educational Services:

The Boost Conductive Education Program is successfully finishing their second academic year with individualized distance learning opportunities via Zoom classes, live and recorded videos shared with families, individual Zoom calls, and individually designed boxes of hands-on and supplemental learning materials.  We have two potential referrals for the BOOST classroom. We have been interviewing and will be enrolling one student for ESY and at least one student for the regular 2020-2021 school year. The BOOST team has determined that the July BOOST Summer Program will be held by distance learning following the present methods including Zoom, videos, phone calls and learning packets which will be sent home.