Autism NJ Deliver the Classroom Kits

Autism NJ Deliver the Classroom Kits

On March 23, 2015 just in time for Autism Awareness month in April lots of boxes were delivered. 

Lots of boxes, that served as gifts to teachers with supplies for classrooms of about 25 students. The Teacher Classroom Kits included materials such as brief lesson plans, student give always, classroom decorations, posters, info for students and their parents to learn more about the disorder. 

Brynn Alberici, a director at Autism NJ and one of the creators of this amazing teacher resource was kind enough to personally deliver the boxes to my home.

Even the Persident of Hartshorn PTO, Sonali Ghanti and the President of Caring Kids came out to show their support of these wonderful gifts. Caring kids actually presented the brief lessons to some of the students in 2nd and 3rd grades. It truly was a collaborative effort with so many!  Thank you! 

For tickets and info to the next tour, go to www.RealShortHills.com. 

He knows he has autism.

Today my son was telling me a story about a boy who has autism.  I asked him if he knew what autism was and he said, "it is a very bad disease that causes problems with peoples brains".  I told him that it is not a disease, but a disorder. And it is only as bad as you let it be.  In other words, there are things and even medicines to help manage the problems that the disorder may cause.  He continued to describe the boy as someone who was very sensitive.  He was saying that the boy acted "really upset for no reason".  I told my son there are triggers, and motioned like I was poking at something.  I explained that sometimes people get triggered or poked by something, and then they feel and react the way they do.  Your emotions and feelings just get the best of you sometimes.  And the best thing to do is understand when you are triggered.  We talked about how he got upset earlier in the day.  Then he asked me if he had autism.  I told him the truth...

Short Hills House Tour - Keller Williams Premier Properties of Essex,Union, Morris Counties

Short Hills House Tour Benefitting Autism Awareness locally is on Saturday, October 3rd, from 12pm-3pm.  Buy tickets via eventbrite.

Real Short Hills with Keller Williams Premier Properties of Essex, Union, & Morris Counties will host the 3rd Annual Short Hills House Tour Benefitting Autism Awareness.  The tour was created to gather interesting homes being sold by KW, to showcase what's really in Short Hills, while raising money to help a good cause in need & close to my heart.  Autism affects 1 in 45 children in NewJersey.  That is 1 child in every two classrooms, really.  To see more about my motivations read more in the blog, start from the bottom!

A Short Hills House Tour participant will have the opportunity to view 6 homes in the Short Hills area, with a minimum $25.00 donation.  All of the proceeds from the tour will go to Autism NJ as well as Millburn Township Public Schools, for the Benefit of Autism Awareness locally within our schools.  The items received by the district will include materials that celebrate, acknowledge, or educate during Autism Awareness Month in April.

Many collaborations were made to make this all possible, with Autism NJ, KW (a driving source to be sure we give back to the community we serve), Caring Kids, Hartshorn's PTO, SEPAC, MESPEC,  Education Foundation, and even the School Board to create a great event and get the benefit it provides.  Each year it just keeps getting better!  Thanks to all who support this effort!

Jacky Elliott, Team Leader at KW, helped launch the original relationship between Autism NJ and Millburn Township.  Dr. James Crisfield, former Millburn Township Superintendent, supported the nice union and appreciated what was provided to the district from Autism NJ by KW.

My "real" favorite of what was acquired from Autism NJ for Millburn Township Public Schools was a lesson plan that came out of the first Autism NJ kit. It simply help teachers educate children about differences amongst each other.  The lesson wasn't specifically about autism, but yet it had an objective to teach kids about acceptance.  Frankly, it warmed my heart and Byrnn Alerbici a Director with Autism NJ, truly deserves real recognition for creating it and the entire Classroom Resource Kit.

(On the right, Brynn Alerbici, Director from Autism NJ)

I hope you will attend the tour, and please feel free to give me feedback to continue the growth of this great event and cause.  Thanks!  Contact me if you have any questions.

Best,
Melanie Rosenbaum 

www.RealShortHills.com

Melanie@RealShortHills.com
(973)768-1818 cell

Autism NJ's release about their kits:  "Autism New Jersey has distributed more than 300 School Resource Packs to elementary school classrooms throughout the state, enough tools to teach 7,000+ students about autism awareness.

