January 2025
Dear Tillotson Families,
We have made it to another new year – 2025! As we near our halfway point of the school year, take a look below for some great news about our school:
Tillotson is Growing
We have some new staff to introduce! We have welcomed Ms. Andera Anderson and Ms. Kim Riley within the past two months. The two new paraprofessionals have gotten to know our students and support several classrooms throughout the building. If you’ve not yet met them, please give them a warm Tillotson welcome when you do!
We also have an additional two students, bringing our new total to 87! If you haven’t already shared the news about our school, here are three things that you can mention to other families who may be interested:
-Tillotson can accept students referred to us from public schools, charter schools, and cyber charter schools. Take a look on our website under About Us > Students We Serve to see our current list of partnering school districts. If your school isn’t on the list, we are happy to build a bridge to connect them to Tillotson!
-Tillotson has rolling enrollment, which means we can accept referrals at any time of year. It may be a challenge for children and young adults to begin at a new school halfway through the year, but at Tillotson, all of our students were new here at some point! We partner the new student with a “shadow buddy” to get acquainted and welcome them to Tillotson.
-If you’ve not yet heard, Tillotson has an 18-21 Year Old Program, ShYFT! ShYFT stands for Shaping Youths’ Futures Today, and is located about 4 miles from the school. Young adults work on skills to be as independent as possible, such as daily living, employment, and post-secondary education. The program allows our students an opportunity to continue their education beyond the classroom as they prepare for the “real world.”
Building Bridges
The students were hard at work during our Thanksgiving Feast and Day of Giving, and took a trip to the Light of Life Rescue Mission to donate the collected items before the holidays. We are grateful to have any opportunity we can to give back to the community!
If you know of any businesses that could use our student volunteers or who would like to come to the school to teach our youth something new, please let us know!
Recent Happenings
Check out what has been going on at Tillotson this past month:
December 11 – Aviary Field Trip
Our elementary and middle school students were up next to take a field trip to Pittsburgh’s National Aviary! Students enjoyed a sensory-friendly bird show and had a great experience.
December 12 – Movie Field Trip
Our high school students went to see Moana 2 at Century Square Luxury Cinemas! When Tillotson goes to the movies, we are able to create an atmosphere that is enjoyable for all students with lower volume, no ads, and dim lighting during our private showing.
December 17, 18, 19 – Holiday Shopping
Our elementary, middle, high school, and ShYFT students were able to do some shopping right before the holidays! This is a great opportunity for our students, as they learn to budget their money, go into the community, and give to others during this time of year. We were fortunate to be able to shop at both Southland Shopping Center and South Hills Village this season!
December 20 – Winter T.A.G.
Because of the half day, students enjoyed some winter activities in the morning! There were movies, activities, and hot chocolate – yum!
Upcoming Events and Important Dates
January 2 is our first day back to school from winter break! As we know with Pittsburgh weather, it is from now through March that the snow and ice might hit! Please refer to the information sent previously regarding our inclement weather policy, and contact the school if you have any questions.
January 13 marks the last day of the second quarter! Our third quarter/second semester begins on January 14. More information will be forthcoming for progress reports and report cards.
January 17 is a clerical day for staff – there is no school for students! The building will be closed on January 20 in observation of Martin Luther King Day. January 24 will be a half day for students.
Stay tuned for monthly letters, and as always, please reach out with any comments, questions, or concerns!
Tara Skalka
Executive Director
