RCS students Addison and Emma using Sensory Resource items during instruction time with Mrs. Simon, English and Orton-Gillingham Teacher at Radcliffe Creek School.
Radcliffe Creek School (RCS) was recently awarded a grant from the Queen Anne’s County Mental Health Committee (QACMHC) to provide the School’s faculty and parent community with resources to support students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and anxiety in the classroom and at home. This grant will fund a new Sensory Resource Room at RCS, expand the School’s Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Library, continue the SEL program for older students, as well as support a full day of training with parents and teachers on ways to support mental health in neurodivergent children.
The new Sensory Resource Room at RCS will be filled with tools and equipment for teachers to check out for their classrooms as needed, helping students calm and regulate their sensory systems. When a child is in a heightened state due to an issue like anxiety, it can interfere with a student’s ability to be present in the classroom setting. Depending upon whether a child’s body is overly sensitive to sensory stimuli or seeking more sensory input, this equipment will help students regulate their bodies to be more available for learning. Debbie Cohee-Wright, a special education learning specialist at RCS, explained, “At Radcliffe Creek School, we recognize the needs of our students and how sensory integration will enhance their learning experience based off their own individual needs and strengths. The new Sensory Resource Room will enable our teachers to have the appropriate tools at their fingertips for ease and accessibility throughout their day.”
Equipment in the Sensory Resource Room will include noise-canceling headphones, weighted lap and shoulder pads, indoor hanging sensory chairs, bean bags, chair bands, fidgets, white noise machines and sound-absorbing wall panels. The integration of these resources will support students by addressing their fine motor skills, gross motor skills, social skills, cognition and play skills.
Additionally, this grant will allow the expansion of the School’s SEL library and continued SEL curriculum for older students, as well as a speaking event to be hosted for RCS parents and teachers in early 2025 with Dr. Vincent Culotta, an expert in mental health and neurodivergent children. Head of School Peter Thayer explained, “We remain grateful to QACMHC for their continued support of our school and for making these important educational and therapeutic mental health resources available to our parents, faculty and students.”
This is the second year in a row that QACMHC has awarded a grant to Radcliffe Creek School. “The Queen Anne’s County Mental Health Committee is excited to see Radcliffe Creek School utilizing the grant funds from us to reach the goal of maintaining their social-emotional learning program “Brain Talk” as well as faculty training, supplying the sensory room, and adding to their social-emotional learning library,” stated QACMHC President, Kelly Phipps. “The scheduled visit of Dr. Vincent Culotta to train faculty in helping students with ADHD and anxiety in the classroom will further enrich Radcliffe Creek’s program. The committee is proud to be a part of the school’s dedication in educating their students on achieving and maintaining sound, positive mental health.”
To learn more about the immersive, individualized education program offered at Radcliffe Creek School, as well as the school’s robust transportation program, visit www.radcliffecreekschool.org online or call 410-778-8150.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.