Aging is inevitable, and for many, it signals the beginning of a new chapter - one where you cross off bucket list items and live life to the fullest, on your own terms. However, for some women, aging is a horrible prospect, filled with chronic fatigue, irritability, and inability to perform in the bedroom. If you're concerned about life in middle age and beyond, we've got great news: there are easy, proven steps that you can take to help stop the negative effect of aging.
Global Life Rejuvenation was founded to give women a new lease on life - one that includes less body fat, fewer mood swings, and more energy as you age. If you're ready to look and feel younger, it's time to consider HRT (hormone replacement therapy), and growth hormone peptides. These therapies for men and women are effective, safe, and customized to fit your goals, so you can keep loving life as you get older.
HRT, and growth hormone peptide therapies bridge the gap between your old life and the more vibrant, happier version of you. With a simple click or call, you can be well on your way to a brighter future. After all, you deserve to be the one in charge of your wellness and health. Now, you have the tools to do so - backed by science and applied by our team of HRT experts with more than 13 years of experience.
As women age, their hormones begin to go through changes that affect their day-to-day lives. For women, hormone deficiency and imbalance usually occur during menopause and can cause chronic fatigue, hot flashes, and mood swings, among other issues. Hormone replacement therapy helps correct hormone imbalances in women, helping them feel more vibrant and virile as they age.
Often, HRT treatments give patients enhanced quality of life that they didn't think was possible - even in their 60's and beyond.
The benefits for women are numerous and are available today through Global Life Rejuvenation.
As women age, their bodies begin to go through significant changes that affect their quality of life. This change is called menopause and marks the end of a woman's menstrual cycle and reproduction ability. Though there is no specific age when this change occurs, the average age of menopause onset is 51 years old. However, according to doctors, menopause officially starts 12 months after a woman's final period. During the transition to menopause, women's estrogen and other hormones begin to deplete.
As that happens, many women experience severe symptoms. These symptoms include:
The symptoms of hormone deficiency can be concerning and scary for both women and their spouses. However, if you're getting older and notice some of these symptoms, there is reason to be hopeful. Hormone replacement therapy and anti-aging medicine for women can correct imbalances that happen during menopause. These safe, effective treatments leave you feeling younger, healthier, and more vibrant.
The most common reason for menopause is the natural decline in a female's reproductive hormones. However, menopause can also result from the following situations:
Oophorectomy: This surgery, which removes a woman's ovaries, causes immediate menopause. Symptoms and signs of menopause in this situation can be severe, as the hormonal changes happen abruptly.
Chemotherapy: Cancer treatments like chemotherapy can induce menopause quickly, causing symptoms to appear shortly after or even during treatment.
Ovarian Insufficiency: Also called premature ovarian failure, this condition is essentially premature menopause. It happens when a woman's ovaries quit functioning before the age of 40 and can stem from genetic factors and disease. Only 1% of women suffer from premature menopause, but HRT can help protect the heart, brain, and bones.
For many women, menopause is a trying time that can be filled with many hormonal hurdles to jump through. A little knowledge can go a long way, whether you're going through menopause now or are approaching "that" age.
Here are some of the most common issues that women experience during menopause:
If you're a woman going through menopause and find that you have become increasingly depressed, you're not alone. It's estimated that 15% of women experience depression to some degree while going through menopause. What many women don't know is that depression can start during perimenopause, or the years leading up to menopause.
Depression can be hard to diagnose, especially during perimenopause and menopause. However, if you notice the following signs, it might be time to speak with a physician:
Remember, if you're experiencing depression, you're not weak or broken - you're going through a very regular emotional experience. The good news is that with proper treatment from your doctor, depression isn't a death sentence. And with HRT and anti-aging treatment for women, depression could be the catalyst you need to enjoy a new lease on life.
Hot flashes - they're one of the most well-known symptoms of menopause. Hot flashes are intense, sudden feelings of heat across a woman's upper body. Some last second, while others last minutes, making them incredibly inconvenient and uncomfortable for most women.
Symptoms of hot flashes include:
Typically, hot flashes are caused by a lack of estrogen. Low estrogen levels negatively affect a woman's hypothalamus, the part of the brain that controls body temperature and appetite. Low estrogen levels cause the hypothalamus to incorrectly assume the body is too hot, dilating blood vessels to increase blood flow. Luckily, most women don't have to settle for the uncomfortable feelings that hot flashes cause. HRT treatments for women often stabilize hormones, lessening the effects of hot flashes and menopause in general.
