I wish to extend you a warm welcome to our school. We know the road that led you to enroll your child with us was filled with difficulties and challenges. It is our hope that, by working together, we will assist in your child’s return to the path of a promising future.
This program guide resource was designed specially to assist you, the parents (or guardians) of newly enrolled students, in finding answers to the most frequently asked questions about Turning Winds. It contains overviews of the academic, therapeutic, and programmatic portions of the Turning Winds experience as well as additional information covering items to be completed in the first week, visitation guidelines, student living requirements, and communication guidelines. I hope you will find it a valuable resource for information about Turning Winds and that it will help answer many questions you may have.
It is very important that you carefully review each of the nine main sections, one per week, over the next nine weeks. Our hope is that you will be able to find all of the important information needed in this digital resource to help your child through the treatment process he/she is engaged in. Should you not find the answer to a question you have in this program guide or if you have any questions pertaining to any of the provided information please feel free to contact your child’s therapist by phone or email at any time.
In addition, in the case that you are not able to reach your child’s therapist or he or she is not able to help you in a particular matter please feel free to contact me by email or by phone. The best time to reach me by phone is during my office hours Monday through Friday. Should you need to contact me for emergency purposes, and I am not at the school, please contact me on my cell phone. My contact information as well as all other important contact information is listed below.
Please begin writing letters to your child immediately. If you have not already written the required Impact Letter start as soon as possible. Your letters will provide the loving reassurance they need in their new environment. Letters may be emailed to the following address: [email protected] or letters may also be sent to the following address: 31733 S Fork Yaak Rd., Troy, MT 59935-8681. Please be sure to include your child’s name in the subject line when sending email letters. Hearing from you regularly via letters is a vital source of support to your child during this difficult transition period.
On behalf of everyone at Turning Winds, thank you for your trust and support as we travel this challenging road together to a brighter future with your child.
Best Wishes,
Owen Baisden
Chief Executive Officer
Office phone: (406) 295-5400
Cell phone: (208) 755-5687
Site Instructions: This program guide resource has been designed for you to book mark and to review periodically during the time your son or daughter is enrolled at Turning Winds. To become familiar with the our process, expectations for families, and other important information, please review one section each week over the next nine week period.
This will help to ensure that you are proficient in all of the instructional material provided to help you assist your son or daughter during this vital time of their lives, experience your own personal growth, and gain a better understanding of the overall treatment process. Click here to access the week one tasks page.
For Contact Information, see our Important Contact Information page.
Connect – Establish Meaningful Relationships
Inspire – Help Them To Realize Their Potential
Empower – Provide The Tools Needed To Succeed
Our mission is to rescue teens from a crisis, renew their belief in their own potential and reunite them with their family and a path of success. We renew a teen’s belief in their potential by establishing meaningful connections with our clients, inspiring them to believe in themselves, and empowering them by giving them the tools they need to be successful in life.
Integrity – understanding and accepting one’s strengths and weaknesses by being true to one’s self
Humility – the ability to remain teachable
Direction – the ability to lead through the process of correct decision making
Respect – appreciating oneself and others as persons with great potential and creative possibilities
Responsibility – acquiring, and then using knowledge to make the best decisions possible, then living with the outcome
Industriousness – maintaining a positive work ethic aimed at setting and achieving realistic goals in service to self and others
Verbal Assertiveness – speaking up in a supportive and encouraging manner
Family Connection – developing a greater appreciation for the strengths and resources one can draw upon within his/her own family
Environmental Awareness – realizing that healthy environments promote individual wellness
Service – engaging in activities for the primary purpose of serving others
Gratitude – positive emotion in acknowledgement of a benefit that one has received
Forgiveness – the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of perceived offense
Novice is the first of three phases in the Turning Winds program. Successful completion of the Novice Phase is commemorated during a commencement ceremony and marks the beginning of the Mentor Phase. The Novice Phase lasts approximately Three to six months; however, the duration of each phase is determined by the progress of the individual student.
During the Novice Phase, the student will be assessed in three areas: therapeutically, academically and behaviorally. Once these assessments are made by clinicians, teachers and resident advisor staff, an individual treatment plan is created. Among other things, the student will participate in individual and group counseling sessions, life skills classes, team-building activities and outdoor adventures to cultivate personal growth and internal change.
