Archive for April, 2011

Calendar

Apr 29

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May 1- Michael Ramsdell Devotional Speaker-Author of “A Train to Potevka”- information previously posted

May 8- No Devotional-Mother’s Day

May 23-27- Parent Retreat- This is an overnight camping activity with your child.

23-24-All Girl Therapists

24-25-Lori, Jeff & Amy

25-26-Erin, Eric & John O

May 29- No Devotional-Memorial Day Holiday

May 30- No School-Memorial Day

June 10- 4^th Quarter Ends

June 13- Summer Quarter Begins

June 17- Boys of Steel Golf Tournament-Fundraiser

June 19- No Devotional Father’s Day

Jul 3- No Devotional Independence Day Holiday

Jul 4- No School Independence Day

Jul 11-22- Boys’ Camp Hanna

Jul 21-22- Boys’ Parent Retreat Overnighter @ Camp Hanna

Jul 24- No Devotional-Pioneer Day Holiday

Jul 25-Aug 5-Girls’ Camp Hanna

Aug 4-5- Girls’ Parent Retreat Overnighter @ Camp Hanna

Aug 19- Summer Quarter Ends

Aug 22- 1^st Quarter Begins

Sept 4- No Devotional Labor Day Holiday

Sept 5- No School Labor Day

Sept 12-16- Parent Retreat- This is an overnight camping activity with your child.

Each therapist and their case load will be assigned certain days to go.

More details will be coming in the next e-mails.

Oct 4-7- Base Camping Trip

Oct 20-22- Scarecrow Festival

Nov 3- Parent Teachers Conf

Nov 4- Parent Seminar- WRA Girls’ Spiritual Living Center

Nov 15-18- Summit Camping Trip-Hanksville

Nov 24-25- No School Thanksgiving

Nov 27- No Devotional

Dec 6-9- Base Camping Trip

Dec 25- No Devotional- Christmas Day

Dec26-Jan 1- No school

Soccer Update 4/29

Apr 29

Posted by wballard in School Showcase | No Comments

Our boys played their best game of soccer this year and ended up tying aginst Oakley 0-0 yesterday. We attacked their goal the whole game but just could not finish. I couldn’t have been more proud of how hard they played, it’s just too bad that we don’t play until there is a winner. Alex M. played great in goal and preserved the shutout. We play again today @ 3:30 which will determine where we will play on Wednesday. We will play somewhere Wednesday at 4:00 in the first round of the state tournament.
Spencer

Easter Weekend Report

Apr 29

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We had a great Easter Weekend. flowrider 005-click on link

Some of the boys went to Flowrider in Ogden. They had so much fun. The boys that stayed back participated in a Easter egg hunt and a movie.

The girls also had an Easter egg hunt, dyed eggs and went and visited Gardner Village in order to get off campus for a bit.

On Sunday many of the homes also had Easter egg hunts and celebrated Easter as a home. The boys branch provided a delicious meal for the boys, which they all thoroughly enjoyed.

Parent Retreat May 23rd-26th

Apr 28

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The 2011 parent retreat in Green River, Utah is coming up! We are expecting a great turnout from all the groups attending.

May 23^rd-24^th Girls Campus

May 24^th-25^th Lori, Jeff, and Amy

May 25^th-26^th Eric, John, and Erin

You will be responsible for picking up your child at West Ridge Academy and transporting them to Green River. If your child has meds, please make sure you stop by the med office to pick them up. They will be pre-packed and easy to pick up. If you will be taking your child for extra days either before or after the trip, please let your therapist know so the extra meds can be packed.

Please plan on arriving in Green River at 4 p.m. on the day you have been assigned. We will be meeting and camping at the Grey Canyon campground. This is located on the left side of the road about 0.4 miles up the dirt road from the Swayze boat ramp. There will be an orientation when you arrive regarding the agenda and activities available throughout your stay. During your stay we invite you to swim, play games, relax, and enjoy the outdoors. Once you arrive in Green River all meals will be provided for you.

Below is an estimated schedule for your stay in Green River.

First Day

4:00 – Anticipated arrival of parents
5:00 – Dinner
After dinner there will be therapeutic activities
Campfire

Following Day

8:30 Breakfast
River rafting through beautiful Grey Canyon
12:00 Lunch
Departure

You will depart after lunch the following day with your child. If approved by your therapist this would be a great opportunity to spend time with your son or daughter. Green River is located one hour north of Moab which is the home of Arches National Park. There are many activities in this part of the state and we encourage you to take advantage of them with your child. If you aren’t able to spend th extra time, please take your child back to West Ridge Academy. Please make sure your therapist is aware of your plans regarding transportation so we can keep track of your child. A map is included on how to get to Green River from Salt Lake City. It is a beautiful drive that takes about three hours.

