Mon Feb 13 2012
By Holly Schoenstein
Gateway News
STREETSBORO -- Wait Primary School kindergartner Salvatore Romito grabbed a bone from a patient as he played the board game "Operation" in the school's cafeteria.
Before he operated, he played with a maze, dragging small balls along with a magnet.
To Salvatore and the other 40 or so Wait Primary kindergartners and first graders, working with volunteer "Motor Moms" to develop their fine motor skills 20 minutes per week is more like playtime than work.
"We get to do games here and get to do drawings, and we get candy," said Anthony, a kindergartner who's working with "Motor Mom" Angela Novotny, whose child is a student at the school.
Wait Primary Principal John Natko said moms have been volunteering to help with the program for at least six years.
"Teachers identified students who were in need of improving their motor skills, students who were having trouble with pencil grips, letter formation and other fine motor activities," Natko said. "(The volunteers) work with the teachers to come up with a time where they weren't doing major subjects, when they could pull the children out that week."
"It's a program for regular education students who wouldn't otherwise be receiving any occupational therapy services," Natko added.
Natko estimated he would have spent about $500 on the program this year.
Each volunteer submitted to a self-paid, $30 state background check before joining the group, Gawne said.
Wait has also saved money in its day-to-day operations and in classrooms by using existing supplies instead of buying new and monitoring consumption of tag board and paper.
"We have done with less, unfortunately, out of necessity," Natko said.
Comments
By Posting to this site, you agree to our Terms of Service Be polite.
Inappropriate posts may be removed.
Recordpub.com doesn't necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post.
Login above or Register to comment.
0 Total Comments Home | Back
Copyright Record Publishing Co, LLC. 1995-2011. All Rights Reserved.
Content may not be republished without the expressed written consent of the publisher.
Content may not be republished without the expressed written consent of the publisher.
Dix Communications