During the Novice Phase, the student comes to accept that they have been enrolled at Turning Winds by their parents out of love and concern for their safety and wellbeing. They also come to accept that they will not be returning home before making some positive changes both academically and therapeutically. This phase is a time when students begin to understand the destructiveness of their past behaviors and the opportunity to change those behaviors through the help available to them at Turning Winds.
By the end of the Novice Phase, a student should be productively engaged in personal growth appropriate for their unique situation. Generally, this involves compliance with basic program expectations, making significant academic progress, showing improved social adjustment, better insight into themselves, and improved communication and relationships with family members.
Criteria for commencement:
Commencement marks the turning point in a student’s stay at Turning Winds, at which time they become a Mentor. While Commencement indicates that the Novice Phase has been successfully completed, many objectives remain to be completed, tailored to each student’s unique situation.
It is a mark of distinction for a student to be a Mentor and a highly visible reward for progress. Mentor status indicates that a student is more advanced within the program. They have made solid accomplishments and are trusted and reliable members of the community. Students who have been through commencement have higher expectations for managing themselves and for being positive influences on newer students. They are sometimes assigned to mentor individual Novice Phase students.
Prior to the Novice Phase, Commencement Ceremony is a Family Workshop that is essential for parents of commencing students to attend. For more information about the Family Workshop please contact your child’s therapist.
Typically, parents can expect to have their first local off-campus visit during commencement (see First Local Visit, page 29). However, on-site therapeutic visits may be scheduled prior to the commencement as recommended by the child’s clinician. Parents’ role at commencement is primarily to witness and celebrate their child’s achievement.
Because commencement dates are tentative and may change, it is strongly recommended that all travel fares be booked in a way to be flexible or refundable.
Family counseling sessions are available during this first visit, as recommended or desired, with and/or without the student present.
During the visits, families often want to bring their dogs and as always, the safety of our students and staff is a number one consideration. Because of possible unsafe interaction between students, staff, and pets, we respectfully request that dogs are kept on a leash at all times when on campus.
After commencing from the Novice Phase, a student enters the Mentor Phase of the program. The Mentor Phase of Turning Winds prepares the student to transition back into the home environment. During this phase, the student continues to make beneficial developments therapeutically, academically and behaviorally. This is the time that students graduate from high school or continue to progress in academics, start on college courses, begin mentoring peers, develop greater insight into self and continue to strengthen relations with family.
In the latter part of the Mentor Phase, with increasing success in local and home visits, the student prepares written plans for their individual success, including their suggestions for their Transitional Plan. It is expected In addition, during this time, families needing ongoing professional help will secure assistance locally, often with the help of Turning Winds clinicians.
Transition support is available to all families who take advantage of our aftercare recommendations. The Transition support phase offers support to both the student and their parents during the first three months after the student’s graduation from the program. Transition support therapy phone calls occur weekly during the first month the student returns home. During the second month of the student’s return home, Transition support calls occur every other week. Finally, during the third month of the student’s return home, the transition support call will occur the last week of the month.
During the Transition support calls, the clinician will monitor how well the student is readjusting to life at home in order to offer advice and recommendation for the student’s continued success. These calls generally focus on overall family function and parent-child relations, rather than resembling individual therapy, and therefore are expected to involve both the parents and child.
Parents are also encouraged to call the school with any concerns. Former students and parents are encouraged to speak with program employees on an as-needed basis.
True or False
The following is a checklist of items to complete as soon as possible in order to complete your child’s enrollment, and in order for your child to begin the work of personal growth and change.
Impact Letter – Write and send your Impact Letter to the school, see Therapeutic Program page for more information.
Professional Release Forms – These were emailed to you previously. If you have not received them please contact Marcine Holmes, [email protected]. Fill out and return these forms to the main office. If parents share joint custody of the child, both individuals must sign these forms.
Birth Certificate – Mail in a copy of your child’s birth certificate to the main office. This copy does not need to be certified.
Photo Identification – If you have photo identification of your child, such as a driver’s license, or school ID card, please mail them to the school.
Medication Supply – Please send a 60-day supply of medications your child takes to the school.
