Daily Routine and Structure

What does a student’s day at the O-School look like?

A typical school day is active but predictable. Each day is carefully scheduled, but without intrusive or coercive mechanisms, so students have many opportunities each day to feel successful and competent.

It is a School. A student’s day at the O-School is similar to a day at a traditional school. Students can access curriculum for academic growth as they also discover their talents and cultivate leadership skills.

Students participate in time-honored school experiences:

• Regular classroom hours
• Physical education
• Fine arts
• Musical instruction
• Co-curricular activities that include sports, school publications, dances and student clubs

The O-School believes that educating children — and treating them like the intelligent and capable people they are — is an important part of their therapy. One does not get better and then become a student. The two are intertwined. That is why, at the heart of the O-School is a fully functioning school, and therapeutic and clinical supports are embedded in a rich academic experience.

Throughout the O-School curriculum, there is a balance between one-on-one, partnered and small- and large-group instructional and therapeutic opportunities. The teachers and therapists work collaboratively to craft individual schedules and plans designed to foster each student’s unique learning style and therapeutic growth.

By providing students with opportunities for academic success and by appropriately balancing expectations and support, the O-School creates daily occasions for each student to build self-worth and identity. 

Food is more than fuel. Good food nourishes the body and the mind.

Healthy nutrition is crucial to the students' growth and development, and the act of eating around a table with friends and peers provides an important chance to socialize.

Because we understand the role food plays in the development of its students, the O-School has its own scratch kitchen. A professional staff prepares fresh meals and snacks every day. Breakfast and lunch are served family style. 

The O-School kitchen can accommodate special diets, including vegetarian and vegan, as well as food allergies.