Mood swings are common occurrences for most people - quick shifts from happy to angry and back again, triggered by a specific event. And while many people experience mood swings, they are particularly common for women going through menopause. That's because, during menopause, the female's hormones are often imbalanced. Hormone imbalances and mood swings go hand-in-hand, resulting in frequent mood changes and even symptoms like insomnia.
The rate of production of estrogen, a hormone that fluctuates during menopause, largely determines the rate of production the hormone serotonin, which regulates mood, causing mood swings.
Luckily, HRT and anti-aging treatments in Township of Washington, NJ for women work wonders for mood swings by regulating hormone levels like estrogen. With normal hormone levels, women around the world are now learning that they don't have to settle for mood swings during menopause.
Staying fit and healthy is hard for anyone living in modern America. However, for women with hormone imbalances during perimenopause or menopause, weight gain is even more serious. Luckily, HRT treatments for women coupled with a physician-led diet can help keep weight in check. But which hormones need to be regulated?
Lowered sexual desire - three words most men and women hate to hear. Unfortunately, for many women in perimenopausal and menopausal states, it's just a reality of life. Thankfully, today, HRT and anti-aging treatments Township of Washington, NJ can help women maintain a normal, healthy sex drive. But what causes low libido in women, especially as they get older?
The hormones responsible for low libido in women are progesterone, estrogen, and testosterone.
Progesterone production decreases during perimenopause, causing low sex drive in women. Lower progesterone production can also cause chronic fatigue, weight gain, and other symptoms. On the other hand, lower estrogen levels during menopause lead to vaginal dryness and even vaginal atrophy or loss of muscle tension.
Lastly, testosterone plays a role in lowered libido. And while testosterone is often grouped as a male hormone, it contributes to important health and regulatory functionality in women. A woman's testosterone serves to heighten sexual responses and enhances orgasms. When the ovaries are unable to produce sufficient levels of testosterone, it often results in a lowered sex drive.
Often uncomfortable and even painful, vaginal dryness is a serious problem for sexually active women. However, like hair loss in males, vaginal dryness is very common - almost 50% of women suffer from it during menopause.
Getting older is just a part of life, but that doesn't mean you have to settle for the side effects. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women correct vaginal dryness by re-balancing estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone. When supplemented with diet and healthy living, your vagina's secretions are normalized, causing discomfort to recede.
Uterine fibroids - they're perhaps the least-known symptom of menopause and hormone imbalances in women. That's because these growths on the uterus are often symptom-free. Unfortunately, these growths can be cancerous, presenting a danger for women as they age.
Many women will have fibroids at some point. Because they're symptomless, they're usually found during routine doctor exams. Some women only get one or two, while others may have large clusters of fibroids. Because fibroids are usually caused by hormone imbalances, hysterectomies have been used as a solution, forcing women into early menopause.
Advances in HRT and anti-aging medicine for women give females a safer, non-surgical option without having to experience menopause early. At Global Life Rejuvenation, our expert physicians will implement a customized HRT program to stabilize your hormones and reduce the risk of cancerous fibroid growth.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS, and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Endometriosis symptoms are much like the effects of PMS and include pelvic pain, fatigue, cramping, and bloating. While doctors aren't entirely sure what causes this painful, uncomfortable condition, most agree that hormones - particularly xenoestrogens - play a factor.
Xenoestrogen is a hormone that is very similar to estrogen. Too much xenoestrogen is thought to stimulate endometrial tissue growth. HRT for women helps balance these hormones and, when used with a custom nutrition program, can provide relief for women across the U.S.
Hormone stability is imperative for a healthy sex drive and for a normal, stress-free life during menopause. HRT and anti-aging treatments for women balance the hormones that your body has altered due to perimenopause or menopause.
HRT for women is a revolutionary step in helping women live their best lives, even as they grow older. However, at Global Life Rejuvenation, we know that no two patients are the same. That's why we specialize in holistic treatments that utilize HRT, combined with healthy nutrition, supplements, and fitness plans that maximize hormone replacement treatments.
If you've been suffering through menopause, is HRT the answer? That's hard to say without an examination by a trusted physician, but one thing's for sure. When a woman balances her hormone levels, she has a much better shot at living a regular life with limited depression, weight gain, mood swings, and hot flashes.
Here are just a few additional benefits of HRT and anti-aging treatments for females:
Hormone imbalance causes a litany of issues. But with anti-aging treatments for women, females can better process calcium, keep their cholesterol levels safe, and maintain a healthy vagina. By replenishing the body's estrogen supply, HRT can relieve symptoms from menopause and protect against osteoporosis. But that's just the start.