Authorization For Treatment – This was emailed to you previously. If you have not received this form please contact Marcine Holmes, [email protected]. Fill out and return to the main office.
Well-Life Pharmacy Registration – This was emailed to you previously. If you have not received this form please contact Marcine Holmes, [email protected] Fill out and return to the main office.
Dental Authorization – This was emailed to you previously. If you have not received this form please contact Marcine Holmes, [email protected] Fill out and return to the main office.
Bonners Ferry Family Medicine Authorization – This was emailed to you previously. If you have not received this form please contact Marcine Holmes, [email protected] Fill out and return to the main office.
Medical And Dental Insurance Cards – Photocopy front and back of both medical and dental insurance cards and fax to the school and the main office.
Date Of Last Dental Exam – On the copy of the dental insurance card list the date of your child’s last dental exam.
Immunization Records – Mail or fax immunization records.
School Transcripts – Email or Mail in copies of your child’s school transcripts to the school.
Venturing Forms – This was emailed to you previously. If you have not received this form please contact Marcine Holmes, [email protected]. Please, fill-out all documents and include the Boy Scout application fee as indicated in the letter. Mail all forms to 31733 S Fork Yaak Rd, Troy, MT 59935 as indicated in the letter.
Bible Study Consent Forms – This was emailed to you previously. If you have not received this form please contact Marcine Holmes, [email protected]. Please indicate your wishes regarding your child’s participation in the Bible Study Program. Fill out and send in the form to the main office.
Review The Student Dress Code And The Recommended Student Clothing List – Provide your child with items they may be lacking as the season requires. See Student dress code for information and instructions on sending packages.
Create Parent Portal Account – The parent portal account can be created using the instructions emailed prior to your child’s enrollment. This account will give you access to your child’s weekly letters as well as academic and therapeutic updates. Please contact Marcine Holmes for additional help in setting this up.
True/False
1. T/F The impact letter is due during the first week
2. T/F It is important to send your child’s transcripts during the first week
3. T/F If you have not received any of the required forms you may email Marcine Holmes to have her resend? Multiple choice
Multiple Choice
4. The parent portal gives the parents access to:
a. Weekly letters
b. Academic updates
c. Therapeutic updates
d. All of the above
5. Which of the following forms are not required during the first week:
a. Immunization records
b. College transcripts
c. Dental and Medical authorizations
d. Birth Certificate
Turning Winds is dedicated to providing each student with the very best therapeutic services. Our clinical staff structure a variety of therapeutic activities based on the specific needs of the individual. Therapeutic measures are student-focused and family-centered within a healing and supportive environment.
Further, it is our goal to:
The Turning Winds students demonstrate:
Turning Winds creates a highly social environment which provides peer-to-peer and student-to-staff interaction throughout the day. Turning Winds is co-educational: girls and boys participate together in the program. As in all aspects of the program, the overarching goal is to maintain a safe, healing, and productive environment in which students can become better prepared for successful lives after each departs from Turning Winds. Although students can earn increased trust with staff and peers, there is always a level of supervision and an ability to address inappropriate behaviors.
One aspect of social life at Turning Winds that differentiates itself from what most students have experienced is that they are encouraged to approach relationships as opportunities to explore new positive behaviors. Each student is encouraged to use relationships as opportunities to learn more about him or herself in terms of the interpersonal problems he or she may tend to gravitate towards.
Turning Winds creates relatively safe opportunities to experiment with new and healthier behaviors for interacting with the student’s environment. For example, students who have desperately appealed to delinquent peers by engaging in negative behaviors and promoting a “negative” image of self can discover what occurs when he or she decreases defensive tendencies and presents as a more positive, mature, and human aspect of self.
Some students experiment with admitting to peers that they have significant self-doubts and that feelings of inadequacy have often limited their achievement or motivated them toward unhealthy behaviors. In essence, Turning Winds affords adolescents the environment to heal and gain relationship skills that many adults are never able to experience themselves.
Motivational Activity (MA): M.A. is a daily activity that focuses on personal virtues and character traits designed to produce successful outcomes.
Dialectal Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Group: DBT helps people manage overwhelming emotions by teaching the skills of distress tolerance, mindfulness, emotional regulation and interpersonal effectiveness.
