In the midst of the winter holiday season and following the excitement of Giving Tuesday, I’m thinking about gratitude.

For so many of our students, the first day at Orchard Friends means so much more than the start of another school year—it’s the start of an entirely new relationship: with school, with learning, and with themselves.

For some students, a three-month break from school can result in the loss of hard-won skills gained the previous year. Orchard Friends’ Extended School Year is a way to provide more continuous support for these students, helping to reinforce these skills through fun, engaging lessons and activities. 

We’re changing the ways that we talk–and think–about graduation. We’re expanding our definition of “graduate” to include all of the ways our students transition to the right next step for them. And we’re adding a new segment to our graduation ceremony to recognize–and share updates about–OFS students who have graduated to another school, trade program, or life milestone. 

I often say, “When you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism.” Like all students, students on the spectrum vary widely in their strengths, challenges, interests, and struggles. Our understanding of autism is constantly evolving, which means that the way we think about, talk about, and understand autism are, too.

When Charlie Donegan was getting ready to leave preschool, his teachers took his mother, Carla, aside. “They told me, all of the warm fuzzies of this place are going to evaporate; his experience in kindergarten is going to be different.”

For too long, Orchard Friends has been a “best-kept secret”: in our immediate community, around the state, and within the regional special education landscape. Revamping our website presents so many opportunities to change this—and we intend for this blog to play a significant role in making this shift.