January 28, 2016 Page 3 Board Approves Agreement to Provide Occupational Therapy Services Hawthorne Happenings News for the ‘City of Good Neighbors’ From City Clerk Norb Huber February The second month of the year has always been a little different. It’s the shortest month, so every four years we add an extra day. 2016 is one of those years. The month is full of holidays and observations also. It’s not too early for us guys to start worrying about what to get our honeys for Valentines Day on the 14th. Schools usually take at least two days off in observance of our Presidents’ birthdays. February has been designated Black History Month in the USA also. Super Bowl Sunday has become the biggest party day of the year. More guacamole is consumed on that day than any other throughout the year. More money is wagered and lost on the game than any other. If El Nino is coming with its predicted force, then February will be it. Finally, topping all of these holidays is the biggest one of all, Ground Hogs Day on February 2nd. Firefly takes flight in Hawthorne Did you know that we have another space rocket company doing research and development right here in Hawthorne? Dr. Thomas Markusic is a co-founder of Firefly and his resume includes time spent at SpaceX and NASA. He thinks that there is plenty of room for more companies to provide economical ways to launch satellites. Firefly is located virtually in the shadow of SpaceX on Jack Northrop Avenue. The company has testing sites in Texas just like SpaceX. CORECTION: Those are not TENNIS courts being installed at Memorial Park The project over at Memorial Park is the construction of three futsal/soccer fields not tennis courts as I reported last week. The Hawthorne Police Department and the Hawthorne Recreation & Community Services Department in partnership with the LA Galaxy and Chevrolet have done the work to bring soccer to a Hawthorne park. There will be an opening event on Friday, January 29th from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. There will be clinics and games for the kids. Death and Taxes The old saying goes like this, “There are two sure things in life, death and taxes”. As the month of January draws to a close, we start receiving 1099’s and W-2’s for our tax preparation. The dreaded tax season is about to be upon us. Going to our tax preparer or CPA is like going to Vegas, you never know if you are going to come out a winner or a loser. Death is similar, a lot of people don’t know if they will come out a winner or a loser. For me, when that day comes, I know that I will be a winner. In fact, by God’s grace and Jesus’ death and resurrection, I’m a winner already. Jesus has paid all of my debt in full. After my tax appointment, I may go home and have a cold one. After my death, I will have a great feast waiting for me. It will be great to have a cold one or two with all of my fellow saints up there in heaven. Hope to see you at the party. Upcoming Events January 28: Special City Council Meeting – 5:30 p.m. TONIGHT • February 27: HHS Pancake Breakfast • By Cristian Vasquez Members of the Hawthorne School Board voted to approve and ratify and Individual Service Agreement between the Hawthorne School District and Gallagher Pediatric Therapy that will provide occupational therapy services. Gallagher Pediatric Therapy [GPT] is a private pediatric practice that provides services via its multidisciplinary staff of occupational therapists [OTs], certified occupational therapy assistants [COTAs] and physical therapists [PTs]. “Our occupational therapy and physical therapy practitioners specialize in the evaluation, treatment and management of children, including infants, youth and adolescents, with a variety of developmental, sensory, motor, neuromuscular, educational and psychosocial disorders, who may experience functional performance limitations,” states GPT’s website. “Our mission is to create opportunities for children, including infants, youth and adolescents, to master developmental tasks, increase performance capacity, and achieve independence in their home, school and community.” The agreement with the Hawthorne School District is for GPT to provide occupational therapy services to a kindergarten student, [A.A.], who attends the Special Day Class at Eucalyptus School. The agreed-to services include once-a-week sessions, for 30 minutes a session. The hourly rate for these services is for $88 and will total cost of $1,364. The agreement will also include occupational therapy services for a preschool student, [A.D.]; the student attends multiple disabilities program provided through Los Angeles County Office of Education Division of Special Education. This student will also receive once-a-week sessions, for 30 minutes each session, at the same rate and as the previous student but at a total cost of $1,452. GPT’s therapists provide their services by working in a variety of settings, including clinical environments, schools and homes throughout the Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. “We provide direct service as well as consultation with families and educators to serve children with special needs across multiple settings,” states the GPT homepage. “These services include structured and unstructured assessment by means of skilled and functional observations or assessment via the administration and careful interpretation of formal [standardized] and informal [non-standardized] tests and measurements.” Other services to be provided through the agreement include occupational therapy services to a kindergarten student, [D.G.], who attends the autism program through Los Angeles County Office of Education Division of Special Education. Services will also be provided once a week in 30-minute sessions. In addition, nine sessions of compensatory services will be provide at an hourly rate of $88, for a total cost of $1,496. Through its clinical and school-based practice, GPT’s goal is to provide quality services that include “the evaluation and provision of treatment in collaboration with the child, family or other relevant individuals” as well as to fully develop, enhance, maintain or reestablish sensory, motor, perceptual, neuromuscular or oral-motor functioning skills. The same goal is established for the organization of behavior, adaptive behavior or psychosocial components of performance. “Our staff is committed to providing services to children in combination with their primary care and specialty care providers, school(s), and other involved communitybased service agencies,” states the GPT website. “The staff at GPT works closely with the child’s family to address the family’s needs and concerns, and to incorporate the goals of the family in developing and implementing their child’s treatment program.” GPT staff intervenes directly in order to develop, enhance, maintain or reestablish daily living skills such as play or leisure skills, social skills, academic skills, self-help skills and prevocational skills. These efforts include educating the child, the child’s family or any other relevant individuals in order to implement adequate interventions. One preschool student from Prairie Vista South Campus will also receive occupational therapy services once a week, at one-hour sessions, and will include an additional three, one-hour sessions per month. The hourly rate will also be $88 but the total cost will be $3,960. Lastly, occupational therapy services will be provided to a kindergarten student, [S.H.], who attends the Resource Specialist Program at Jefferson School. The student will receive services once a week, 30-minute sessions, in addition to consultation services six times a year, 30-minute sessions, at an hourly rate of eighty-eight dollars $88. The total cost of the student’s services will be $1,232. The agreement for these services will be funded via non-public agency funds. For more information on Gallagher Pediatric Therapy, persons interested can visit: http://www.gallagherpediatrictherapy.com. • Like Us on Facebook
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