Gender Specific Group: This group is a weekly time to discuss sensitive topics in the safety of peers and staff of one’s own gender.
Peer-To-Peer Feedback Group: This group is a weekly time that allows students a safe and structured environment for providing each other with feedback regarding positive (healthy) and negative (unhealthy) behavior patterns.
Addictions Group: This group is a weekly time to educate students about a variety of addictions while providing an opportunity to examine personal experiences and learn to identify triggers and effective coping skills.
Team Building Group: This group is a weekly activity that provides a safe environment for students to develop the belief in self and increase trust in others.
Bible Study Group: This group is an opportunity for students to study the Bible under the guidance of TWAI staff members. Students wishing to participate in this weekly group must have parental consent.
Virtue Group: This group is a weekly time to discuss the virtue of the month and discussions are based on the twelve virtues at the core of the TWAI approach.
Individual Therapy: Individual therapy sessions are conducted on a weekly as needed basis. It is a weekly time for the clinician to sit down one-on-one with the student and address individual issues.
Career Counseling: As appropriate, and generally for more advanced and mature students, career counseling provides direction in focusing on choices and opportunities for career options.
The Family Workshop is an essential and required part of the Turning Winds program. Family Workshops are scheduled for the families of students who are nearing the point of commencement from the Novice Phase.
The workshop is aimed at assisting parent’s preparation for the child’s reintegration into the family system. Representatives from the program, as well as guest speakers, provide information and instruction regarding approaches and methods for the continuation of the student’s success. The information is designed to increase understanding regarding the barriers that may exist in effective parenting and how those barriers may have interfered with a healthy parent-child relationship in the past.
The instruction is developed to assist parents in becoming more aware of and effective at supervising, encouraging, supporting, and following-through with positive reinforcement; in addition, this workshop teaches ways to utilize appropriate logical consequences rather than a “punishment” mentality (an authoritative rather than an authoritarian approach).
Family therapy is an essential part of the overall program and participation is required. Initially, students address their own individual problems in individual therapy. After making significant progress in individual therapy the emphasis shifts toward family therapy in order to address issues such as improving relationships between students and parents, improving parenting skills, and preparing the child for successful reintegration into the home environment.
Family therapy is conducted with the child’s individual clinician and is tailored to each family’s individualized needs. Family therapy is conducted through phone calls, during the on-site family workshop, and during regularly scheduled parent visits to the program.
Each parent is required to write, and have delivered, an Impact Letter at the time of their child’s arrival at Turning Winds. If it is not possible to have this letter delivered at the time of the child’s arrival, see that the letter arrives at Turning Winds no later than five days after the child’s arrival.
The Impact Letter is to be addressed to your child. The content of the Impact Letter should be strictly limited to addressing the following points:
Be sure that the letter contains a summary of all of the child’s significant negative behaviors. It should be a straightforward and plain accounting of the problems. The tone of the letter should be firm and authoritative. Involved parents and family members (such as siblings, grandparents, etc.) may choose to each write separate Impact Letters or may choose to write one letter together within the recommended timeframe.
Address the main points of the Impact Letter by communicating in a specific and direct manner, do not suppress your concerns or be apologetic. The letter should not analyze the problem or present them in a way that downplays the child’s active role in their negative behaviors.
Make it clear if the child’s behavior was a source of great concern, disruption, expense or discord within the family without harassing, guilt tripping or manipulating him or her. These harmful tactics interfere with a child’s ability to receive the central message of the letter and to take mature responsibility for his or her actions.
The Impact Letter does not have to be long, and in fact, a shorter and more concise letter may be better. This approach gives the child a chance to take responsibility for more general issues and to supply the details on their own. Many parents can say what they need to express in just two pages. Here are a few examples:
Drug use: You have been abusing drugs (marijuana, alcohol, cocaine; we suspect several other drugs). This runs the risk of legal problems, health problems (including drug-related violence, motor vehicle accidents, etc). Your drug involvement has been at the expense of pursuits that are positive (school, family relationships, sports, etc.) Drug use exposes you to a lot of negative influences and opportunities. Our family has been in constant turmoil, in large part because of your drug-abuse lifestyle.
