Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children

Coding is for Everyone!💻💜 Today, we held a fun and hands-on coding experience at WPSBC in partnership with the American Printing House for the Blind (APH)! We’re showing how foundational coding skills can be introduced through engaging, accessible activities. Students from the Middle Program and Outreach explored key concepts such as spatial awareness, fine motor skills and conceptual thinking. They also dove into hands-on coding with APH’s incredible tools: 🌐 Code Jumper: Create sound-based projects with an interactive, hands-on system. 🌐 Code and Go Mouse: Program Colby the mouse to race through a maze and find his cheese. 🌐 CodeQuest: Help your astronaut navigate a grid-style game board to reach their spaceship using the CodeQuest iPad app. This is a great opportunity for students to immerse themselves in the world of programming while using tools that make coding accessible for all!

🎃 Happy Halloween from WPSBC! Our Middle Program students enjoyed a spooktacular morning, trick-or-treating through the halls and wrapping up the fun with a karaoke party. Wishing everyone a festive and safe holiday filled with lots of joy and treats! 👻

Halloween arrived early this morning as our Primary Program students celebrated this year's Fall Fest! Everyone showed up in their best costumes and had a blast trick-or-treating, bowling with pumpkins and exploring the pumpkin patch in our JSB garden.🎃🍂

Our secondary program students had a blast at the Hallo Hoco dance!🎃 Everyone showed off their fantastic costumes, and the "Mummify Your Teacher" contest brought lots of laughs! Big thanks to our DJ Mr. Ben for keeping the energy high on the dance floor.👻

🌟 Thank You, Uniontown High School Cross Country Team! 🌟 The team recently stopped by the WPSBC campus to volunteer. They painted shirts, planted beautiful mums at our entrance, and learned about our students and their classes. We appreciate their hard work and kindness in making our school even more bright and colorful!

Fall fun at WPSBC today! The Secondary Program students hosted their Fall Student Market.🎃 This festive market is a fantastic collaboration between students and their amazing educational teams. They designed, created and sold unique items, bringing the thrill of a real market right to our campus!

Still thinking about our White Cane Safety Day celebration!🦯 Huge shoutout to the incredible orientation and mobility instructors at WPSBC. Their dedication and expertise help students navigate the world with confidence, teaching vital skills that foster independence and safety. Thank you for all you do!💜

Earlier this year, WPSBC Executive Director and Superintendent Dr. Heidi Ondek announced her plans to retire next summer. As she looks forward to all the exciting things planned for her final year, we are preparing to continue building on the foundation she has established. The School is conducting a search for a new Executive Director and Superintendent, and we encourage interested candidates to apply. Also, please share this opportunity with individuals who may be well-suited for the position. Thank you for your support in this important process. https://bit.ly/4hapzu0

Another successful Buddy Project Day at WPSBC! Our staff's children, known as "buddies," visited the school and learned about Occupational Therapy through discussion and participation in common OT exercises. Buddies spent the day in assigned classrooms with our students, forming friendships and creating an environment for learning, understanding and connection. 💜🤝

Today, WPSBC celebrated White Cane Safety Day with an incredible talent show, where our students showcased their skills at navigating with their white canes! 🦯🎉 We wrapped up the festivities with a lively parade through the halls, acknowledging the importance of orientation and mobility. It’s all about promoting independence and awareness!