East Valley families with children on the autism spectrum have a new treatment facility to consider at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD).
CARD provides a variety of services using the evidence-based principles of applied behavior analysis to treat the delays and challenges commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The international center, established in 1990, has opened a Chandler location to serve the area.
CARD’s founder and executive director Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh explains the organization works with families with individuals of all ages who are diagnosed with ASD.
“We work with children from birth, all the way up to adulthood,” Granpeesheh says. “With our children, the goal of the program is to teach them all the skills they don’t have in order to help acclimate them to the real world. Once you have skills, your behavior has changed, you don’t tantrum because you’re not frustrated because you can express yourself.”
CARD has more than 100 therapists in the Valley, treating about 150 families in
a full-time program. Working with early intervention, Granpeesheh says the goal is to integrate children into school and help them to have typical functioning.
“For the children that don’t make it, our goal is find the best placement for them and help them with adaptive skills and community daily living and becoming more functional,” she says.
Older students are taught safety, vocational and life skills.
“Anything you name, we work on, from potty training to teaching how to balance their checkbook for the autism spectrum,” Granpeesheh says.
CARD also offers Skills, an online curriculum for autism. “Skills is a massive assessment of the child,” Granpeesheh says.
“A massive curriculum of all the lessons a child, or adult, could possibly need. It’s kind of our database. We currently have about 7,000 children in the Skills database, and by the end of the year, we’ll have about 10,000.”
The program is valuable for analysis of sub-types of autism, she says. Educational games, specifically programmed for the way CARD trains the students, are available for additional application.
CARD offers weekend and afterschool enrichment that includes dance, art and drama.
“We are really going heavily into enrichment here, and piloting it here,” Granpeesheh says. “We’re moving a lot into leisure enrichment for our kids, not just teaching. We want to give them the opportunity to get involved with other
aspects of life.”
Therapists work days, evenings and weekends with participants, at the center or in homes. “Any waking time for a child, we are available.”
Granpeesheh says there are plans to open a charter school to work with students during the day to allow for more interventions to kids. She explains she is actively seeking funding to offer respite services as well at CARD.
Working with the families is a core component of CARD.
“A lot of our program has to do with parent training, parent education, parent resources,” Granpeesheh says. “We have a parent association. They’ve basically become our parent support group. They help new parents come on board and have all sorts of incites.”
She says parent involvement is a large portion of program. “It’s very necessary.”
Funding comes from insurance coverage for services at CARD. Required by the state, “The autism mandate has no limitation on coverage,” Granpeesheh explains. She suggests viewing the CARD website at www. centerforautism.com for information about insurance coverage and admission.
The Chandler Center for Autism and Related Disorders is located at 290 S. Alma School Rd., Suite 1. For more information visit, www.centerforautism.com or call (855) 345-2272.
Tracy House is a freelance writer for SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at tracy@santansun.com.
CUSD high school tours set
Approximately 3,000 eighth graders in the Chandler Unified School District will be given a tour of the four district high schools during the week of Jan. 7. Tours will be held Wednesday, Jan. 7, Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Basha High School, 5990 S. Val Vista Rd., Chandler; Wednesday, Jan. 7, Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Chandler High School, 350 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler; Wednesday, Jan. 7, Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Hamilton High School, 3700 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler; and Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Perry High School, 1919 E. Queen Creek Rd., Gilbert. All tours will begin at approximately 9:45 a.m. and end at 1:30 p.m.
Students will have the opportunity to explore Career and Technical Education programs, food/lounge areas and campus highlights while becoming familiar with their prospective high schools. Student presents will showcase the schools’ programs and lead the tours.
To learn more, call Basha High School at (480) 224-2100, Chandler High School at (480) 812-7700, Hamilton High School at (480) 8835000 and Perry High School at (480) 224-2800.
Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh. Submitted photo
TechShop Chandler makes student projects a reality
BY MEGAN BROWN
A third-year engineering student at Arizona State University, Marcos Garcia needs to finish his autonomous underwater vehicle before RoboSub, a summertime competition in San Diego.
