Bullies 2 Buddies

Yesterday, in the car and after the first week of school one of student's excitedly told her father, "The bullies from last year are becoming buddies this year thanks to Social Skills Playhouse."  By individuals changing their thought processes and response to the bullies we are able to ignite self-reliance and bolster our spiral of social success.

Classes in Conroe, Spring Branch, College Station and Cy Fair!
10 week class schedule:  September 12th - November 17th 2011

Meet Our Team!

Cy Fair - Kelly Martinez, Lead Social Coach- Lighthouse Learning and Resource

10928 Grant Rd. Houston, TX 77070

Mondays: 4:00-5:00 pm 7-11 year olds (2 openings)       

Mondays: 5:15-6:15 pm 12-17 year olds (2 openings)

Bryan/College Station- Joe Whitehead M.Ed, Lead Social Coach-Southwood Community Center

1520 Rock Prairie Rd. College Station, TX 77840

Tuesdays: 4:45-5:45 pm 7-11 year olds (5 openings)

Tuesdays: 6:00-7:00 pm 12-17 year olds (4 openings)

Spring Branch- Scott Nipper BCBA, Lead Social Coach- Clay Road Family YMCA 

10655 Clay Rd. Houston, TX 77041

Wednesdays and Thursdays:

3:30-4:30 pm 5-11 year olds (5 openings)

4:45-5:45 pm 12-17 year olds (4 openings)

The Woodlands-  Erin Webb LMFT, Director- Cunae International School

5655 Creekside Forest Dr. The Woodlands TX 77389

Tuesdays: 4:00-5:00 pm 8-11 yrs (1 opening)

Tuesdays: 5:15-6:15pm 11-17 yrs (full)

Wednesdays: 4:00-5:00pm 4-7 yrs (1 opening)

Wednesdays: 5:15-6:15pm 7-10 yrs (1 opening)

Conroe - Joe Whitehead M.Ed, Lead Social Coach- Conroe Bible Church

4491 I 45 N Conroe, TX 77304

Thursdays: 4:45-5:45 pm 8-11 year olds (2 openings)

Thursdays: 6:00-7:00 pm 12-17 year olds (2 openings)

Tomball- Erin Webb LMFT, Director- The JOY Ministry, Graceview Baptist Church

25510 Tomball Pkwy, Tomball TX 77375

Thursday: 4:15-5:15 pm  5-7 years (full)

Thursday: 5:30-6:30 pm  7-11years (full)

Thursday: 6:45-7:45 pm  12-17 years (1 opening)

Curriculum: Check out our new P.E.O.P.L.E. rubric created by SSP!

P.roblem solving, E.xecutive functioning, O.bservation skills

P.erspective taking, L.inguistic management, E.motion regulation

Tuition:

$600 10 week Fall 2011 Session

$210 for our 3 day December Holiday Camp

$500 for each 8 week Winter and Spring 2012 Semesters

Need based scholarships maybe available

www.SocialSkillsPlayhouse.com 

erin@socialskillsplayhouse.com         

ph:  713.838.5222

fax: 832.698.2973

CyFair, College Station and Spring Branch-Here we come!

Thank you Robin Rettie M.Ed of Lighthouse Learning and Resource for the fabulous locale and vote of professional confidence. Joe Whitehead M.Ed and Ms. Sharon are ready to educate SSP students at the Southwood Community Center, College Station P.E.O.P.L.E. style. Our New Spring Branch locale will be lead by Scott Nipper BCBA in the teen recreation room at the Clay Road Family YMCA! Our three additional locations offer experiential learning and generalization opportunities galore with easy freeway access, parking, comfy seating, community amenities, a skate park, bike riding, swimming pools and ball fields. I'm reeling with excitement and wonder.

Lots Of New Firsts For Social Skills Playhouse...

Welcome to the first edition of the Social Skills Playhouse (SSP) Blog!  There are a couple of reasons for our blog, first is to communicate and share with YOU our friends.  SSP would not be where it is today without the enthusiasm, dedication and passion our families have shown these last 2 years.  We want to add a forum for parents and professionals alike to share information and learn. Our hope is that our blog acts as a conduit for everyone to learn, share and develop new ideas.

