eNewsletter February 2016
Save the Date!
PHILLIPS Programs 21st Annual Gala will be held Saturday, May 14, 2016 at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner! The gala is PHILLIPS largest annual fundraising event, which ultimately helps raise funds to benefit our youth. This year's theme is Mardi Gras Masquerade: Unmasking the Needs in Our Community. Visit our event website to learn more. For sponsorship opportunities contact Debi Alexander, Development Director at 703-941-8810.
PHILLIPS' Counselor Wins Prestigious National Recognition
Katie Miller, a licensed clinical social worker at PHILLIPS Special Education Day School ~ Annandale, was named Related Services Provider of the Year by National Association of Private Special Education Centers (NAPSEC). Miller’s passion for supporting children with special needs extended beyond getting an advanced degree and license to include getting trained to use a CCI facility dog named Ryder to inspire children. Miller and Ryder accepted the award at a ceremony in San Diego, CA.
PHILLIPS Growing Futures is on Instagram!
PHILLIPS Programs Growing Futures program is on Instagram! Visit Laurelhydro to keep up with this exciting project! Students in both science and Career Tech Ed are producing micro greens.
2015-2016 Annual Giving Campaign
This year's Annual Campaign goal was to raise $25,000. Thanks to our incredible community we have raised $40,000 to date! Help make a difference at PHILLIPS by making a fully tax deductible gift to support our youth. Read on to learn more about this year's campaign or visit our website to make your gift today.
Volunteer with PHILLIPS!
Whether you help as an individual or through your company, we welcome your involvement.
Contact the Debi Alexander, Development Director at 703-941-8810 or debi.alexander@phillipsprograms.org.
PHILLIPS Staff are Presenting!
Dana Bell, LICSW presented "The Who, What and Why of our Students ... Individualized Programming" at the MANSEF Conference.
PHILLIPS CEO Piper Phillips interviewed on Parenting Today!
SCAN’s Executive Director Sonia Quiñónez speaks with Piper Phillips from the Phillips Program about strategies and supports for parents of children with disabilities.
A Message from the President
Greetings all,
This year’s 21st Annual Gala is to raise awareness of and support for two developing programs under our Career Tech Ed (CTE) umbrella: Growing Futures and Culinary Futures.
This year's gala promises to be an exciting event as we present BB&T the prestigious Community Engagement Award for their charitable work throughout the region through Children’s Charities as well as their specific support for one of our programs - Food for Thought. Food for Thought provides our students with breakfast and lunch every school day!
Growing Futures includes the development of a micro greens initiative that launched in the fall of 2015. This program is the result of a partnership with Blue Planet Environmental to install a hydroponic micro greens farm. The goal is to create a career preparation program encompassing state of the art vertical gardening that addresses issues in our communities such a food deserts. This innovative program is educating our students on the plight of access to sufficient fresh produce. This endeavor will also yield job opportunities within the horticulture industry. In addition to Growing Futures, we are adding a commercial kitchen to our Laurel School program to be able to provide a culinary arts program. These two programs provide many layers of career training to prepare our students for the workforce.
Please join us on May 14, 2016 for a wonderful evening honoring BB&T, showcasing student talent, and celebrating our innovative programs! It's a night not to be missed including dinner, dancing, auctions and entertainment. Buy your tickets here!
Warmly,
Piper Phillips Caswell
President & CEO
703.941.8810
piper.phillips@phillipsprograms.org
Award-Winning Journalist Leon Harris to Emcee May 14 Gala!
Leon Harris is Committed to Improving the Lives of Children in our Community
Award-winning journalist Leon Harris will emcee our May 14 gala at the Hilton McLean Tysons Corner!
Harris’ work has earned him a number of honors, among them multiple CableAce awards for Best Newscaster, and National Emmy Awards for coverage of the September 11th terror strikes, the Oklahoma City bombing and the 2000 presidential election. He was honored, too, with a National Headliner Award and more recently with a National Capital Area Emmy Award for Best Anchor.
Leon Harris is passionate about improving the lives of children. His weekly segment entitled Harris’ Heroes profiles adults helping kids or kids helping their peers in the DC metro region.
Partnership with Youth Quest Brings 3D Printing to PHILLIPS Students
Youth Quest Foundation is partnering with PHILLIPS School ~ Annandale to bring the world of 3 D printing to students via a project (3 D ThinkLink) developed by Youth Quest aimed at teaching problem solving and critical thinking skills through 3 D printing. This initiative will create a mechanism to both address the development of 3 D printing skills alongside creating awareness and learning to manage mistakes, stimulating creativity and imagination, and instilling confidence to students.
3 D printing brings both STEM curriculum enhancements to the students as well as opens the door to a career pathway from design to nontechnical positions in the field. 3 D printing, correctly known as additive manufacturing, is considered a part of the third industrial revolution. Printing thin layers of plastic, nylon, even cells is leading to massive changes in manufacturing.
Students at PHILLIPS are learning the basic techniques through a curriculum designed by Youth Quest Foundation. Most importantly this class offered through the career department encompasses the development of job skills including developing good work habits, appropriate work attitude as well as the development of social skills and problem solving skills in their everyday lives so they can become more independent and self-directed. The students will also visit businesses using 3 D printing to increase their awareness of educational and career opportunities in 3 D printing. It is our vision that the project will develop into a career pathway for some of the students at PHILLIPS.
PHILLIPS Career Tech Ed (CTE) Visits the Barber College
As part of PHILLIPS' continued efforts to explore various vocational career options, students from our program recently visited the Barber College training school in Woodbridge, Va. The students were given a tour and information by the school founder and head instructor Mr. McKinley “Mack” Stockton.
Malik, Ericka, Chavez and Anthony were shown all of the different areas of the facility which doubles as not only a school but a full scale barber shop. While we were there, our students got a first- hand look at what a day at the barber college entails. We observed students cutting customers hair as well as instructors showing students various aspects of barbering techniques.
Following the tour of the barber shop training area, Mr. Mack brought the students to the classroom area of the school where he gave them detailed information about the profession, how to apply to the school and what types of things the students would learn. He also provided our students with some of the expectations and requirements in order to meet the criteria for becoming a fully licensed barber.
The visit concluded with a question and answer session in which Mr. “Mack” provided information to the students not covered in the tour. The students really enjoyed their visit to the barber college. The conversation on the trip back to school along with some of the questions that were asked during the visit, demonstrated that they found this interesting and may have sparked some interest in pursuing a career in Barbering/Cosmetology.
Use Amazon Smile for Valentine's Day Shopping!
If you shop on Amazon please consider using Amazon Smile which offers you the same features and products as Amazon but also benefits the school. You shop the same as you normally do on Amazon, but it benefits the school! Be sure to type in PHILLIPS Programs as your charity of choice. You only have to select the school once, and then your shopping will automatically benefit our youth!
Volunteer Opportunities Contribute to our Youth and Fun, Too!
We have lots of wonderful ways for individuals and businesses to give back to your community.
This week Stefan Mirevski, General Manager, Embassy Suites by Hilton Crystal City National Airport joined us at our Friendship Luncheons. We have three days of lunches (two per day).
If you or your group would like to assist some of our upcoming dates follow:
May 20 - decorating for the Spring Fling (prom)
4-8 PM
Contact: Devin Simpson (devin.simpson@phillipsprograms.org)
June 15 - June Fest (outdoor and indoor school-wide festival)
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
date subject to change (due to snow days)
Contact: Grace Elliott (grace.elliott@phillipsprograms.org)