Each School Resource Pack contains all the tools needed for an elementary school teacher (grades K to 5) to raise awareness in his/her classroom and includes supplies for a 24 student classroom. Packs include our new Kids Booklet on Autism, lesson plans, resources for teachers, and awareness giveaways for students (pencils, bookmarks, temporary tattoos).

The packs were offered free to New Jersey teachers for the first time last year where 127 different elementary schools throughout the state were able to utilize this resource. Thank you to our sponsors for supporting this program and our important outreach into public schools."

Short Hills House Tour Benefitting Autism Awareness locally is on Saturday, October 3rd, from 12pm-3pm.  Buy tickets via eventbrite.

Keller Williams Premier Properties Annual Short Hills House Tour is a success!

The other day was the second annual Keller Williams Premier Properties Annual Short Hills House Tour, and once again it was a huge success.  A goal was set to raise enough money to acquire 50 Autism NJ Classroom Resource Kits, and thanks to so many generous contributors and participants of the tour we REACHED THAT GOAL!  "I'm thrilled, and so happy to help get these great resources for the teachers that work so hard for our children,"said Melanie Rosenbaum, tour organizer and sales associate with Keller Williams Premier Properties of Essex, Union, and Morris Counties.

Tour Organizer & Sales Associate, Melanie Rosenbaum
The white box is the "present" that Millburn teachers will receive next March just in time
to help celebrate Autism Awareness month in April.

Thanks to the efforts of the tour there will be an opportunity for extra character education provided to our children via the Autism NJ classroom kits.  Tour goers were thrilled as well to have a nice day in town and had the wonderful chance to see the Short Hills Real Estate Market.  The Keller Williams Realty Sales Associates were able to give back to the community they serve, along with meeting so many great people.  The event seemed to be a win, win for all involved!  The following is what some had to say to the tour organizer, Melanie Rosenbaum.

Hartshorn School 2nd Grade Teacher, Kathleen Small

"I sincerely thank you for bringing the kits to Millburn.  I loved using it with my class and being part of this important movement to spread awareness.  Your dedication is truly inspirational"!

Keller Williams Premier Property, Sales Associate & Tour Volunteer, Michele Wardius

"Just wanted to compliment you on the amazing job you did organizing the home tour.  

It was a beautiful day and apparently a successful event. I'm in awe of your energy and enthusiasm! Congratulations"!

Michele Wardius & Melanie Rosenbaum
Sales Associates with KW

Keller Williams Premier Properties Operating Managing Partner, Cara Moxley
"A big thank you to Melanie for the vision and good will to allow KW to make a difference in our community. The tour will enable 50 local classrooms to have a greater understanding & empathy for their peers with Autism.  Also thanks to sellers who were eager to make a difference and expose their homes at the same time.  It was a win-win-win. It warmed my heart and made me proud to generate such good will"!  

The beautiful homes, the happy participants, and the fantastic Keller Williams agents:

Amanda Damesek at her listing at 378 Hartshorn Drive

Mitchell Friedman

& Lizzy Leighton

host the Shannon Aronson Team listing at 7 Farmstead Road.

Keller Williams Premier Properties of Essex, Union, & Morris Counties Operating Managing Partners, Howard Bunn (above) and Cara Moxley (below) welcome tour goers enjoying the homes on this year's annual KW Short Hills House Tour.

House Tour Participants visiting 62 Lake Drive

Armin Lusinyants hosts her listing at 14 Alexander Lane

Pamela & Lawrence Smith hosting the listing at Two The Crecent

Simon Westfall-Kwong races to his office to share the pictures he had taken the day of the tour.  Thanks, Simon!

Look for signs for next year's the Annual KW Short Hills House Tour!  And for more information or to be added to the email list please go to "Current House Tour" page found at www.RealShortHills.com.

Annual House Tour to Benefit Autism Awareness, May 3, 2014

In just a couple of days, Keller Williams Premier Properties of Essex, Union, and Morris Counties will be opening the doors to many top properties in town for you to tour.  It is a great opportunity to be able to walk through some of the most beautiful mansions and homes in the area, at your own pace.