Defiance and Disrespect at Home: You have a pattern of defying our household rules. You have gone out with whom ever you chose, to go wherever you wanted, doing what you wanted and returned much later than we consented. You have been unwilling to do basic household chores. When confronted, you have responded disrespectfully. You have lied to us a great deal and lost our trust in your word. These behaviors are unacceptable and are a significant part of why we needed you to attend Turning Winds.
Poor Academic Effort: We do not require that you perform at a higher level than you are capable of, but you clearly have been putting forth very inadequate effort in school. At this rate, you will not be able to finish high school, a very basic expectation and one that you certainly can achieve.
Depressive symptoms: You have shown several depressive symptoms over the past year. You have withdrawn from people that were important in your life. You do not look happy or content. You have stopped taking part in your previous hobbies and interests. You no longer show any interest in where you are going in life. This comes from my own observations as well as comments from your siblings, friends, teachers, counselors, et cetera. You have not gone along with treatments that we offered you (therapy, medication, etc.).
The preceding material presents general guidelines. It is essential that you write your Impact Letter in your own way and in your own voice, while observing these guidelines. TWAI staff can help you through this assignment. This letter is an essential part of the TWAI program and is vital in helping your child.
Students are required to respond in writing to their parents’ Impact Letters. They must show understanding and acceptance of the problem behaviors identified in the Impact Letters. They also must show understanding of why these behaviors were inappropriate and unacceptable, and show some practical preparation in order to discontinue these patterns.
Students are expected to use their Disclosure Letters to list and describe every negative behavior they have ever done. They are instructed to disclose their actions and choices, to explain why each behavior was unhealthy, and then outline why and how they plan to keep from repeating such behaviors.
True/False
1. T/F Therapeutic measures are student-focused and family-centered within a healing and supportive environment.
2. T/F The Family Workshop is an essential and required part of the Turning Winds program.
3. T/F Each parent is required to write, and have delivered, an Impact Letter at the time of their child’s arrival at Turning Winds.
Multiple Choice
4. The following groups are offered at Turning Winds:
a. Addictions Group
b. Virtue Group
c. Gender Specific Group
d. All of the above
5. Which of the following is not good to include in the impact letter:
a. A concise statement of why he or she is attending Turning Winds
b. The justification for the child’s negative behaviors
c. A full account of the basis of your concerns
d. Include a statement of what you expect your child to change and learn during his or her enrollment at Turning Winds.
Our teachers are dedicated to providing each student with an excellent education. Educators structure learning for students based upon their specific learning needs and growth. Turning Winds provides a variety of teaching and learning opportunities. Frequent field trips, technology incorporation, and other educational activities and resources are integrated to support student learning. Education for students is individualized. Teachers provide support, tutoring and direct instruction.
8:30am – 3:00pm Students are engaged in classes and independent study
3:30pm – 4:30pm Physical Education (P.E.)
Course requirements ensure that all students, regardless of their learning abilities, are provided opportunities to demonstrate academic growth. The curriculum plan and course requirements provide a variety of opportunities in which students may achieve success.
Turning Winds is licensed by the state of Montana as a therapeutic boarding school and accredited by AdvancED, and National Independent Private Schools Association (NIPSA). Turning Winds is a member of The National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP),
The curriculum used by Turning Winds stretches the mind of the student and fosters growth in critical thinking skills and knowledge application. Students are given the opportunity to progress at their own pace in school while participating in activities that encourage them to excel and achieve their full potential.
Turning Winds provides students with a diverse array of enrichment activities including, service projects, field-trips, physical training, recreational sports, outdoor education courses and life-skills courses. These activities provide students with the opportunity to gain community-based knowledge.
We offer standardized, the grade-appropriate curriculum at the middle and high school levels, developed and taught by Montana certified teachers. Classes are taught through independent studies and by teacher direction in a regular classroom. We are specialized in the core subjects of math, reading, science, and social studies.
Montana Digital Academy is available to our students to take high school level courses not offered in our curricula such as AP courses and other specialized courses. In addition, foreign language and other classes that enrich the curriculum are offered through Brigham Young University Independent Study (BYU).
