Parkview Elementary School Sensory Program

Bellingham, Wash. - Parkview Elementary school has received sensory equipment to improve the attendance and learning capabilities of students. Sensory equipment is designed to allow students to move during the class in order to help the children to focus.

Sensory processing refers to the way the nervous system receives messages from the senses and turns them into motor and behavioral responses. Children in school may have difficulty keeping attention on a subject or attending class because their bodies are not able to move. The idea of sensory equipment is that the body needs to be moving in order to focus and attend class.

The new equipment Parkview has acquired helps to allow the students to move during class in order to improve learning abilities. One piece of equipment is a standing desk which allows the student to stand during class, increasing blood flow and allowing the student to focus said PTA President, Cindy Szankiewicz.

Kerrie Zerba, the special education teacher at Parkview, and the occupational therapist for the school approached the PTA in hopes of purchasing the equipment for the school. The presentation included testimonials from students that have used the equipment before in class. The kids explained how being able to move allowed them to focus easier on the lesson said Szankiewicz.

After the meeting, the PTA approved the purchase of about $2,000 worth of sensory equipment for the school. The PTA also approved a budget for future purchases of sensory equipment in the upcoming years.

“[The program] is really a great thing for our school,” said Szankiewicz. “We want to get the word out to other schools and districts about this equipment. We want to influence the way that kids are learning in schools.”

The new equipment arrived at Parkview a few weeks ago and Zerba led a teacher training last Wed. to show teachers how to effectively use the equipment in classes.

“The equipment is not just for special needs students. It will be used to help students who are taking attention away from the teachers during class or just for any child who wants to use it,” said Szankiewicz.

Space has been made for the equipment in Parkview already. At the moment, the equipment is stored in a portable and can be checked-out by teachers at any time. This portable has been made into an activity room for students to take “movement breaks” said Szankiewicz.

Sensory processing equipment is not necessarily new to the Bellingham area. In fact, Western Washington University has this equipment and has used it to train teachers to incorporate the equipment in the classroom to help students focus.

Equipment has been purchased for Parkview for the year and will be available to students in the upcoming weeks. The activity room set up in the portable is set up for students to use outside of the classroom as well. The students are able to work on balancing exercises and other helpful exercises that can be translated in a classroom setting.

“With this equipment, we can get off the mainstream way of thinking about how students are learning and be efficient at helping them focus in classrooms,” Szankiewicz said.