KIPP Texas Public Schools San Antonio Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools

We are proud to share this guest postal service by KIPP Texas—San Antonio almost how they are creating a more inclusive pedagogy environment through a partnership with Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools.

KIPP Texas—San Antonio has dozens of new student athletes this yr, equally approximately 40 students with varying disabilities are participating in the Special Olympics' Unified Champion Schools (UCS) program that the district implemented this school year. USC promotes the social inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities through inclusive activities with a school-wide approach.

Unified Champion Schools at KIPP Texas—San Antonio

With sports as the foundation, the UCS program offers a combination of activities and games that equip students with tools and grooming to create sports, classrooms and school climates of acceptance. In Oct, students began to learn to play basketball.

"They love to move. The sport doesn't affair to them. They just demand space and they volition make the all-time of information technology," said Bridget Galvan, KIPP Texas—San Antonio Athletic Director.

Usually, these students have an individualized schedule the unabridged school 24-hour interval while ensuring time with their general education peers. Physical pedagogy is different for each pupil because they may need individualized accommodations. Some students have PE with their form and some students have PE individually due to their specific needs.

KIPP Texas Public Schools San Antonio Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools inclusive education

Individualized Practice in Sports

"Students can come together all at the same fourth dimension to the gym or to the soccer field, wherever their practice may be on that solar day. And and so they all have that 30 minutes where they're existence physically active and practicing on skills like dribbling or passing or shooting in basketball," said Galvan.

Galvan said flexibility is paramount, whether it is utilizing individualized instruction to suit the strengths of each student-athlete or making allowances for skills that are difficult to master.

"Nosotros understand that some of the students have not gotten the sport and they may or may need extra practice. We also sympathise that the sport may not look exactly the same equally the traditional sport since we have to make modifications for the students, and each campus has a different number of students," said Galvan.

Galvan said this year, students are focusing on skills and not competitions.

KIPP Texas Public Schools San Antonio Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools inclusive education

Promoting Inclusive Didactics

Together with the Special Olympics, KIPP Texas—San Antonio can truly provide a  joyful, academically first-class learning environment that will ensure our students with disabilities feel welcome and are routinely included in, and feel a role of, all activities, opportunities and functions. The program volition be woven into the fabric of our schools, enhancing our current efforts and providing rich opportunities that atomic number 82 to meaningful change in creating a socially inclusive school that supports and engages all of our KIPPsters.

These practices are the offset pace to get the students to be agile and familiar with the sports that they will participate in. Eventually practices will include students that are in general educational activity together with students with disabilities.

Research shows that when children with disabilities participate in sports and physical activity programs, information technology can promote physical, emotional and social well-being. Like academic achievements, these areas of development are very important for success in the future. That's why KIPP Texas—San Antonio is proud to promote a more inclusive teaching environment as a Unified Champion School.

Charter Moms Chats

Watch Jaime Fountain, M.Ed., Director of Special Populations at KIPP Texas—San Antonio, and Bridget Galvan, Regional Director of Athletics and Physical Pedagogy at KIPP Texas—San Antonio, speak with Inga Cotton on Charter Moms Chats on December 1, 2022 at 4:00 PM Central live on Facebook and YouTube.

Jaime Fountain, M.Ed., is the Director of Special Populations at KIPP Texas—San Antonio. Ms. Fountain has worked over 21 years in special education, educating students, staff, and families. She is a strong administrator for student and his/her/their rights in the didactics system. She has a stiff want to give students the opportunity to succeed in a selection-filled life.

Ms. Fountain has worked in Georgia, Virginia, and Texas. She graduated with her Bachelor of Education from University of Due west Georgia (Carrollton, GA) and her Masters of Education from Texas Tech University (Lubbock, TX). Both of her degrees focus on special education, autism, and beliefs. She is currently working on obtaining her BCBA.

She was recruited to come to KIPP in 2022 to set up Life Skill classrooms, and transitioned into the Behavior Specialist shortly after. She managed the cocky-contained programs for the side by side couple of years, and finally became the Director of Special Populations last school year.

She started Special Olympics for the school district she worked for in Georgia, and continued being a coach and participating one time she came to Texas. When she transitioned to KIPP, Special Olympics was not part of the programs at that place. She is excited to now have Special Olympics for their students at KIPP.

