Aaliyah’s mother says “New Way Academy continues to exceed my expectations in providing the type of education that Aaliyah needs along with an environment she thrives in. Aaliyah has several learning differences as well as generalized cognitive dysfunction. She learns best in a very small classroom setting where she has one-on-one support from her teachers and also group support from her peers. New Way allows her to learn at a pace that makes sense for her while also empowering her to step outside of her comfort zone and push herself just enough to help her gain confidence in what she is capable of. Aaliyah is in age mixed classes where the other students learn in a similar fashion to her and no one is made to feel like they are ‘behind.’
“In her three years at New Way Academy, Aaliyah has grown academically as well as socially and will continue to do so because of the specialized approach to education and the supportive services they offer to assist with her learning differences. High school will be a transition for Aaliyah but I am confident that New Way will continue to meet her where she is at, support her learning differences, challenge her appropriately, but most importantly, provide a supportive and inclusive learning environment that likely would not be found elsewhere.”
“We recently discovered how unique and differently Pryce learned and we are so thankful that he has been given the opportunity to learn at New Way Academy. We know that this school, with the specialized learning environment, small class size, and ability to help him with his occupational therapies and reading that he will truly thrive.
“We know that he will just continue to tap into his unique and brilliant qualities, especially being at a school that will celebrate his differences. We are so excited to see what this year has in store for him!” — Pryce’s mom.
Kalea’s 4-year-old brother, Josiah, deals with Down syndrome, heart disease, chronic lung disease and a very long list of other medical needs (including being ventilator and gtube dependent). Kalea’s mother explains: “During the 3rd grade ‘Invention Convention’, Kalea decided she wanted to invent a walker that was tall enough, but also light enough for her brother to learn to walk (because all the medical walkers available for 4-year-olds are too heavy for him to move). The school and teachers supported her in this adventure and together we were actually able to create a walker from PVC pipe for him to use every day. Kalea was able to showcase her invention at the convention the school put on and it even inspired other special needs families to ask how to make one for their child. Josiah has been using this walker the past few months and it’s built up his strength and given him independent movement which he absolutely loves!”
Patrick’s mother says as the early school years went by his desire of never giving up, and being proud of the hard work he put in began to fade. And in its place was a timid, self conscious, and sad little boy who no longer even cared to try at school.
“That’s when we started seeking options to help him, and we quickly discovered his dyslexia. His therapist told us about New Way and we got him in there as quick as possible. What we began to see unfold at New Way was the walls that had been built up over the years because of his struggle with reading. He put the work in with his reading therapist and his spark and fire came back to life. He received her student of the year award, first first-year reading student she had ever given it to. And began to flourish and make friends and step into leadership roles. He’s been on the track team, basketball team, and found his true love of football this past season. He’s dreaming about what is possible for him after school and continues to shine and work hard within his school and community.”
From Ava’s mother:
“We want to start off by saying how thankful we are to be given this opportunity for Ava as well as our family. It has been a huge blessing. Northwest Christian school has been very accommodating to help support Ava with her special needs. Ava was given a specific teacher that would support her needs, her occupational therapist has supported her during school, she has been given preferential seating to support the vision concerns and bathroom adjustments to support her kidney disorder.
“Ava was born addicted to methamphetamine and spent a week in the NICU after birth. Ava then was discharged into the State of Arizona foster care system. She was placed in a foster family that she resided with until she was five months old. Ava struggled with latching, severe torticollis that prevented her from turning her head one way and continued to struggle with detox symptoms as a result of the heavy drug use she was exposed to in utero. Ava entered our lives as we were placed with her at five months old and fostered her until we adopted her.”
“Justen will be a freshman this fall at Valley Christian high School. He has been blessed to be able to receive the accommodations he needs to help with his learning disorder. With funds like yours we are able to get him the help he needs with the educational enhancement group at his school. He’s able to do testing one on one with a teacher separate from his class. He’s also able to do oral tests when needed and have note cards as needed. He’s been able to be successful in his academics because of his accommodation plan. Thank you so much.” — Justen’s mom.
“Grace Christian Academy has helped Hosanna so much in academics, social and emotional growth, and just confidence in herself and her abilities. This school has been such a blessing to her as they have been able to meet her in her current abilities and grow from that. Hosanna has been blessed to receive a 1:1 aide to help her during the day with not only academics but organization skills, helping her work on independence and life skills, social skills and connecting with her in a way that makes learning fun. The staff at Grace have been able to connect with Hosanna unlike other educators could. She is not pressured to fit in with metrics and curriculum that the rest of her peers are excelling in. She does not have to fit into a mold that she truly doesn’t fit into. God has truly blessed us by Hosanna attending this school and blessed the staff to provide the best resources to help her.” — Hosanna’s mom.
From Benson’s mother:
“Thank you so much for blessing our family. This scholarship allows Benson to attend a school that has contributed to his social and academic success. He has been able to be successful in a general education setting and develop friendships with peers. Northwest Christian school supports Benson with his special needs by allowing his occupational and speech therapist to provide services on campus when needed, provide special teacher accommodations by working to find the right fit for what he needs, allowing extra time to complete assignments and have allowed make up standardized testing to promote success.
“Benson will always live with craniosynosistos and has learned to develop skills to manage the impacts the craniosynostosis has on his learning abilities. Benson was formally diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in relation to the craniosynosistosis due to the frontal lobe damage in his brain. He was also flagged for severe reading difficulties but has continued to persevere.
“Again, we want to thank your organization and donors for this wonderful opportunity.”
“Katelyn was born with a rare genetic condition and has extreme food allergies that have significantly limited her abilities and interactions with her environment. At Valley Christian Schools, we have finally found a school where Katelyn not only is no longer bullied, the school can meet her health needs, and she feels both safe and loved. Katelyn has made many friends and was voted the Vice President of the Student Council this past year. Katelyn is also excelling academically at Valley Christian Schools. Katelyn has maintained a straight-A average, made the Principal’s Honor Roll, and tested in the top 96th percentile in the nation for MAPS testing. Katelyn truly is an overcomer and being able to attend a private school with smaller classes and a caring and loving community has allowed Katelyn to lead a more normal life.” — Katelyn’s mom
“Rowan has a severe learning impairment and dyslexia. He had extreme speech issues that he was able to receive speech therapy from his school for preschool and his early grades (K-2). They were able to help him overcome his speech issues, and he speaks very well now. He still has his learning difficulties that he is able to utilize his school’s educational enhancement for that. He has accommodations for all of his tests. He meets with the one on one teacher twice a week to help with his academics. It’s been very very good for him and his learning environment to have these extra accommodations.” — Rowan’s mom
“The Jones Gordon School is an amazing school that provides smaller classroom sizes and specialized educators and teaching styles that cater to students with unique needs and learning challenges. The Jones Gordon School has benefitted Milla tremendously. They meet her specialized needs both for her learning disabilities and the social and emotional needs that come along with these challenges. They provide daily interventions to check in with her and help keep her feeling supported and make sure she is thriving in her education. This specialized environment has helped her gain confidence and enjoy going to school. We hope to be able to keep her at The Jones Gordon School with the generous help of SpecialNeedsScholarships.org. We are very grateful.” — Milla’s mom.
Note: Punctuation and spelling standardized.