August 2026

• Alli and Rachel did a great job running the first SLP led camp!
• Rebecca holding down the fort and making it through her first round of Fall scheduling (almost done!)
• To everyone that ran a summer camp, this year seemed to run particularly smoothly!
• Stephen for completing several recent evaluations
• Michelle for always working hard and staying committed to her clients with SM, continuing to figure out creative ways to support their confidence to communicate
• Emma, Kell, Bryant for donating and fundraising for the walk already!

Name: 3-2-1 Icebreaker

Targets: Social participation, fine motor skills (handwriting), visual-motor integration, impulse control, turn taking, working memory

Materials/Equipment Needed: 2x whiteboards, 2x dry erase markers, 2x erasers, 2x clipboards (optional), 2x pencils (optional), 2x lined sheets of paper (optional)

Activity (ideally for dyads or groups, but can be completed between therapist and child):

• Each child (or therapist and child) uses their dry erase marker to create 3 large columns on their whiteboard.
• At the top of each column, write:
  • 3 fav foods
  • 2 fav animals
  • 1 fav place
• Children take turns asking each other about each category. For example, Child A records Child B’s answers into the appropriate column (written word OR drawn picture). Child B records Child A’s responses and vice versa while moving through each category.
• When complete, give each child 10-15 seconds to review their recorded responses for each other.
• Flip the whiteboards over; it’s quiz time! Therapist can lead this by using prompts such as:
  • “[Child A], what is [Child B’s] most favorite place to be in the whole world?”
  • “[Child B], what are two of [Child A’s] favorite foods?”

Grading:

• The activity can instead be completed on sheets of paper over a clipboard.
• Categories can be added, or the number of responses per category increased.
  • Examples: Favorite movies, TV shows, sports teams, etc.
• The treating therapist can also participate, adding a third set of “categorical favorites” to the mix.
• Ask each child WHY the items in their categories are their favorites.
  • Example: “Why is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter your favorite place to be?”

What do you want to see more of from leadership?

• Activity ideas
• Lunch and learns
• Open rounds discussions
• Guest speakers
• Specific topics
• Material/assessment reviews

Please complete our post-camp survey (linked)!

Fall Scheduling reminders – when creating your schedule, please be sure to include:

• Gray blocks for case management/documentation time. Remember that we provide 15 minutes of case management time per clinical “hour,” so please build these gray blocks into your schedule.  If you have any questions about how to do this, please see Kellie or Cierra. 
• Required break time. If your daily schedule includes more than four hours of work, please ensure you have a scheduled 10-minute rest break gray blocked on your schedule. To simplify scheduling, you can incorporate your 10-minute paid rest break into one of your 15-minute case management blocks, provided you use that time as a true, uninterrupted break. If you are scheduled for more than five hours, your schedule must also include a 30-minute unpaid meal break.
• Maximum daily hours. Your schedule should not exceed 8 hours in a single workday. This includes any drive time.  If you are having scheduling challenges, please see Kellie or Cierra.
• Private Schools and Private Preschools: This policy establishes that occupational or speech therapy sessions delivered at private pay schools and preschools are billed using the same session-based rate structure applied to sessions delivered in our clinic, ensuring consistency and fairness in billing regardless of service location.

• 1:1 Sessions: Any session in which a single client receives individualized, one-on-one treatment from the therapist — whether delivered in our clinic or at a private pay school/preschool — shall be billed at our standard 1:1 session rate.
• Dyad Sessions: Any session in which two clients are treated concurrently by the same therapist — whether in our clinic or at a private pay school/preschool — shall be billed at your established private dyad rate..
• Group Sessions (3+ clients): Any session in which three or more clients are treated concurrently by the same therapist — whether in our clinic or at a private pay school/preschool — shall be billed at your group rate.

• Let’s get organized in how we communicate with admin –

If you need to discuss anything scheduling related/vacation/coverage/shifts with admin – please send an email so they have something to refer back to. They have many open tasks and ongoing communication with everyone on the team everyday so try to limit verbal requests to things that need to be done immediately (e.g., calling families for no shows, help with something in session). Of course you can discuss scheduling/logistics for complicated cases during less busy times, but either send an email prior or follow up without expecting them to remember specific details from a conversation in passing. 

Fall schedule email confirmation needs to go out no later than August 10th (sooner if ready).

• This is what I’m planning on sending out next week (Cierra)

Hi XX, 

I am writing to confirm your child’s Fall schedule:

 Day @ 00:00 – 00:00

As a reminder Fall scheduling starts the week of August 17th. Please email me as soon as possible if you need to adjust your schedule for that week.

And a gentle reminder of our cancellation policy:

CANCELLATION POLICY:  Please notify your therapist of planned vacations, schedule changes or other conflicts at least 2 weeks prior to your child’s scheduled session to avoid being charged in full.  In case of illness, please inform your therapist at least 24 hours prior to their scheduled appointment to avoid a charge for the session.  Thank you for your cooperation.

I hope everyone had a memorable and adventurous summer and I’m looking forward to a smooth transition into the new school year. As always, thank you for partnering with me to support your child!

STAR Institute – Driving Sensory Practice Forward | Enroll for 2026 Courses