To complete this task, he’s using TechShop, a membership-based workshop and fabrication studio in Chandler. Founded in Menlo Park, California, TechShop has partnered with ASU, which allows students access to complimentary memberships and connections to more than $1 million worth of technology and software.
“We love it there, the members and (staff members) are great and show interest in our projects, and we couldn’t be happier to have a space where we can do so much,” Garcia says. “It’s great to see places like TechShop that foster and grow American-made products.”
Members can take advantage of 3-D printers, water jets, laser cutters, industrial sewing machines, digital prototyping software and more, according to Lindsay Hart, a public relations representative for TechShop. It has more than 6,000 members at eight nationwide locations.
“Our goal is to provide students with an accessible place to innovate and create, as well as (with) education and guidance to help them make anything they can dream up,” says Shawna Hudson, TechShop Chandler’s education coordinator and interim general manager.
Madison Creech, a student working toward her master’s degree from ASU’s fibers program, uses the facility to bring her visions and innovative designs to life.
“My experiences at TechShop cannot be measured,” Creech says. “TechShop has provided me with comprehensive training on a broad selection of advanced equipment.”
Creech began using TechShop’s resources in June as an artist in residence. In addition to having full access to the facility’s technology, Creech was given the opportunity to teach a workshop called Laser Loom: Back-strap Weaving. The workshop taught students to make their own loom for fabric weaving using the laser cutter
and demonstrated beginning techniques in weaving.
“The skills I’ve learned have given me confidence in creating,” Creech says. “I’m able to think critically about a design and execute it with proficiency. The knowledge I have gained has and will continue to open doors in my professional and creative career.”
Creech is not alone in her participation with the TechShop facilities. This semester, there are 645 ASU student memberships and 17 ASU faculty and staff memberships.
The program’s great success has made a difference in the intellectual and innovative growth of many students and faculty members across all four ASU campuses. Even after the promotional membership period is over, students who have been happy with their progress in the facility plan to continue memberships into the spring semester.
TechShop’s collaboration with both ASU and the City of Chandler has aimed to “advance higher education while supporting the maker movement by not only providing students the tools of innovation, but also exposing them to an established community of makers, tinkers and inventors,” Hudson says.
Megan Brown is a third-year student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. She can be reached at news@santansun.com.
Jacquie, Khloe, Dr. Salem, Ania, Karen
WOOD SHOP: Madison Creech used the technologies and equipment provided by TechShop Chandler to create her art piece titled, “Hunting Trophies.” Photo courtesy of Madison Creech
Visit Santa HQ for family fun
Families are invited to HGTV’s Santa HQ through the end of the holiday season to experience wonder of Santa’s world in a new way.
Visitors can take an Elfie selfie and star in their own holiday video, explore Santa’s Observatory using ELFRAY Vision, test out the “Naughty O’ Nice Meter” and enjoy a memorable photo with Santa.
Santa HQ also features “Sleigh Ride”—a featured track on the recently released Pentatonix holiday album, “That’s Christmas to Me”—as part of Santa HQ’s light show. “That’s Christmas to Me” is available in stores and online.
Reservations can be booked online at www.Santa-HQ.com.
Seton Catholic hosts contest for young poets, artists
Entries are due by 12 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, for Seton Catholic Prep’s “Leaders of Tomorrow Art and Poetry Contest,” a competition open to all aspiring artists and writers in sixth through eighth grades.
The competition is being held in honor of Seton Catholic Prep’s 60th anniversary and patroness St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. .
Students are encouraged to submit their entries in art and poetry on one of the contest’s four central themes: courage, determination, faith and love, the special gifts that St. Elizabeth Ann
Seton stated were present in all children. First-place winners in each category will receive a $600 Visa gift card. Other prizes include gift cards to Chandler Center for the Arts, Michaels and Barnes and Noble. Entries will be judged by Seton faculty members in the fine arts and English departments; winners will be notified by March 1 and announced at the Seton Catholic Visual Arts Showcase and Fine Arts Night events in the spring. For more information, contest rules and to submit your entry, visit www. setoncatholic.org/60th_anniversary.
