Beth Barrow, Toledo Public Schools (TPS) Executive Director of Students, assigns a grade to K-12 on the benefits and efficacy of the TPS intervention actions to assist at-risk students. The purpose of the intervention teams, one at each of the 41 TPS elementary schools, is to focus on the issue presented by a student so that their disability is not over-identified. Reading issues, behavioral issues and other school-related problems can be attributed to other factors— poverty, issues in the home, etc.— rather than a learning disability.
Interventions touch approximately 3-5% of the students in TPS, around 1,000 of the school district’s 22,000 total students. With an estimated 50-60% Response and Resolution rate through interventions, Barrow finds the intervention teams’ results are encouraging.
For issues that go unresolved through the initial intervention, the teams involve the school psychologist to determine whether the student has a true learning disability. Because there are so few students actually diagnosed with a learning disability, this multi-tiered system of support helps both the students following the general education track as well as the teachers in the classrooms who can make effective learning accommodations.
TPS outranks Ohio’s Urban 8 Districts, the preeminent districts in Ohio’s larger urban centers, in the effectiveness of TPS’s intervention team approach to assist students by helping them navigate school-related issues.
Often, however, parents can be apprehensive about a planned intervention because they may be unaccustomed to this approach. Instead, Barrow says, “parents have been tuned in to IEPs (Individual Education Plans), which have been employed to deal with education-related issues more often in the past.”
“Intervention with a trained and involved team, at each separate school, is often a better approach as it keeps students in the general education track in that curriculum” instead of an individualized track. In other words, addressing the root of the problem, such as poverty, instead of incorrectly diagnosing a learning disability, helps the student in the long run.
If you’ve been on social media lately, you might have noticed the fun trend of parents and their children pouring hot milk in a mug with a cocoa bomb. There are several places in the Toledo area where families can purchase these fun treats. These little treats are perfect for the holidays and to gift to friends:
Patisserie Village Ottawa Hills
Flavors: chocolate, white chocolate, egg nog, gingerbread or peppermint. Also vegan marshmallow option. Price: Starting at $5 To order: Message her on Facebook or Instagram Other: She also makes amazing cheesecakes and customized cakes.
Sugar On Top Toledo/Sylvania
Flavors: original hot cocoa, peppermint, caramel, coffee. Halal marshmallow option. Ask about holiday packaging! Price: Starting at $5 To order: Message her on Facebook or Instagram Other: She makes incredible Brazilian desserts and cakes!
Sarahs_sweets Maumee
Flavors: while and milk chocolate and coffee. Halal marshmallow option. Price: Starting at $2 To order: Message her on Facebook or Instagram Other: She makes delicious mini bundt cakes!
The Dessert Dr. Toledo
Flavors: chocolate, mint, pumpkin, cookies n’ cream and salted caramel. Halal marshmallow option. Ask about holiday packaging and gift sets. Price: Starting at $5 To order: Message her on Facebook or Instagram. The Flying Joe also carries them.
Sugar on Top Cocoa Bombs
From Our Readers: Readers chimed in with some of their favorite Toledo area places to buy cocoa bombs:
I don’t know about you, but I am tired of cooking. I’m sick of rotating through the same meals, spending the time on prepping and cooking, and making slightly different versions of our adult meal for the kids (only to have one or both of them politely tell me the food is “not so good”).
So as a special Friday night treat to myself, I asked my husband, who works in downtown Toledo, to grab curbside from Fowl & Fodder Downtown on his way home from work. Not only did I get a break from cooking, but the kids got a break from mom forcing them to try new foods!
The new Fowl & Fodder menu has been completely revamped. Chef Aaron Lawson explains, “I came in with a small team, and what started as a small tweak in the menu progressed to a 10-day shutdown and a complete menu overhaul.” He adds that the Southern flair is evident within many dishes because “Southern has always been a part of my heritage, so it usually comes out naturally when I write menus, but with the name Fowl & Fodder being farm-related, we just took that and ran with it.” He slides in, chuckling, “I’d like to give a shout-out to my wife, Stephanie Lawson, and the family for being so supportive with me starting this new adventure in such a crazy time.”
Beef Avocado Melt with the most amazing house chips.
Perfect for families after work Fowl & Fodder Downtown online makes it easy to order and schedule your pickup time. I ordered shortly after lunch and scheduled curbside pickup for after work, making sure to enter my husband’s car make and model. A subsequent email explained the procedure upon picking up the food. Easy peasy!
I ordered the pork belly cuban— pressed cubano bread, Toledo Spirits Heart of Gold pickles, whipped goat cheese and smoked chile mustard— with house made chips. The sandwich was yummy and big enough to provide leftovers for next day’s lunch. My husband ordered the avocado melt beef burger with smoked tomato jam, chipotle crema, seasoned avocado, crispy goat cheese, and Balance Farms sunflower sprouts. The burger had that delicious homemade feel. While we both enjoyed our sandwiches, the chips were jaw-dropping good–some of the best house potato chips we’ve ever had!
