The Playground Communication Boards are a great example of how our elementary schools, PTA and the Greenwich Alliance can collaborate to get something done quickly to enhance student learning.Ā
In 2024, an effort coordinated by North Street School’s Ilene Rietsch, a 2024 Distinguished Teacher, led to the installment of Playground Communication Boards at 10Ā elementary schools.Ā
These colorful boards pair illustrations with their correlating word or phrase. They help students with limited verbal language skills and those who use an alternative form of language to express themselves with adults and peers. It is also a tool for English Language Learners (ELL) students to communicate as the symbols are universal.Ā Outcomes of inclusion, acceptance, and understanding among students are realized when adults and children use the Playground Communication Boards to express ideas without words.Ā