Global Life Rejuvenation's patients report many more benefits of HRT and anti-aging medicine for women:
If you're ready to feel better, look better, and recapture the vitality of your youth, it's time to contact Global Life Rejuvenation. It all starts with an in-depth consultation, where we will determine if HRT and anti-aging treatments for women are right for you. After all, every patient's body and hormone levels are different. Since all our treatment options are personalized, we do not have a single threshold for treatment. Instead, we look at our patient's hormone levels and analyze them on a case-by-case basis.
At Global Life Rejuvenation, we help women rediscover their youth with HRT treatment for women. We like to think of ourselves as an anti-aging concierge service, guiding and connecting our patients to the most qualified HRT physicians available. With customized HRT treatment plan for women, our patients experience fewer menopausal symptoms, less perimenopause & menopause depression, and often enjoy a more youth-like appearance.
Growth hormone peptides are an innovative therapy that boosts the natural human growth hormone production in a person's body. These exciting treatment options help slow down the aging process and give you a chance at restoring your youth.
Sermorelin is a synthetic hormone peptide, like GHRH, which triggers the release of growth hormones. When used under the care of a qualified physician, Sermorelin can help you lose weight, increase your energy levels, and help you feel much younger.
Human growth hormone (HGH) therapy has been used for years to treat hormone deficiencies. Unlike HGH, which directly replaces declining human growth hormone levels, Sermorelin addresses the underlying cause of decreased HGH, stimulating the pituitary gland naturally. This approach keeps the mechanisms of growth hormone production active.
Ipamorelin helps to release growth hormones in a person's body by mimicking a peptide called ghrelin. Ghrelin is one of three hormones which work together to regulate the growth hormone levels released by the pituitary gland. Because Ipamorelin stimulates the body to produce growth hormone, your body won't stop its natural growth hormone production, which occurs with synthetic HGH.
Ipamorelin causes growth hormone secretion that resembles natural release patterns rather than being constantly elevated from HGH. Because ipamorelin stimulates the natural production of growth hormone, our patients can use this treatment long-term with fewer health risks.
One of the biggest benefits of Ipamorelin is that it provides significant short and long-term benefits in age management therapies. Ipamorelin can boost a patient's overall health, wellbeing, and outlook on life.
When there is an increased concentration of growth hormone by the pituitary gland, there are positive benefits to the body. Some benefits include:
Whether you are considering our HRT and anti-aging treatments for women in Township of Washington, NJ, we are here to help. The first step to reclaiming your life begins by contacting Global Life Rejuvenation. Our friendly, knowledgeable HRT experts can help answer your questions and walk you through our procedures. From there, we'll figure out which treatments are right for you. Before you know it, you'll be well on your way to looking and feeling better than you have in years!
866-793-9933LONG VALLEY, NJ — Election Day is nearing, and Long Valley voters will soon head to the polls to cast their votes for three seats on the local school board.Patch sent questionnaires to all candidates, seeking their responses. Here is the response from candidate Isabel Vieira.Editor's Note: Patch emailed all candidates at the email addresses listed for their campaigns in the clerk's office. The responses will be revealed between now and the general election on Nov. 7. These comments will be published with just mino...
LONG VALLEY, NJ — Election Day is nearing, and Long Valley voters will soon head to the polls to cast their votes for three seats on the local school board.
Patch sent questionnaires to all candidates, seeking their responses. Here is the response from candidate Isabel Vieira.
Editor's Note: Patch emailed all candidates at the email addresses listed for their campaigns in the clerk's office. The responses will be revealed between now and the general election on Nov. 7. These comments will be published with just minor stylistic changes. Candidates who wish to participate but did not receive an invitation should email [email protected].
Name: Isabel Vieira
Age: 54
Town of residence: Long Valley
Family: My husband and I have lived in Long Valley for over 20 years and have three children.
Education: I attended the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in Manhattan. I graduated with a major in international trade and marketing and a minor in buying and merchandising.
Occupation: I am a residential and commercial mortgage banker/lender. I have been in the mortgage financing industry for 30 years.
Previous or current elected appointed office: None.
Why are you seeking to run for the school board?
I am running for the Washington Township K-8 Board of Education because, as a parent, I am a firm believer that a teacher, educator, administrator or any employee of school district keeping anything from a parent (especially 5 - 13 year olds) is wrong. Nothing good ever comes of keeping parents in the dark - about anything. Parents and teachers should always work together and this collaboration will always inevitably be what is in the child's best interest.