My kids each ordered the chicken & frittes: two crispy chicken tenders with potato sticks, the homemade, healthier version of the fried food the kids crave on the regular. The chicken tenders reminded me of a homemade version of KFC, but waaaaaay tastier and less greasy with all of the flavor reminiscent of grandma’s fried chicken. The potato sticks were actual potatoes, cut and cooked with love! For my 5-year-old sweet-tooth carb lover, we ordered the cake doughnuts for dessert. While all of the food was delicious, the donut holes were a crowd pleaser. Make sure to order them regardless of what time of day— you won’t regret it.
Delicious cake doughnut holes from Fowl & Fodder Downtown.
Brunch next time! I love brunch. Absolutely love it. The next time we order from Fowl & Fodder Downtown, I play to try the tomato Benedict, almond chicken and waffles, or the cornbread and chicken. Kids will love the pumpkin waffles, Southern waffles, French toast and (of course) the cake doughnuts.
Holiday preorder menu Order a scratch-made menu packed with locally sourced ingredients for the holidays! Hang up the apron and let Fowl & Fodder do the heavy lifting. Chef Lawson says, “With everything going on in the world right now and the added stress with kids and school— or even the lack of shelves being stock at the grocery stores— we wanted to offer an amazing and simple ‘take home and heat’ meal.”
Check out their menu online, which includes protein like Michigan farms prime rib or charred eggplant and cauliflower steaks. Build your own menu and choose breakfast, dinner, or a platter. Dietary restrictions can be accommodated. Preorder by 12/19 at 8PM. See the full meal options online.
Bottom Line: Fowl & Fodder Downtown has an eclectic, hyper seasonal menu that utilizes regional farms and locally crafted products. The creative twists on Southern fare will tantalize the taste buds. F&F Downtown is a one-stop shop for dining downtown with the fam, taking clients out for a socially-distant lunch, or safely picking up food after work for dinner. From brunch to lunch to dinner, they offer something for any time of the day, to please any palate, and to fit any budget.
If the mom in your life is “impossible to buy for,” get a headstart on your holiday gift giving with this self-care package for mom! Give her time to pamper herself by treating her skin to Vedic Botanicals Radiance Face Cream, a blend of herbs that maintain youthful radiance ($18), and spritzing with Balancing Body Mist Mosel Blend ($22). Once she’s feeling beautiful and fresh, she can don her new silver “mom” necklace with pink topaz from Isabelle Grace ($59)!
One of the benefits of children learning from home is that parents can control the curriculum. You can adjust each activity to best suit the needs and interests of your child to provide optimal learning and fun. As long as your child is learning the necessary skills, how you cover the subject matter if up to YOU.
We’ve compiled a list of virtual resources that will both entertain and educate your kids, giving you options as you navigate this brave new world of homeschooling. Don’t want to fight your kid to complete another math worksheet? Check out the games on CoolMath. Does your child hate drawing but love history? Take a virtual and interactive tour of the British Museum of the World, which teaches art from a historical perspective. The options are endless!
LOCAL:Children’s Theatre Workshop (CTW) has adapted some of their programs to a new online format, offering several online-only theatre classes for existing and new students.
Travel through time by viewing artwork and listening to experts with this interactive tour at the British Museum of the World.
Expose the kids to their first streaming opera from one of the most famous opera houses in the world: The Metropolitan Opera.
University of Toledo Theatre and Film faculty, Dr. Matt Foss, translates his play “Faithful Friends: An Adaptation of the Two Gentlemen of Verona,” to the online world, creating an interactive theatre learning experience for elementary students.
MindTravel offers a free downloadable “Create & Color Guided Meditation” for kids ages 5 – 12. The 30-minute meditation can be done anytime, anywhere with the availability of a smartphone and coloring supplies.
LOCAL:Directions Credit Union is offering a free online financial literacy program designed for educators and parents, covering topics such as understanding debt, charitable giving, bankruptcy, investing, and teaching that money is a limited resource.
Feel like you’re walking along the Great Wall of China thanks to this virtual tour.
LITERACY
ABCya, used by educators in the classroom, teaches common core literacy through fun, online games. Choose your child’s grade level: preschool through sixth grade.
LOCAL: Risa Cohen, M.S.Ed., offers a free kindergarten class that combines music, movement and literacy in Sing Into Reading. Follow Risa at Sing Into Reading to discover the next opportunity.
Candlewick Press is offering Where’s Waldo? At Home, providing free worksheets and activities centered around the Where’s Waldo? books.
Highlights@Homeprovides parents and kids with fun learning activities while sequestered at home: stories, puzzles, videos, games, creative activities like crafts or recipes, physical activities and suggested acts of kindness.
A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING
Sign up for PBS KIDS daily newsletter for connection questions that are geared toward one of the PBS shows of the day, as well as educational game suggestions from PBS GAMES. Episodes are on live TV and online.
Starfall offers interactive games on math, reading, music, and seasonal learning from pre-k through third grade.
The Hayes Presidential website has been updated regularly with fun and engaging activities that will keep the kids entertained and learning. From cooking to history to literacy, this website has it all.
Learn the ins and outs of cooking with Spoons Across America. This program teaches culinary skills and food literacy to children ages 6 and up.
Have you seen the Lights Before Christmas at the Toledo Zoo yet this year? If not, you’re in luck! We have sets of four tickets to give away to the annual tradition, so you and your family can have a night you will never forget!
Just enter below before December 17 at 7pm. Good luck and happy holidays!