BYU’s distance education program offers over 500 courses to over 100,000 people throughout the world. BYU is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). BYU also offers college credit courses. Courses taken through BYU are paper/online version. The student studies the materials, submits their lessons, takes a final exam and receives a course grade that can be transferred to the school of their choice. Turning Winds is a college testing center and students are able to take their midterms and finals at the school.
Other online sources are also used to enable students to take a variety of courses to meet their individual academic needs. Courses offered from BYU or other providers carry additional tuition and materials fees.
Students come to realize, through hard work and goal setting, that learning is enjoyable and important to their future success in life. Instruction is also given in life skills including proper nutrition, physical conditioning, food preparation, proper hygiene, and oral interpersonal communication.
The Turning Winds educational expectations and standards are based on Montana State and national standards and are regularly revised and updated.
Independent college courses can be taken for dual credit—for high school and college. Students who have graduated may also enroll in independent study college classes to get a start on their college education.
These are the minimum requirements established for graduation from Turning Winds. All students receiving a diploma of graduation from Turning Winds must complete all of the following credits while in grades nine to twelve, inclusive. Courses in the subjects specified are one year in duration unless otherwise specified. One credit equals one year’s worth of work. One semester = ½ credit
Report cards are issued at the end of a student’s stay at Turning Winds. The following system is used to report grades shown on the report card. If there are any questions about grades, students and/or parents should contact the specific teacher or Academic Director as soon as possible.
The following factors may be considered in determining grades:
Progress Reports are sent home monthly. This reporting is done to keep parents informed of their teen’s academic progress.
In limited cases where GED is deemed necessary, a student may pursue a General Education Development (GED) or high school equivalency while attending Turning Winds (see General Education Development in the Tuition and Fees Section on page 37 for the cost of these tests).
The GED tests are a battery of five tests which, when passed, certify that the student has American or Canadian high school-level academic skills. Approximately 95% of colleges will accept GED graduates and many colleges offer scholarships and other forms of financial aid specifically for GED recipients in order to help them finance their education.
Turning Winds focuses on personalized instruction to reach all students and to meet students’ individual learning needs most effectively. Cooperative learning activities are used to engage students as active learners and promote deeper understanding and internalization of concepts. Our teachers’ main goal is to help students become self-directed learners. Students are responsible for their own learning while teachers act as academic coaches, allowing students to claim the success of their own progress.
At Turning Winds, students are taught to be technologically literate and life-long learners. Students and teachers use the most current technologies for improving the learning process. Students graduating from Turning Winds possess the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to succeed in an increasingly complex, global, information-based society.
The Turning Winds technology philosophy is that students must be computer literate to succeed in their future careers. In order to increase computer literacy, students are regularly required to exercise their current computer skills and develop new computer skills for making presentations of their understanding of concepts across the curriculum.
A state-of-the-art computer lab offers students to access tools they need for creating PowerPoint presentations, for typing essays, and for research projects. Internet use by students is filtered and supervised to guard against inappropriate use.
Teachers at Turning Winds are Montana State certified teachers from various backgrounds. They participate in ongoing training and professional development.
True/False
Multiple Choice
While your child is at Turning Winds making strides to change and improve, it is important for you, the parent(s), to develop skills and make improvements in your own life that will better enable you to support the success of your child. The following are assignments that each parent/guardian is expected to complete as your son or daughter is going through the each phase. As you accomplish the assignments found in each phase please report back to your child’s therapist to review what you have learned.
. Write your Impact Letter to your child. For information and instructions, please refer to the Impact Letter in the Therapeutic Program Section.
2. Become familiar with TWAI’s 12 Character Virtues found in the Program Overview.
3. Read all eight sections of the Turning Winds Program Guide.
4. Select one of the following books to read and complete the accompanying assignment:
1. Select one of the following books to read and complete the accompanying assignment:
2. Watch the movie The Ultimate Gift, then write about what gift or gifts you would like to bestow upon your child.
3. Participate in the development and creation of your child’s Behavior Contract.
1. Set apart a time to read as a family, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families, by Stephen R. Covey.
2. Schedule a weekly time to have a fun, interactive family activity.
3. Be supportive of the Transition Plan by enforcing its terms and conditions at all times.
4. As outlined in the Behavior Contract, participate in the periodic review of the Behavior Contract. Provide helpful and loving feedback to assist your child’s continued success.