You will need to bring your own tent and sleeping bag. If you do not have camping equipment you can rent equipment through REI at 801-486-2100. They can assist you with any equipment needs. If you don’t wish to camp, there are hotels 10 miles from the campsite. There is the Holiday Inn Express at 435-564-4439 room rates are about $89 per night, the West Wind Rodeway Inn at 435-564-4321 room rates run about $54 per night and the Comfort Inn at (435) 564-3300 room rates at $79 per night.

This is your opportunity to enjoy nature and spending quality time with your son or daughter. We ask that no other siblings come along so that you can have one on one time with your child. Please be aware that depending on your child’s progress, this is a time that he may attempt to manipulate and minimize behaviors. If you have questions about behaviors or conversations, please contact your therapist. Don’t let them triangulate or split you and the Academy staff on this trip or anytime.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact your therapist.

Sincerely,

Therapeutic Recreation Department

West Ridge Academy

Start:5500 Bagley Park Rd
West Jordan, UT 84088-5697, US

Directions			Distance
Total Est. Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes Total Est. Distance: 188.42 miles
	1:	Start out going SOUTH on BAGLEY PARK RD toward LEO PARK RD.	0.6 miles
	2:	Turn LEFT onto OLD BINGHAM HWY.	1.5 miles
	3:	Turn RIGHT onto W 9000 S.	4.7 miles
	4:	Merge onto I-15 S toward LAS VEGAS.	37.4 miles
	5:	Merge onto US-6 E via EXIT 258 toward PRICE / MANTI.	134.0 miles
	6:	Take the UT-19 exit- EXIT 164- toward GREEN RIVER.	0.3 miles
	7:	Turn LEFT onto MAIN ST / I-70 BL / UT-19.	1.3 miles
	8:	Turn RIGHT onto HASTINGS RD / CR-1712 / 1200 EAST ST. Continue to follow HASTINGS RD.	9.7 miles
	9:	End at Gray Canyon: Green River, UT US
Total Est. Time: 3 hours, 30 minutes Total Est. Distance: 188.42 miles

Part 2-The Lost Child Syndrome by Mike Ruoho

Apr 28

Posted by wballard in Parenting Help | 3 Comments

In my previous article, “The Lost Child Syndrome”, I introduced the concept of the Lost Child and described how it commonly manifests itself in the family. The Lost Child addresses the different roles other children may take on within a family when they have an acting-out brother or sister. Some of these roles include the Lost Child, Scapegoat, Hero and Mascot. While these roles and behaviors may be more subtle, if left unaddressed, professional treatment may be required to restore family order. As such, Part 2 of this article series will provide parents needed resources to identify these negative and destructive roles, and in their stead, create positive family roles.

The first step in the change process is to recognize the described roles and behaviors of the Lost Child Syndrome in the family. As denial and minimization are enemies to change, recognizing these roles in the family are key to progress. See last week’s article to help with the identification process.

Once a family begins to recognize the dysfunctional roles of the Lost Child Syndrome in their own family, however, it is then important to address them openly and without delay. These roles and behaviors are not a phase. It is important for the family to talk about these roles openly in a family counsel. The presence of the whole family ensures the continuity of language and protects against misunderstandings. It also permits the family to discuss what function they believe the role serves in the family and how other family members’ behavior may be encouraging or sustaining it.

For instance, in the role of the Lost Child, the family would need to discuss openly why they believe the particular child is seeking to be invisible. They would explore how this role is played out in the family and how others reinforce this role. They would also discuss why the child may have assumed this role, what fears or issues motivate it, and what can be done to resolve it.

A helpful tool in this process may also be art therapy. This is a great way to facilitate conversation within the family on any issue. It may include having each family member draw their feelings or their view of the family roles, relying solely on depiction and not words. Then, each family member takes turns explaining their drawings and what it means to them.

The following step in the process then, is to initiate the creation of positive family roles. As families identify and begin to work through the roles of the Lost Child Syndrome, they need to make a concentrated effort to identify the unmet needs of each individual in the family and identify appropriate behavior. If your child doesn’t know how to act differently, sit down together and discuss alternative behaviors and the desired family role they should take on. You may begin with these 4 steps: (1) Identifying and rewarding good behavior, (2) Focusing on the positive rather hammering the negative, (3) Strengthening your child’s self-worth and esteem through accomplishments, (4) Empowering them through ownership and accountability.