This Saturday, May 3rd from 12-3pm you can tour 6 beautiful examples of prime Short Hills, NJ Real Estate ranging in price from $1.5M-$4M.

The Annual House Tour to Benefit Autism Awareness is on its second year and going strong. Last year, with the generous contribution and participation from town members and local friends, we contributed money to help create 300 Autism New Jersey's Classroom Resource Kits which went into New Jersey public schools. This year, we are beyond happy that 100% of ALL house tour ticket purchases and donations will go DIRECTLY to the Millburn Public School System. That means, all the money fundraised will go into local classrooms for our children!  Each tour ticket pays for half of one kit!

Autism New Jersey has paced the way for building acceptance and autism awareness.  They are tops in providing tools and resources in NJ classrooms to help foster understanding. There is no known cure for Autism, and with 1 in 45 children in New Jersey being diagnosed, it is extremely important to integrate early intervention and provide resources for our community to support acceptance of others.  

Here is a picture of what exactly comes inside of every kit:

Help directly make a difference in our local community!

To purchase tickets or to make a donation please visit Eventbrite.

We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

Faces 4 Autism's “Bubbles for Autism”/ Letter to Parents for Autism Awareness Pilot

March 31, 2014

Dear 1st & 2nd Grade Hartshorn Parents & Guardians,

Some of you may know that April is Autism Awareness Month, and tomorrow your child will participate in an activity to acknowledge this via the Faces 4 Autism activity “Bubbles for Autism”.  During recess the first and second grade students will blow bubbles up into the sky. Why bubbles?  Because bubbles represent joy, happiness, & laughter and bring people together.  The point of this event is to celebrate differences and raise autism awareness; and awareness is the first step toward acceptance.  

Autism is a socialization and communication disorder.  A new report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows 1 in 68 children nationwide have autism; 1 in 45 children in New Jersey, which is reportedly the highest in the nation with the report indicating statistics showing 1 in 28 boys in New Jersey have autism.  This month you may see some items coming home from Classroom Resource Kits which Autism New Jersey has created to support teachers in understanding the disorder, and helping to spread Autism Awareness. 

If you or your child is interested in learning more about autism you can go to www.autismnj.org. To learn more about fundraising efforts to bring these activities and kits to our school you can go to http://www.realshorthills.com/real-house-tours-benefiting-autism-nj/.  Any questions, please contact Melanie@RealShortHills.com or feel free to call (973)768-1818.

Happy World Autism Awareness Day (April 2nd)!

Best,

Melanie Rosenbaum

(MSPEC) Millburn Special Education Committee building rep

(SEPAC) Special Education Parent Advisory Committee building rep

Autism NJ Rocks/ New House Tour Date

The other day in the mail came this splendid white box that looked like a delightful present.  And it was!

The box contained Autism NJ's classroom kit which we helped raise money for from the House Tour Benefiting Autism and Keller Williams Realty's Red Day.

The kit designed for teachers contains booklets in kid speak of autism facts, brief lesson plans which teach "students will understand that everyone has different abilities", posters, pencils, autism ribbon tattoos, book marks, decorations, and more, all for a classroom with 25 students in grades K thru 5.                        

This kit will help spread autism awareness throughout the community, just in time for Autism Awareness Month in April.

Autism affects 1 in 45 children in New Jersey.  It is a socialization & communication disorder.  There is a range and a spectrum within the disorder.  Behaving independently and appropriately are some of the biggest goals of people on the spectrum.

I spoke with Brynn Alberici, Special Event Coordinator at Autism New Jersey, and was thrilled that the next House Tour coming in May will now help create kits especially for Millburn Township.  Appropriately so, since the tour was planned by "Real Short Hills" and the homes on the tour were in Short Hills, which is a part of Millburn Township.

Thank you to Autism New Jersey for creating such an amazing resource to help spread Autism Awareness within Millburn Public Schools.   Last year Autism NJ's theme was to "Build Acceptance" and this year their theme is to "Make a Statement".  Mine is "Thank You"!!!

Please look for more information for the next house tour, and attend this great event for this awesome cause.  The next Tour is on Saturday, May 3rd from 12noon - 3pm.

Best,
Melanie