I also want to work to ensure that our district's test scores and ranking go back to the higher numbers of prior years. Having a great school system is not only what parents want, but is the foundation of a desirable town. It ensures property values are maintained and what families seek among their top reasons when looking to move.
Being fiscally sound is also what has driven me to run for school board. Having a balanced budget amid the state's cuts is crucial to the performance of our school system and should be a concern for every taxpayer in town.
What, according to you, is the biggest issue facing the school district currently? How do you plan to tackle it?
The biggest issue is the test scores and how they've decreased over the last few years when compared to other districs. As I proposed in the Q&A session on Oct.10th, I want to explore ways to get those scores back up along with our district's rankings, without any material increase to our bottom line. For example, collaboration with Chester and Mendham school districts to discuss their successes and establish common curriculum by 8th grade, especially in ELA and math as Washington Township students in K-8 will eventually attend the same high school district. Having an alignment between school districts will help prepare our students for the next level and ensure they are not behind academically.
What special qualifications do you bring to help meet the challenge?
Working with an extremely diverse socio-economic client base for over 30 years, I am always thinking outside the box getting their loans to closing. Problem solving is part of my job, on all levels and aspects of their financing.
What else would you like to share about yourself or your campaign?
I would like to assure ALL voters that a vote for me, John Oldmixon and Jen Ryan is a vote protecting your parental rights - especially in K-8 grades where children are 5-13 years old. We did not seek public donations and our campaign is self-funded. No one tells us how to campaign, what to say, how to say it, what issues to discuss, designs our signs, etc.
Over the past few months we have been engaged with local parents and teachers to discuss their concerns and what is working well. Please visit our website at www.WTBOE23.com for more information about our campaign and remember to vote Oldmixon, Vieira, and Ryan on November 7th!
Sprouts Farmers Market is planned for Washington Township (Gloucester County) New Jersey, moving into a “to-be-built” new building on Egg Harbor Road.Gloucester County is finally getting a premium organic grocery. “Sprouts”!Washington Township made the news official at noon today, at a formal announcement on site at the Harbor Place Shopping Center.Sprouts will be developed adjacent to the existing center (where Rita’s, Dollar Tree, TD Bank, Brick Grocery are located)Sprouts is a larg...
Sprouts Farmers Market is planned for Washington Township (Gloucester County) New Jersey, moving into a “to-be-built” new building on Egg Harbor Road.
Gloucester County is finally getting a premium organic grocery. “Sprouts”!
Washington Township made the news official at noon today, at a formal announcement on site at the Harbor Place Shopping Center.
Sprouts will be developed adjacent to the existing center (where Rita’s, Dollar Tree, TD Bank, Brick Grocery are located)
Sprouts is a large and rapidly growing premium Natural/Organic healthy grocery chain with over 380 locations in the United States.
They would be Gloucester County’s first national healthy food focused grocery, in a category which also includes Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods.
Sprouts differentiates itself by also putting an emphasis on “fresh”, by making and preparing many grocery category items in the store, when their competition uses significantly more prepackaged product.
As an example, last year Sprouts and their in-store deli went viral on social media for their fresh, made-to-order $5 packed deli sandwich deal. Multiple customer video clips reached over a million views each! It actually increased customer visits and revenue! (GroceryDive.com)
Sprouts offers…
This is bigger than just Washington Township. This is a win for all of Gloucester County.
Having a grocery in this category in the Gloucester County area has been a top item on the “wish list” for decades!
At the 42Freeway Facebook page, so many readers comment on almost every news item “Why cant we get a Sprout’s/Trader Joe’s/Whole Foods?”, that it’s now become a joke comment for many!
And it was Washington Township and shopping center owner MLG Realty, who landed one first!
In South Jersey, Sprouts has had a location in Marlton since 2019, and another location is currently under development in Westmont, Haddon Township. With the Washington Township store they will have a store in each of the three counties; Burlington, Camden and Gloucester.
Interestingly it seems Washington Township is getting a Sprouts before Cherry Hill… although Cherry Hill may already be too crowded in the organic grocery category, with Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s already in that town.
For the planned Washington Township location, the new building will be developed adjacent to the Harbor Place shopping center which is at the corner of Egg Harbor Rd. and Hurffvile-Grenloch Rd. (Where Rita’s Water Ice and TD Bank are located).
The large plot of undeveloped land next to the existing center was previously approved years ago for a shopping center expansion of smaller stores, and will head to the Planning Board soon for an updated approval.
