Archives for 2014

A Message from the Superintendent/Principal
Diana DeVivio
December 2014

Dear HVS Community,

The holidays give us an opportunity to pause our busy lives and reflect on our proud accomplishments. The season offers us a chance to say “thank you” to the entire school community for all of the support that you provide to our students, our families, and our staff.

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You could feel the energy, excitement and school spirit in the gymnasium of the Henry Viscardi School at The Viscardi Center, which serves children with severe physical disabilities, during the School’s annual Wheelchair Basketball Sportsmanship Tournament on December 6, 2014. View snapshots from the Tournament.

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The Viscardi Center President & CEO Awarded Coveted Dole Leadership Prize

John D. Kemp personally selected by former Senator Robert Dole

Albertson, NY – November 19, 2014 – The Viscardi Center, a network of non-profit organizations providing a lifespan of services that educate, employ and empower children and adults with disabilities, announced today that its President and CEO, John D. Kemp, will receive the 2014 Dole Leadership Prize next month at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas. The Prize is awarded annually to an individual or group whose public service leadership inspires others. Kemp joins a prestigious group that includes Nelson Mandela, former Ukrainian president, Viktor Yushchenko, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala, former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, former U.S. Senators Howard Baker and George McGovern, former Polish President Lech Walesa, Congressman John Lewis, and former President George H.W. Bush.

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Dear Henry Viscardi School Community,

The first part of the 2014-2015 year has gone by quickly, and it has been both an exciting and a sad time.  Parents have met with their children’s teachers during parent conferences at the beginning of the month.  Our school has completed our first quarter and are well into our second.  The elections are over, and we welcome a new legislative session with much more lobbying work ahead of us.

As we reflect on the many things for which we are  thankful, I want to take this opportunity to share just a few of them with you:  We are  thankful for our students who come to school every day ready to learn – they give us all a daily reminder of what is important and why we are here.  We are thankful for the support of the parents in creating an outstanding partnership for our students.  We are thankful for the teachers, assistants, health aides, bus drivers, secretaries, nurses, lunchroom aides, support staff, therapists and administrators who really care about student achievement and have the best interests of our students at heart.  We are also thankful for our volunteers who enthusiastically contribute so much to our school.

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Dear Parents,

As you may already know, during the 2013-2014 school year, we faced a significant challenge regarding the 1:1 paraprofessionals and 1:1 private duty nurses assigned to NYC DOE students enrolled at the Henry Viscardi School.  After months of lobbying efforts and meetings with legislators and State Education Department officials, an agreement was entered into between us and the State Education Department to revise our staffing model in turn for an extension of the provision and payment of 1:1 aides and nurses for the 2014-2015 school year.  We began this process with a two-day visit and site observations by NYSED representatives, followed by 3 of 4 scheduled Restructuring Committee meetings.

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