Rock the Block! a rocking success
The 2014 Achen-Gardner Construction Rock the Block! event, hosted recently by the Downtown Chandler Community Partnership in conjunction with Steve LeVine Entertainment and Public Relations, was a great success, welcoming 15,000 attendees in the heart of downtown Chandler.
This year’s free, family-friendly block party featured more than 100 vendors as well as food, carnival games, a kids’ zone sponsored by the SanTan Sun News, live entertainment, a beer garden
and more. Thirteen-year-old singer EmbeR was crowned the winner of the Chandler’s Got Talent competition, which featured local singers, dancers and other variety acts. EmbeR claimed the grand prize of $250 and earned the opportunity to perform on the Main Stage at Rock the Block! in November 2015.
To learn more about Rock the Block!, visit www.chandlerblockparty.com.
STUDENT CHRONICLES
Athletic Association Academic Team. Patric was Hofstra’s academic selection.
Patric Pray of Chandler, a finance major at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, is a member of the AllColonial
RoboCreepers return to LEGO competition
BY MEGAN BROWN
Ten students representing six schools are among the slew of Arizona teams participating in the annual FIRST LEGO League Robotics Tournament coming to Hamilton High School on Saturday, Dec. 6. The RoboCreepers will demonstrate problem-solving and teamworking skills, challenges in which the group excelled in last year.
Coached by Corey Niles and his wife, Giselt, the RoboCreepers are comprised of Sebastian Quintanilla of Willis Junior High School; Angelica Rivera from Conley Elementary School; Connor Niles, DeeLan Kareem and Logan Thomas from Andersen Junior High School; Bianca Rivera, Christine Cao and Natalie Gonzales from Bogle Junior High School; Porter O’Doherty from ACP; and Xander Ballew from ASU Prep.
They will compete in three categories at the FLL tournament: research, the robot game and core values. In addition to these scored categories of the competition, kids learn the importance of working well with others.
“A couple of our kids have never been part of a team before,” Corey Niles says. “As a coach and a parent, it’s invaluable seeing all of the kids gain experience with life skills such as computer coding, research, public speaking, teamwork and most of all, learning while having fun.”
The kids are longtime friends who found themselves moving to different schools and areas of town as they aged. Parents of the students decided to start their own FLL team to foster the friendships and to provide experiences and skills that would be beneficial to them as they grew physically and intellectually.
FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 and aims to inspire innovation that fosters “well-rounded life capabilities, including self-confidence, communication and leadership,” according to the mission statement on the organization’s website.
The first portion of the tournament focuses on research where the teams must develop an innovative solution to an agreed-upon problem. For the RoboCreepers, the students have decided to analyze the ways in which they can improve creativity in the classroom to promote better learning.
Each member of the team contributed to the development of a classroom tool prototype, which they call BrainGears. It consists of six different categories of activities for students to participate in at the start of each class. The categories range from riddles and brainteasers to having students finish an incomplete image.
“missions” on a standard robot table designed by the FLL. The missions are worth varying amounts of points and each team can select which ones to complete within a two-minute time limit.
“I really enjoy those moments when we are working on a robot mission and it is completely not working, and then out of nowhere, it works amazingly,” Sebastian says. “Those unexpected moments are the best part.”
In their rookie season at last year’s regional tournament, the RoboCreepers earned the highest score in the robot game category, earning their team’s first trophy. Their overall high score from the competition afforded them the opportunity to compete in the state competition at ASU.
The final portion of the competition is core values. Defined by the FLL, these include teamwork, team spirit, respect and gracious professionalism while competing with other teams.
“The best part is that they respect each other,” Giselt Niles says. “They understand that each of them is important, some are great at drawing, others at programming, others at research. To them, there is no way that they could have done such a good job without the talent of every single member of the team.”
During the competition, the core values are judged in a room away from parents, coaches and other teams. The teams perform a skit, present a poster on their demonstration of core values and then the judges ask a number of questions about their team’s project and goals.
Each of the team members agreed that the best part of participating in this competition is the time they are able to spend with one another so their friendships may flourish into the future.
