Monday, July 27, 2009

The Illinois Titans AAU Basketball Team Wins Championship!

The Illinois Titans AAU basketball team is currently in Florida competing in a series of tournaments. Today, the Titans competed and won the AAU ESPN RISE championship game 68-56, according to Coach Aaron Lee.

The ESPN RISE games are a week-long, multi-sport event that takes place at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. ESPN RISE is an organization committed to promoting and elevating high school athletics through recognition, resources, information, inspirations, motivation and more.

This event is known to attract top basketball coaches in the country, as well as allow some of the nation's top athletes compete against each other.

Highlights from this week's events will be re-capped on ESPNU tonight at 4 p.m. Central time.

The Illinois Titans basketball team is primarily made up of Brehm Prep basketball players.

Congratulations Titans!!

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Brehm Hosts Illinois Teacher's Workshop

Beginning July 20th thru the 22nd, Brehm will be hosting an Illinois Teacher's Workshop. The topic of the workshop is "Rock, Minerals and Mining in Today's Society" and will take place in the dining hall.

The Illinois Association of Aggregate producers (IAAP) is a sponsor of the event, which provides earth science teachers with creative and fun activities to enhance classroom lessons. A handful of Brehm teachers will also have the opportunity to participate in this workshop. This program is eligible for graduate credit hours.

Attendees were given the option of boarding in one of Brehm's dorm rooms or making accommodations themselves.

For more information on renting or reserving Brehm facilities, please contact Brittany Morlan, coordinator of communications at 618.457.0371 or bmorlan@brehm.org.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Annual Giving Campaign Ends with Success!

The 2008-2009 Brehm Annual Giving Campaign ended on June 30th with a total of $340,724 in donations, surpassing the goal of $320,000.

We thank all of our supporters for their gifts during the campaign year. Annual giving provides student and faculty support not possible through our fixed operational budget. Through the generous support from our donors we have been able to fund significant facility improvements, extensive staff development and great student opportunities.

As the 2009-2010 Campaign begins, we look forward to continuing the legacy of excellence, leadership and character development critical to the education of our students at Brehm.

For more information on how your donation can make an impact on the life of a student with complex learning disabilities contact our Coordinator of Development, Russell Williams, at (618) 457-0371, ext. 1308 or rwilliams@brehm.org.

Friday, July 10, 2009

COMING SOON: Brehm Move-In Weekend!

Just as Brehm faculty & staff are settling in for summer, we are also preparing for the quickly approaching new school year.

Move-In Weekend will take place on Saturday, August 29th and Sunday, August 30th.

For your convenience, Brehm has blocked off hotel rooms at the Holiday Inn (618.549.2600) and Hampton Inn (618.549.6900), both in Carbondale.

Registration will take place in the Student Activities Center, so be sure to make this your first stop. Photos for student identification will take place at this time as well.

Remember, Nursing will process new students on Saturday, and returning students on Sunday. Please contact Nursing for scheduling or further information.

We know that the start of school can be a chaotic time. To simplify this process, please return enrollment forms to the Admissions office as soon as possible.

For any other questions or concerns, please contact Brehm at 618.457.0371.

We look forward to seeing you in August!

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Satisfied Brehm School Parents Speak Out

Recent feedback we’ve received from satisfied Brehm parents:
“From the bottom of my heart I can’t begin to express what this experience has done for Mike and our family. It has brought us even closer. Michael has made so much progress in less than a year, his communication skills are unbelievable. Brehm is my life saver.
— N. Glorioso
“My daughter has a bright future because she was able to attend Brehm. She not only received an excellent education but self-confidence, maturity, social skills and friends she will keep for life. The entire staff was beside her all the way from the day she arrived until graduation day.”
— S. Vinson
“My son made quantum leaps because of his speech classes and the social groups.”

— D. Morgan

Words cannot express our gratitude. Brehm has helped my son's confidence in learning. His maturity and his grades reflect that he has excelled in the environment. He feels safe and loved by the staff members — they've treated him like family. Brehm not only educates a disabled child...they show love and concern.”

— R. Greenlaw English

"We think the world of Brehm and can never thank the school and its experienced, committed faculty enough for reaching our daughter and giving her back to us as the lovely and gifted person she was intended to be. Without the emotional and academic foundation Brehm helped her build, she would not be pursuing her dreams.”
— S. Holm and K. Johnson

I was hesitant to send my middle-schooler to a boarding school, but it soon became evident that it was the best choice we could have made. At Brehm he has had great adult role models, a peer group, clear, consistent structure, and school resources in place that you frequently have to fight tooth and nail for in public settings. I am so very proud of who he is today. I think he is the best version of himself that he has ever been, and I look forward to even greater gains in him as he matures through Brehm.”
— K. Bradtke
“The special and individualized attention that our son has received at Brehm has been truly amazing. He has grown in so many ways during his first year at Brehm – academically, socially, personally – that we could hardly believe it was the same child who went off to school in the fall.”
— E. Brill

We cannot say enough about Brehm. Our daughter, who had a 1st grade reading level when she arrived at Brehm near the end of her 6th grade year, has now graduated and is being considered for nursing programs. Our wonderful lawyer told us 'Once you get her to Brehm, they will do the rest.' She was totally right. The faculty and staff at Brehm made our daughter's dreams of learning become a reality.”
— R. and R. Enlow
Brehm addresses a broad spectrum of learning disabilities. Students who attend Brehm demonstrate processing, perceptual, or conceptual deficits, which occur in visual, auditory, or motor functioning. Deficits in one or more of these areas affect academic, social, and emotional growth.

ninety-five percent (95%) of Brehm graduates go on to a post-secondary experience.

Brehm is a small, accredited, not-for-profit school with a staff of 150. Brehm School limits its focus to about 100 students each year — from California to New York, as well as other countries. And, we still have room for students for this upcoming 2009-2010 school year!

Contact admissions today by calling (618) 457-0371 or email: admissionsinfo@brehm.org

Thursday, July 2, 2009

OPTIONS: Internship Program

OPTIONS: Part 5 of 5


All OPTIONS at Brehm students are encouraged to participate in community-based internships.

Monitored internships are designed to offer students real work experiences. Internships are programmed during regular school hours and students typically participate for an average of 3 to 12 hours per week.

A vocational counselor assists students in identifying appropriate interest areas, as well as finding internship opportunities, preparing for interviews, meeting supervisors, and arranging work schedules. Students’ progress and performance is regularly monitored by the vocational counselor and the internship on-site supervisors.

The monitored internship experience provides an unparalleled opportunity for a student to learn first-hand about expressed areas of interest.
  • Job matching and coaching
  • Transportation is provided
  • Frequent visits by vocational counselor
  • Internship Support classes
  • New job skills learned
  • Employability promoted

The OPTIONS Program at Brehm is a comprehensive transitional program for students with complex learning disabilities who have graduated from high school, earned their GEDs, or who have chosen to defer graduation in order to participate in this empowering Program. The OPTIONS Program focuses on the academic, employment and social skills required for success by emphasizing independent living, self-advocacy skills, and learning how to learn. As students (most 18 to 25 years of age) transition through three phases of the OPTIONS Program, they develop academically, socially and emotionally — acquiring the crucial tools necessary for independent life.