Often the acting out child becomes the family’s target, sacrificial lamb or is solely blamed for the family’s dysfunction. Understanding this as a systemic family issue, all family members should honestly examine their own behavior and role while participating in a family council providing each child to share their feelings safely and openly.

Parents can model communication skills and healthy relationships by appropriately discussing and solving some of their own feelings and issues in the family. Children should see their parents unified and consistent in their approach. Too often children know that if they engage in “divide and conquer” tactics with their parents, they will be able to get their way and continue the inappropriate behavior and negative role playing.

Lastly, parents can also facilitate this process by spending individual, quality time with each of their children, asking them questions about their likes and dislikes, their strengths and weakness within the family, their actual and desired contributions to the family, their perceived family role, and finally, the struggles they experience with others. This technique is a powerful tool for parents if they will use it. Remember that sometimes being an effective parent is asking the right kinds of questions. For example, ask open-ended questions that require expounding and avoid yes/no questions. Our kids want to talk to us. They may simply need some prompting. If parent and family efforts do not appear to be resolving the problem, seek outside help from a competent therapist who can assist the family in the healing and bonding process.

Campus Cleanup Day

Apr 27

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Last week everyone participated in a campus cleanup day. There were a wide variety of projects such as window washing, spreading topsoil in planter boxes, picking up trash, mopping floors, sweeping curbs, and raking. One of our foundational principles is “work”. This project gave the staff and students a chance to work together and feel a sense of pride. We accomplished alot with everyone helping out and working together.

Boys Soccer Update

Apr 26

Posted by wballard in School Showcase | No Comments

Our boys bounced back from the tie last week with a 4-0 win over Salt Lake Lutheran. We started out a little bit slow but then hit our stride towards the end of the first half. Paul Q. got the scoring going by being aggressive and scored our first goal. A couple of minutes later Zach O. scored off of a punt by our goalie Alex M. It didn’t take long for Cory M. to score the third goal of the game when he scored about 3 minutes into the second half. Zach O. finished off the scoring about 15 minutes later. The defense played great in recording our first shutout of the year. They deserve some recognition as well. Tyler B., Luke E., Ashton V., Tyrel P. and Kenton B. all played well and our goalie Alex M. played great too.

We have our final two regular season games this week. Wednesday we play Oakley for the region championship. Our boys are working hard and will be ready for this game. We will finish the season with a game against Mount Vernon on Friday. Both games are at home and will be played at 3:30.

We will be in the playoffs and the first game will be on May 4th at 4:00. Depending on our seed we may be playing at home, but I will let you know next week when we finish up.

Thank you for all of your support.

Spencer Keddington-Head Coach

West Ridge Academy: Therapy 101

Apr 25

Posted by jmurdock in Parenting Help, PodCasts | No Comments

Amy Whittaker, LCSW

In this podcast, West Ridge Academy Clinical Director, Amy Whittaker sits down with Jeff and discusses therapy in general. Does therapy work? What works best? In many cases a synergy occurs when a clinical problem is addressed using multiple methods. We start by discussing a recent study which found that up to half of severe mental health issues are not treated. We look at why some people resist getting therapeutic help even though it is clear that therapy is effective. We also discuss the West Ridge multi-faceted approach to clinical issues.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Mike Ramsdell-Author of Train to Potevka- May 1st Devotional Speaker

Apr 25

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I’ve read his book, this is one you won’t want to miss!

Set in the backdrop of the chaotic, volatile events in Russia at the end of the Cold War, A Train To Potevka will take you on an incredible, winter’s journey across Great Mother Russia along the 6,000-mile Trans-Siberian Railway. This fascinating story about an American intelligence agent from a small town in the Rockies is a tale of failed espionage, escape, and survival.

A Train To Potevka is a story of sacrifice, hope, and second chances. It is about love of family, home, and country. Most of all, it is a testimony to the basic goodness of man and the compassion and concern of a loving God.

This national best seller is a feel-good story for all seasons and for readers of all ages.

WRA Spring Gala

Apr 19

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Our Spring Gala was a wonderful evening filled with great entertainment by Alex Boye from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Each year our Advisory Council organizes the Gala for a fundraising event to help our families. Thanks to Cafe Rio for providing a fantastic dinner and Orange Leaf Yogurt for the scrumptuos dessert.

The “Legacy of Hope Award” was presented to Allen Proctor for his many years of service and support to the Academy.

Our youth were involved, the girls hosted the tables and the young men escorted the guests from the parking lot and helped them find their seats. We had a wonderful turnout and support from all those involved.