Bridget Galvan serves equally the Athletic Director for KIPP Texas—San Antonio, dedicated to helping students accomplish bookish excellence to lead fulfilling lives while incorporating athletics. Bridget is a beginning-generation higher graduate and is the daughter of immigrants; she relates to the struggles and triumphs faced by many of the KIPP students she teaches and is passionate about helping them reach their maximum potential.

Ms. Galvan earned her Bachelors of Science in Applied Movement Science with a minor in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently working on obtaining her Certified Athletics Administrator certification through the National Interscholastic Able-bodied Administrators Association. She has worked in education for the by 10 years. She served as the founding KIPP United nations Mundo and KIPP Esperanza Physical Education Instructor and served equally the Athletic Coordinator for KIPP Texas—San Antonio. She successfully worked to build the athletic plan for both uncomplicated schools, where students were offered opportunities to grow in the sport of soccer and basketball game. Every bit the Athletic Director, Ms. Galvan has helped abound 53 sports to lx.

Bridget is passionate almost teaching people of all age levels how to be active. Her goals are to provide people with the skills and noesis to be physically active for a lifetime. Bridget partnered with the Special Olympics to ensure opportunities for inclusion for students with special health care needs. She is passionate about helping individuals with special health care needs; she has two nephews on the autism spectrum and is an advocate of bringing awareness, understanding, and credence of all individuals with special health care needs. Bridget is a San Antonio native, and enjoys golfing and line-fishing.

Read More About KIPP Texas—San Antonio

  • "Guide to Enrolling in KIPP Texas—San Antonio Schools for 2022–23," San Antonio Charter Moms, October 12, 2021
  • "Coin Flip Fitness for Staying Good for you at Home," Steven Ramirez, San Antonio Charter Moms, July 23, 2020
  • "Grumpy Pants: Art and Emotional Health," Jessica Grand. Rivera, San Antonio Charter Moms, July 10, 2020

Read More About Inclusive Teaching

  • "Graphic Novels for Struggling and Reluctant Readers," Nicole Cubillas and Kristin Yourdon,San Antonio Charter Moms, April 15, 2021
  • "Towards Kinder San Antonio Schools: Data on Local Districts' SPED Performance," Bekah McNeel, San Antonio Lease Moms, September 16, 2020
  • "Who Gets SPED Services in Texas? A Special Education Data Analysis," Bekah McNeel, San Antonio Charter Moms, September xvi, 2020
  • "Can Reading Cure ADHD? It's More Complicated Than That," Bekah McNeel, San Antonio Charter Moms, August 26, 2020
  • "Evidence-Based Literacy Instruction," Bekah McNeel, San Antonio Charter Moms, Baronial 12, 2020
  • "Identifying Hearing Loss in Children, and Finding Assist From Friends," Bekah McNeel, San Antonio Charter Moms, July 29, 2020
  • "Vision Therapy Might Exist the Solution for Your Child'due south Learning Disorder," Bekah McNeel, San Antonio Charter Moms, July 8, 2020
  • "One Mom's Experience with a Dyslexia Simulator," Bekah McNeel, San Antonio Charter Moms, June 24, 2020
  • "Celebrate Dyslexia: Education, Identification, and Celebration of Dyslexic Students," Bekah McNeel,San Antonio Lease Moms, June 10, 2020
  • "What Special Teaching Parents Desire to Keep From COVID-19," Bekah McNeel,San Antonio Charter Moms, May 27, 2020
  • "MTSS: Behavior Back up That Comes Before Special Education," Bekah McNeel,San Antonio Lease Moms, May thirteen, 2020
  • "Decoding the IEP: Parents Larn From a Special Educational activity Abet," Bekah McNeel,San Antonio Charter Moms, April 22, 2020
  • "Social Distancing Drives Innovation in Special Educational activity Evaluations," Bekah McNeel,San Antonio Charter Moms, Apr 8, 2020
  • "Punished, Not Served: Texas Data Shows Students with Certain Disabilities Are More Probable to Be Disciplined than Served," Bekah McNeel,San Antonio Charter Moms, November 22, 2019