So far, the BrainGears tool has been used in classrooms at Conley and Hartford elementary schools and Andersen Junior High School. The feedback from students and teachers has been overwhelmingly positive.
The next portion of the competition is the robot game, where the students use a LEGO robot they’ve built to complete
“I hope that this experience will help to give the kids a foundation for learning and competition that will continue into adulthood,” Corey Niles says. “As one of the parents said last season, ‘this experience may change their futures.’”
Megan Brown is a third-year student at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.
FRIENDS AND TEAMMATES The RoboCreepers, a team participating in the FIRST LEGO League, consists of 10 students who joined the program as a means to keep their long-lasting friendship alive. Photo courtesy of Giselt and Corey Niles
PRESENTATION: Connor Niles and Angelica Rivera introduce their BrainGears prototype for the enhancement of better learning in Kristina Wetzel’s classroom at Conley Elementary. Photo courtesy of Giselt and Corey Niles
CHANDLER UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT
Dec. 17-18: High school early release
Dec. 19: Teacher Inservice/Workday; no school
Dec. 22-Jan. 2: Winter intersession; no school
Jan. 5: Teacher Inservice/Workday; no school
Conley Coyotes
Running Club – Under the direction of Molly Brennan, the running club meets at 7:30 a.m. Monday and Thursday mornings. Students will participate in three races against other Chandler schools in January and February.
Class notes – Kindergartners recently went on a field trip to Shamrock Farms. Students learned how a dairy farm operates and were able to name two recently born calves.
Tax credits – Tax credit donations are still being accepted at the school office or online. Families are encouraged to donate to the school for field trips and clubs. All donations will be returned in the form of a tax credit.
Lisa Boileau
CTA-Independence Hawks
New student info – Registration information for new students is coming soon, including registration
information for siblings of current students. School tours for prospective parents will be held Thursday, Dec. 11, and Thursday, Jan. 8. Open enrollment forms will be accepted after the beginning of the year.
Heart smart – The CTA-Independence Site Council, with a grant from Brayden’s Buddy Organization, has received an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) for the school. It is in the front office and can be used to restart a heart in case of emergency. Many of CTA’s staff became CPR trained as a requirement for receiving the device.
Running Club – The 2014-15 Running Club season is underway with 220 students participating. A morning practice schedule has been sent home with each participant. Watch the school website for race information.
Fundraiser fun – Thanks to the Apex Fun Run Organization, PTO and parent volunteers for a successful fundraiser and their generous support. Students had a fantastic time. The PTO will be asked to approve the funds raised for new shade structures and wireless technology.
Change for change – CTA’s Student Council, in conjunction with Junior Girl Scout Troop 1362, recently held a coin drive to benefit HopeKids. HopeKids offers ongoing events and a unique support community for families who have a child with cancer or some other life-threatening medical condition. The girls collected, sorted, counted and donated all the
coins to HopeKids. The girls also participated in the 3K HopeKids Walk held recently in Scottsdale.
Tax credits – The year is quickly coming to a close, and tax credit donations will be accepted through Dec. 31. Family and friends are encouraged to make a donation. A tax credit is a full refund, not a deduction; contributions eligible for a tax credit go directly to the school, not to the state or district.
Calendar
Dec. 9: Chorus Concert
Dec. 18: Dollar Dress Down Day Wendi Olson, Sandra Simko-Chavez
Haley White Tigers
Day of Friendship – Kinder Tigers had their first annual “Friendship Day” celebration on Nov. 26. Families were invited to watch students perform five different songs to celebrate being thankful and then returned to their student’s classroom for cookies and punch.
Sock hop fun – From 6 p.m. to 7:30
p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, the Haley Tigers will dance and jive at the Haley Sock Hop. There will be live music, three food trucks and a photo booth. Admission to this annual event is one new, unwrapped toy to benefit underprivileged children of Chandler. Grant comes in handy – Haley Sixth Grade received a $750 CEA grant to help fund their three-day, two-night science camp at Prescott Pines Camp. All of the camp activities are linked to the Science Curriculum and the Character Building Education that is used at Haley.
