a co-ed, independent, inclusion school for grades k-12+

Family Education Events

Next Steps Speaker Series

Open to the public

The Next Steps Transition Program at The IDEAL School of Manhattan announces its inaugural speaker series. The virtual webinars feature experts in fields related to services, employment, housing, benefits, and financial planning for adults with disabilities. Families with children of all ages are invited to attend. The events are open to IDEAL families and the broader community. All events are presented on Zoom from 5-6:30 PM. RSVP to Darrell Francis, Assistant to the Head of School.

October 7, 2021: Introduction to Adult Services--Presented by Job Path
Speaker: Amanda Becker-Torres, MSW

November 2: Planning 101--Maximizing Benefits and Services, Part 1 (Presentation recording)
January 26: Planning 101--Maximizing Benefits and Services, Part 2
Speaker: James Traylor, CLU, ChFC, ChSNC, President, Upstate Special Needs Planning

photo of a smiling man wearing glasses

James Traylor is a sibling, advocate, and professional who has focused his entire professional career on creating the organization of choice for families of individuals with disabilities. He is a national speaker and regularly provides continuing education for legal, financial, and tax professionals. Mr. Traylor is the immediate past Chair for the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, a member of the board of directors for the ARC of Monroe County, a member of the Estate Planning Council of Rochester, a member of the Society of Financial Services Professionals, and a graduate of Partners in Policymaking.  

February 17: Building a More Inclusive World--Talking To Children About Disabilities
Speakers: Lauren Macchio, Stephanie Santoro, and Marc Liu, IDEAL School Counselors
 

February 23: Navigating Housing and Self-Direction
Speaker: TBA

April 27: Guardianship, Estates, and Trusts
Speaker: Ellyn S. Kravitz, Esq., Partner, Abrams Fensterman

Postsecondary Education Series

For IDEAL families only

Carla Shere, IDEAL’s College and Postsecondary Counselor, is hosting a new series of parent seminars to help IDEAL families and students in postsecondary planning. These Zoom meetings are designed for different Upper School constituencies as a guide for the specific steps of the process.

November 4: Postsecondary Process Sneak Peek

Families of IDEAL eighth graders are invited for an overview of the postsecondary process at IDEAL, which includes support throughout the High School years. Families are welcome to join the program immediately following at 6 PM.

November 4: Outside Activities and Using Your High School Years Effectively

This program is designed for ninth and tenth grade families to learn about what colleges and transition programs look for in students once they apply during their senior year. This program will include guest speakers from East Harlem Tutorial Program, ACE Mentor, and The Whitney Museum's Youth Insights. These programs are all free to students. We will answer the question, “How do students get involved in resumé-building activities outside of school?”

February 2: Postsecondary Evening for Juniors

This is a mandatory meeting for eleventh grade families to learn the nuts and bolts of IDEAL's college and transition program application process. We will discuss deadlines for senior year, recommendations, testing, the college and postsecondary program list, and everything necessary for the application process.

March 2: Summer Opportunities and Sophomore Postsecondary Night

Families of tenth graders are invited to learn about the benefits of attending summer programs and your next steps for postsecondary planning.

In addition to the above-listed seminars for families, Dr. Shere will be working with students during the school day on such activities as registering for SCOIR (an interactive postsecondary program IDEAL uses), career assessments, local college trips, and Zoom visits with colleges and transition programs. Please reach out to Dr. Shere at cshere@theidealschool.org with questions or suggestions for programming.

Civil Rights Museum Community Day

Friday May 20, 2022, 9 AM-2 PM
The IDEAL School of Manhattan, 270 West 89th Street, New York, NY 10024

Open to the public

About IDEAL’s Civil Rights Museum
Student life and instruction at IDEAL are deeply entrenched in our commitment to social justice, from both a historical perspective and as it relates to current events. Our whole school prepares for and participates in a Civil Rights Museum each year, which is the culmination of deep study of civil rights leaders and related civil rights concepts. Each grade level in the Lower School spends weeks studying changemakers and activists. In the Middle School, students pursue individualized study and develop culminating projects surrounding inspiring leaders. In High School, students embark on a year-long Civil Rights Research Project where they focus their research towards organizations that can allow them to take personal agency in supporting initiatives that are meaningful to them. Guided by teachers, High School students identify research sources and articulate their understanding of the civil rights issue, the stakeholders, potential solutions, and ways young people can have agency in the solution. They write a research paper and develop a forum to present and share their research with the community. 

IDEAL’s Civil Rights Museum Community Day
IDEAL’s inaugural Civil Rights Community Day invites our families and community members to campus to hear from renowned leaders, pioneers, and advocates in the fields of social justice and inclusion. IDEAL students and guests will also have the opportunity to participate in round table conversations with IDEAL students who present their Civil Rights Museum Research Papers Projects to students and guests, leading conversations and inviting discourse. 

Speakers
We have confirmed our first speakers: Charles Imohiosen, President and CEO, and Robert Masters, Chairman of the Board of Directors, of The Andrew Goodman Foundation. Mr. Imohiosen is an entrepreneurial executive with an extensive background in the private and public sectors, including federal, state and local government and policy-making roles for the White House and the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Mr. Masters attended Queens College during the same period as Andrew Goodman and was also a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee who helped register southern African Americans to vote. They will be joined by Katheryn Russell-Brown, the Levin, Mabie & Levin Professor of Law and the Director of the Race and Crime Center for Justice at the Levin School of Law at the University of Florida, a children’s book author, and a board member of the Southern Poverty Law Center.