True/False
1. T/F It is important for you, the parent(s), to develop skills and make improvements in your own life that will better enable you to support the success of your child
2. T/F The Turning Winds program has three distinct phases
3. T/F The first phase in the Turning Winds program is called the Novice Phase
Multiple Choice
4. The following books are recommended:
a. Parenting Teens with Love and Logic
b. The Five Love Languages of Teenagers
c. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families
d. All of the above
5. Which of the following assignments is not part of the curriculum
a. Watch the movie The Ultimate Gift, then write about what gift or gifts you would like to bestow upon your child.
b. Watch the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas
c. Participate in the development and creation of your child’s Behavior Contract
d. Schedule a weekly time to have a fun, interactive family activity
We request that you write to your child weekly.
Your child may only receive letters from persons listed on the TWAI Mailing List, which is in the enrollment application. If you find that you need to add to or delete anyone from your mailing list, please email the names to the Executive Assistant.
Do not discuss any dates, such as commencements, visits, high-adventure activities or discharge dates with your child, unless directed otherwise. When addressing concerns with your child, communicate them in a specific, and direct manner, do not suppress your concerns.
Letters may be sent to students in three ways:
U.S. Mail:Turning Winds
31733 S Fork Yaak Rd
Troy, MT 59935-8681
Email: [email protected]
(Be sure to include your child’s name in the subject line of the email.)
Fax: (406) 295-5420
Phone calls/video conferencing begin as soon as your child is ready. Once your son or daughter is ready to have a productive conversation with you your child’s therapist will set up a time for your child to speak with you. Typically, most teens are having regular phone calls with their families in 2-4 weeks.
All packages must be mailed with a completed Student Package Content List (this form was emailed to you when completing the application process) to the school at the following address:
Turning Winds
31733 S Fork Yaak Rd.
Troy, MT 59935-8681
The best things to send to your child, besides weekly letters, are photographs of immediate family members. We encourage you to send these as soon as possible. Before sending any item for any occasion we recommend you familiarize yourself with both the student dress code and recommended student clothing list.
If you have a question as to the appropriateness of any item you would like to send to your child, a staff member of TWAI would be happy to consult with you.
True/False
1. T/F We request that you write to your child weekly
2. T/F All packages must be mailed with a completed Student Package Content List
3. T/F The recommended email address to send your child’s letters to is [email protected]
Multiple Choice
4. The following are items should not be sent to your child without prior approval:
a. Food, or any perishable goods, including candy
b. Perfumes and cologne
c. Books, magazines, music or movies that are not on the approved media list
d. All of the above
5. Phone calls/video conferencing with your child typically start:
a. After the first quarter
b. As soon as your child is ready
c. During the first week
d. When your child misses you
“Dress gives one the outward sign from which people can judge the inward state of mind. One they can see, the other they cannot.” – Queen Elizabeth II of England
Clearly, this says what many people are reluctant to accept; that people judge us by the way we dress. In all situations, academic and recreational, our outward appearance sends a message. The way we present ourselves is a reflection of who we are and what we do. Here at TWAI we are striving for personal excellence, and our dress code allows students to show on the outside what we are striving to achieve on the inside.
Appropriate dress on the Turning Winds campus includes:
Appropriate dress for physical conditioning and work projects also includes:
Please remember that these items are appropriate only during physical conditioning and work projects.
INAPPROPRIATE dress includes:
This list recommends quantities of clothing for students attending Turning Winds. Please be sure to refer to the Student Dress Code for appropriate styles and design of individual clothing items.
Students are subject to searches of their persons and belongings upon entering or leaving the Turning Winds campus and whenever there is reasonable grounds for suspicion the student may possess any form of contraband.
Searches are conducted with the goal of being minimally invasive and respecting basic dignity and privacy rights. Personal possessions are inventoried upon entering or leaving the campus. We provide storage for personal belongings that are more appropriately stored away rather than kept easily accessible to students.
Contraband is anything that is brought onto the Turning Winds campus that is not specifically allowed and does not reflect the values, expectations, or beliefs of Turning Winds. All contraband will be thrown away or placed in the student’s storage.