Honoring soldiers – The school’s Veterans Day assembly was a huge success. More than 60 veterans were honored by the Haley Tigers. The Haley choir performed patriotic songs to commemorate these brave soldiers service.
Stephanie Palomarez
Tarwater Toros
Save the date – Tarwater’s 17th annual Jingle Jog Fun Run will be held Thursday, Dec. 18. Students, parents, teachers and guests are welcome to participate.
School Cents – Tarwater families are encouraged to stop by Guest Services at Chandler Fashion Center through Sunday, Dec. 21, to log Santa photo receipts and donate to the Salvation Army Angel Trees to earn 1,000 bonus points each. Remember that any mall gifts purchased are worth 1,000 points as well.
Mark Roberts Fairies
Info night – A parent information night for Tarwater’s Kindergarten Mandarin Dual Language program will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 22, in Tarwater’s Multipurpose Room. Registration for the information meeting is requested; visit www. cusd80.com/Page/53071 to register to attend.
Colonial Days – Second graders celebrated Thanksgiving with Colonial Days rotations; students learned about pilgrim school, crafts like needlepoint and some traditions that Native Americans taught the pilgrims. Fifth graders brought Colonial Day to life, participating in candle-making, calligraphy, tinpunching and learning about table manners and colonial militia; many students also dressed in colonial clothes for the occasion.
VIP visitor – World War II veteran Norman Carl visited fifth-grade classes recently to talk about his experience in the Army and what it was like to go to war. He showed students a newspaper from 1945, original ration tickets from the era, V-mail (Victory mail) and several photos. Students were learning about the history of Veterans Day and were interested to hear information from a primary source. Carl has been visiting Tarwater for several years in honor of Veterans Day.
JoAnne Cawley
Bogle Bulldogs
Music notes – Four students from Bogle Junior High were invited to sing the National Anthem at Intel’s Veterans Day celebration in Chandler, a ceremony honoring the service and sacrifices of active military employees and their families as well as Intel veterans. Audience members included Sen. John McCain, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and Chandler Mayor Jay Tibshraeny.
Nancy Polston
CTA-Goodman
Dec. 9: Spelling Bee, 9 a.m., Media Center
Dec. 9: School Tour, 3:15 p.m.
Dec. 10-12: DIBELS Testing, Grades K-3
Dec. 11: We Make History
Presentation “George Washington & Friends,” grades four and five, 1 p.m., Multipurpose Room
Dec. 12: PTO Second Quarter Box
Top/Label Contest Ends
Dec. 15: Flag Ceremony Presented by Kdg., 8 a.m., Amphitheater
Dec. 16: Geography Bee, 9 a.m., Media Center
Dec. 17: Good News Gators Assembly, 1:30 p.m. Multipurpose Room
Chandler-area musical performers ages 12 to 19 are invited to audition for the City of Chandler’s annual Teen Talent Competition, to be held from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 9, at Chandler Center for the Arts, 250 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler.
Entry forms are due by 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 12. A $30 audition fee is charged for each act. It will be refunded if the act is not chosen for the show. Every act will be screened through auditions, to be held Monday, Dec. 15, and Wednesday, Dec. 17, at East Valley Rocks, 2909 S. Dobson Rd., Suite 15, Mesa. Applicants will be contacted for an audition date and time; performers must bring any recorded music with them to the audition. All music used in the act, recorded or live, must not contain profane lyrics. Categories for all talent acts will be determined after the audition process to ensure fair and accurate judging during the competition.
In its 11th year, the event is a chance for young local singers, dancers, rappers, band members and musicians to perform on stage. A variety of acts up to five minutes long will be performed by individuals and groups. The first-place performance in each category will receive a cash prize. The public is invited to attend; general admission tickets are $5 at the door.
Entry forms are available online at www.chandleraz.gov/teens, at all
Chandler community and recreation centers or by calling (480) 782-2710. To learn more or to view the competition rules, visit www.chandleraz.gov/ teens or email anthony.baumann@ chandleraz.gov.
