Riverview School was established on beautiful Cape Cod in 1957 and has an international reputation for excellence in special education. The scenic 16-acre campus is an easy walk to Sandy Neck Beach and is located on historic Route 6A just one hour from Boston or Providence, RI. Beaches, lighthouses and quaint villages are among the many treasures found on Cape Cod.
G.R.O.W. Summer is a five-week co-educational summer experience for young men and women between the age of 17 – 22 with complex language, learning and cognitive disabilities scoring within the 70 – 100 range. Consistent with our Mission, Riverview is committed to developing student competence and confidence by remediating academic, social, and independent living skills.
G.R.O.W. Summer is staffed by experienced teachers and dormitory staff from the school year program and also serves as an ideal opportunity for students entering the program for the first time in September to become acquainted with the campus, the faculty, and their peers. This helps to ensure a smooth and successful transition to G.R.O.W. in the fall. The “philosophy of the whole child” guides the ongoing dialogue between family and residential staff to ensure that student needs are addressed quickly and comprehensively.
ACADEMIC LIFE
Instructional classes are conducted in Reading, English Language Arts, life skills, consumer issues and money management. Students read a novel or a set of short stories that relates to a particular theme and in life skills, classes focus on issues related to independence and community safety. Consumer issues offer fundamental money skills that students need in order to successfully function in the community. As a part of this process, each student sets up a checking and savings account at a local bank. Students budget and write checks weekly, enabling them to practice these important skills. During the afternoon, students participate in elective classes designed to develop personal interests and productive use of one’s time. Each Wednesday, students go out on a daylong community outing where they explore Cape Cod and the surrounding areas, experiencing many exceptional opportunities. Such outings may include:- Whale watching
- Newport Mansions (R.I.)
- New Bedford Whaling Museum
- Martha’s Vineyard sightseeing
- Museum of Science/IMAX (Boston)
- Hard Rock Café (Boston)
- Tour of scenic Route 6A
- Canal cruise and seal tour
- Kennedy Museum (Hyannis)
- Beach trips
PERSONAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
As young men and women, our students are often faced with issues such as previous school failure, lack of friendship or poor self-esteem. Therefore, each student is assigned an Advisor who serves as a liaison between home and school and provides student support in areas such as self-awareness, self-advocacy and problem solving.
Social competency guidance is given to students by all staff. Rather than providing social skills instruction in isolation, all staff are trained to assist students in understanding social errors and preventing their reoccurrence by reviewing these situations as they occur.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS
Health care services are provided by full-time registered nurses. The campus has a six-bed health center where students can be assessed or rest if they are ill. Health care staff encourage students to better understand and advocate for their health needs by providing instruction regarding health and wellness and independent management of medicine.
RESIDENTIAL LIFE
Because living and learning are fully integrated on the G.R.O.W. campus, the residential program is designed as thoughtfully and thoroughly as the academic program. When students leave class, they enter another important dimension of their day. Much like the academic programming, all aspects of residential living serve to foster greater independence.
The residential program is designed to be a supportive and comfortable environment. The residences at G.R.O.W. are staffed by a Residential Supervisor, an overnight Dormitory Coordinator and a Dormitory Assistant. There are six residences at G.R.O.W. which are located in the towns of Hyannis and Sandwich. The Sandwich properties are used for the summer program.
Students are actively involved in menu planning, food inventory, grocery shopping, meal preparation and clean-up on a weekly basis by preparing breakfast and dinners in the dormitories. Cooking classes focus on individual cooking skills (boiling, chopping, measuring, etc.) which they practice during cooking labs.
In all of the residential programming, the goal is to develop responsible, independent, community-oriented students. Skills such as room and dorm care, laundry, hygiene, time management, organization, fitness and leisure planning are taught in a structured, supportive setting. For weekend and evening activities, G.R.O.W. students play an active role in designing and planning their individual activity schedules. Activity choices include:
- Swimming at local ponds and beaches
- Deep sea fishing
- Melody Tent concerts
- Barnstable County Fair
- Cape Cod Baseball League
- Personal shopping
- Food shopping
- Social outings
- Movies
- Outdoor town concerts
- Cape Cod Crusaders soccer games
- and much more …
| G.R.O.W. Summer - Five-Week Program | ||
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A TYPICAL G.R.O.W. SUMMER DAY
Monday through Friday
7:00-8:15 Wake up, prepare breakfast, complete morning routine
8:15 Depart residence for Academic Center.
8:30-11:30 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday:
Classroom instruction.
Wednesday:
Community outing (9:00 – 3: 00)
11:30 – 12:00 Lunch
12:00 – 2:00 Sample electives include:
- Newsletter
- Culinary arts
- Office skills
- Computers
- Home safety, repair and maintenance
- History of Cape Cod (museums, local historical attractions)
- Art appreciation (hands-on activities with local artists, museums and exhibits)
- Oceanography (seal cruises, whale watches, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute)
- Nature appreciation (nature walks)
- Crafts
- Retail (school store)
2:00 – 5:00 Home living skills/dinner preparation
5:00 – 6:30 Dinner/cleanup
6:30 – 8:30 Recreational and cultural outings, which may include:
- Concerts on the Green
- Cape Cod Baseball League
- Cape Cod Melody Tent concerts
- Sandwich Boardwalk
- Canal and beach walks
- Barnstable County Fair
- Kalmus Beach (observe wind-surfing competitions)
- Wellness Center (Riverview’s fitness center)
- YMCA
- Bike trails
- Borders/Barnes & Noble bookstores
- Movies
- Personal shopping
8:30 – 10:00 Free time/nightly routines/laundry
10:00 Quiet time.
