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Sherwood Forest isn’t just a school; it’s a community where inclusion and meeting each and every child exactly where they are — socially, emotionally and scholastically is the top priority. They beautifully balance seeking innovation with ensuring that every student benefits and grows from it. It’s a place where every family gets to feel heard, appreciated and respected. It’s an honor and a joy to be part of the Sherwood community. 

I’ve seen the direct impact that the Bellevue Schools Foundation has on our students. As a parent, I’m an advocate for the Foundation because I know it helps not only my kids but those across the entire district!   

The hardest part about raising a child with an intellectual disability is finding the balance between providing the support and care they need while making them a part of the community and avoiding isolating them or making their handicap their defining feature. When our son was born with Down's syndrome, this became our biggest concern - how to help him while not making him different. As kindergarten approached, we were worried about how he would be integrated in the school and how he would live the school social life besides the academics. This is when the district guided us towards the Pacific Program and we discovered a new world. I could start talking about the teachers, loving, caring, attentive, able to challenge our children meeting them where they are; but if I did that I would make a disservice to the program as a whole, with its inclusivity built-in, where special needs children are just that, someone needing more help, not a defective human cast away from sight and exiled into a corner. My son has proudly been a Puma for the last three years and not for a second did the school make him (or us, the family) feel like second-class citizen. And this is not talking about the incredible progress that our son has made in his development and his academics. His life would not be the same without the program.

The hardest part about raising a child with an intellectual disability is finding the balance between providing the support and care they need while making them a part of the community and avoiding isolating them or making their handicap their defining feature. When our son was born with Down's syndrome, this became our biggest concern - how to help him while not making him different. As kindergarten approached, we were worried about how he would be integrated in the school and how he would live the school social life besides the academics. This is when the district guided us towards the Pacific Program, and we discovered a new world. I could start talking about the teachers, loving, caring, attentive, able to challenge our children meeting them where they are; but if I did that I would make a disservice to the program as a whole, with its inclusivity built-in, where special needs children are just that, someone needing more help. My son has proudly been a Puma for the last three years and not for a second did the school make him (or us, the family) feel like second-class citizen. And this is not talking about the incredible progress that our son has made in his development and his academics. His life would not be the same without the program.