The second reason we have developed the blog is to have another avenue to share with you all events which are happening at SSP, so please follow the blog and don’t be shy about posting, commenting and sharing with everyone.

On to business...

We want to share some exciting news here at SSP. As you all know, we have had a great deal of growth at SSP recently, and are excited to be able to serve more families while still maintaining the connections and ratios we have always prided ourselves on.  We hope you share in our excitement in welcoming our new Lead Social Coaches, and you are able to take a few minutes to read about them here. We have been very careful to choose and train Lead Social Coaches who share our passion for children, fun and learning.  We know you’ll love them as much as we do!

Joe Whitehead M.Ed. - Lead Social Coach                                            

Joe is a lifelong learner.  In 1982 he began his college adventure at Texas State Technical College in Waco, after graduating from high school in Nacogdoches, Texas. Scott admits he was not prepared for college at that time so he went back to Nacogdoches to “grow up” some. While there he became a youth minister and met his wife Wyndi while working at the local cable television company.  They married in 1989 and moved back to Waco where he completed his associate’s degree in Architecture. 

After graduating, Joe attended Sam Houston State University and graduated in 1995 with a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with a minor in Technology.  He began his teaching career in 1995 and in 2010I earned his master’s degree in Education. Joe has been involved in special education for ten years.  With his daughter being diagnosed at the age of three with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), he has spent the last ten years learning Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, as well as other therapies that have helped his daughter become successful.  In all of his years teaching, he has been blessed with having many special needs students in his classes.  And Joe knows this has allowed his to stay current on therapies and diagnoses as well as many different teaching styles to help special needs students become successful.

Diep (Debbie) Kao M.Ed - Lead Social Coach

Debbie is certified to teach preschool to fourth grade in Texas. She attended University of Oklahoma and has a Master's Degree of Elementary Education and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Microbiology.

Debbie started working at Social Skills Playhouse in January 2011. She is very excited to learn from others and to share her knowledge about social skills with the team and the children.

Currently, she is also teaching Kindergarten at Creekwood Cottage Preschool since October 2009 and has 3 additional years of teaching experience in public and private elementary schools.

She enjoys traveling, crocheting, baking, reading, swimming, and spending time with family.

Scott D. Nipper, M.Ed., BCBA - Lead Social Coach

A few years after graduating from Texas A&M with a business degree Scott discovered he had a passion for teaching and made a career change.  He later attended University of North Texas to obtain a graduate degree in education.  Scott has almost 2 decades experience in the field of special education and received honors as a national special education teacher of the year.  He has worked in a variety of settings including public schools, private schools, camps, homes, churches, and clinics. 

Scott has worked with a wide variety of special needs populations from those needing basic life skills to enrichment education for the gifted, and is now a board certified behavior analyst in private practice.  Scott loves facilitating social groups because it’s a fun place where art meets science.  He has also conducted and presented research on using drama techniques to teach non-verbal social communication to individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome. 

Scott and his wife are the proud parents of 2 children and the somewhat reluctant owners of a cat.  Scott is excited to join the SSP team for the next adventure in his career. 

Kelly Studdard Martinez - Lead Social Coach 

Kelly teaches first grade at The Woods Private School, where she has worked since 2007. For the past decade, she has had the opportunity to teach several different grade levels, ranging from pre-school through sixth grade, and this has given her an appreciation for many different stages and facets of the learning process.  Since 2008, she has realized her commitment to educating the whole child by supplementing her classroom teaching with her work at Social Skills Playhouse.

 She holds a BS in Psychology from Texas A &M University and has completed a year of course work for her M.Ed in Educational Psychology at the University of Houston.  Mrs. Martinez is married, with a five-year-old daughter and a six-year-old stepdaughter.  She enjoys cooking, baking, running, music and movies.

Thanks for taking the time to read, and we look forward to hearing back from you!