EXAMPLES of contraband include, but are not limited to:
At the time of the student’s departure, it is the student’s and parents’ responsibility to pack up and get the student’s items home. In the event that a student is sent home unexpectedly, parents should arrange to have the student’s items sent home within two weeks. Money to cover all shipping costs must be forwarded to Turning Winds prior to items being shipped.
It is recommended that all valuables be kept at home and not sent with the child. Turning Winds is not responsible for keeping track of student’s belongings. Students have the sole responsibility for keeping track of their belongings. Therefore, it is recommended that students not be sent up with expensive clothing or anything valuable that could get lost.
True/False
1. T/F The way we present ourselves is a reflection of who we are and what we do.
2. T/F Contraband is anything that is brought onto the Turning Winds campus that is not specifically allowed and does not reflect the values, expectations, or beliefs of Turning Winds.
3. T/F Turning Winds is not responsible for keeping track of student’s belongings. Students have the sole responsibility for keeping track of their belongings.
Multiple Choice
4. Examples of contraband could include:
a. Controlled substances
b. Matches or lighters
c. Unapproved media, including books, movies, and music
d. All of the above
5. Which of the following is not appropriate dress for Turning Winds:
a. Collared shirts, such as a polo shirt
b. Clothing that is ill-fitted, either extremely baggy or extremely tight fitting
c. Jeans
d. Tee-shirts
The First Local Visit Takes Place After The Commencement Ceremony.
Because commencement dates are tentative and may change, it is strongly recommended that all travel fares be booked in a way to be flexible or refundable.
Local visits should be scheduled to take place over the weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) in order to lessen the impact on the student’s weekly schedule. Remember to allow ample time on Friday for counseling sessions with your child’s clinician. After successful local visits, the child then completes two home visits. During home visits, parents follow the recommendations from the child’s therapist and
After successful local visits, the child then completes two home visits. During home visits, parents follow the recommendations from the child’s therapist and adhere to the Turning Winds standards.
One of the aims of the local and home visits is to give parents an opportunity to demonstrate to their child that they are working as a team with Turning Winds and that they are working to improve the home environment. Home visits help prepare the child to expect changes at home in terms of monitoring, limit setting, and responsibility.
Ideally, parents have improved their ability to provide a successful home environment by the time the child returns home. Parents should be mindful to keep their child away from peers who may be a negative influence. They should know how to set limits and follow through with discipline and they should understand the importance of helping the child succeed in school, on the job, and in other productive pursuits.
Parents are successful when they demonstrate to the child that there are set consequences for certain behaviors. Often when a child returns home they test the parents’ resolve by breaking rules or developing problems in school. Even after parents have been warned by Turning Winds staff that this is likely to occur they sometimes become demoralized and react by being negative with the child. In other cases, if the child is doing reasonably well it becomes easy for parents to begin to let some negative behaviors slide. Ignoring problem behaviors, no matter how minor, will send an inconsistent message to your child. Parents are successful when they provide consistent consequences and avoid relapsing into old patterns of dysfunctional relationships, such as lecturing or engaging in arguments.
See Transportation To And From Spokane Airport and Local Places Of Interest.
True/False
1. T/F The impact letter is due during the first week
2. T/F It is important to send your child’s transcripts during the first week
3. T/F If you have not received any of the required forms you may email Marcine Holmes to have her resend? Multiple Choice
Multiple Choice
4. The parent portal gives the parents access to:
a. Weekly letters
b. Academic updates
c. Therapeutic updates
d. All of the above
5. Which of the following forms is not required during the first week:
a. Immunization records
b. College transcripts
c. Dental and Medical authorizations
d. Birth Certificate
Spending time outdoors is an essential part of everyone’s well-being, and perhaps even more so for teenagers. Being cooped up inside all day can lead to feelings of restlessness, boredom, and even depression. Fortunately, spending time outside can have numerous therapeutic benefits for teenagers. One of the main benefits is
Our mission is to rescue teens from crisis, renew their belief in their own potential and reunite them with their family and a sustainable path of success.
31733 S Fork Yaak Rd Troy, MT 59935
Phone: 800-845-1380
International: 208-267-1500
Fax: 888-892-4568
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