Since the prior plans for the property were already approved for a commercial retail development, the new direction with Sprouts should be a simple approval ammendment.
The Sprouts building is expected to be in the 28,000-30,000 sq ft size, which is smaller than what was previously approved for the site.
It is believe a “pad” site will be made available in the front parking area for an additional smaller business.
There is an existing traffic signal where Salina Rd meets Egg Harbor Road, and at that point an entrance into the Sprouts parking area will be added.
The two shopping centers will also be connected with an access driveway between them
it is very early in the announcement and planning stages, so they have not provided an expected opening date as of yet.
That being said it seems Sprouts is eager to get started on the project and is expect to submit the formal application and site plan to Washington Township in the next few weeks!
The Sprouts Farmers Market grocery stores are focused on natural/organic products, but they still carry an extensive product line.
Sprouts seems to really take healthy eating and shopping to the highest level.
They state that approximately 90% of the 19,000 products they carry are natural or organic.. as well as a large selection of gluten free products.
You will not find the top selling sodas or candies at a sprouts… only healthy eating options!
Similar to their healthy competitors, the stores are a smaller size than a full traditional supermarket…but Sprouts still brings with it the full grocery store experience!
A typical store is about 30,000 square feet whereas new full supermarkets developed in the area most recently were about twice the size.
But they still offer a large selection of fresh produce, a deli with prepared entrees and side dishes, a fish market and a butcher shop as well as a large selection of vitamins and supplements.
Coincidentally I recently stopped at the Marlton location to see what Sprouts Farmers Market was all about… for an article I wanted to put up for the Westmont location which is under construction.
At the time I had no idea I would be using those Marlton store images for an article on a new location in Washington Township! But I soon got a tip from someone in the industry that Sprouts was coming to Gloucester County… so I waited for the official announcement today.
In my visit to Marlton, I found the store to be bright, colorful and inviting, and it was more open and had less of claustrophobic feeling of a full sized supermarket with their rows and rows of tall shelving aisles.
Well that’s because they’re focused on only healthy and organic options.
Well there absolutely are product aisles, but it felt like the largest part of the store’s main floor are in Marlton was featuring fresh produce, prepared foods and lower height shelving.
For the size and shelving style I guess our best comparison would be an Aldi store, but the “theming” of a Sprouts store goes much further than Aldi with eye pleasing interior graphics and store design.
Sprouts literally “walks the talk” of just being the best of everything. Their concerns go way beyond providing the healthiest organic foods.
The Sprouts website features their concerns and governance in areas such as human rights, sustainable palm oil, supplier code of conduct, supply chain transparency, responsibly sourced seafood, animal welfare and more.
They won’t put a product in the store unless it meets their strict requirements… including how the product is grown or made, and also the supplier’s processes behind the scenes.
So again this is very early in the announcement phase although the Sprouts is telling the Township they are submitting their application and site plan in April!
This is a big deal. Sprouts is the type of business which grabs the attention of other businesses which may have previously skipping much of Gloucester County. Let’s hope this is the start of something even greater!
Sprouts Farmers Market Washington Township (Planned)288 Egg Harbor RoadWashington Township NJ 08080
A South Jersey school district has made leadership changes at an elementary school where a kindergartner was captured on video screaming and crying while barricaded by his teacher behind a gym mat.In letters to families with children at Wedgwood Elementary, Washington Township School Superintendent Eric Hibbs initially announced that a retired principal from another school in the Gloucester County district would serve as acting leader.» READ MORE: ...
A South Jersey school district has made leadership changes at an elementary school where a kindergartner was captured on video screaming and crying while barricaded by his teacher behind a gym mat.
In letters to families with children at Wedgwood Elementary, Washington Township School Superintendent Eric Hibbs initially announced that a retired principal from another school in the Gloucester County district would serve as acting leader.
» READ MORE: After a N.J. kindergartner was filmed barricaded behind a gym mat, his mother wants an investigation
In another letter on May 26, Hibbs said Kayla Berry, the district’s world language, ESL and family and consumer science supervisor, would be the principal for the remainder of the 2022-23 school year. The last day for students is June 12. He gave no indication who would serve beyond that.
There was no mention of Charles Zimmerman, who was principal at Wedgwood when the March gym mat incident was captured on video. It was unclear whether he was placed on administrative leave or reassigned.
Hibbs and Zimmerman did not respond to messages seeking comment.
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Allison Welsh, whose son, Levi, was heard on the video that went viral after she posted it on social media last month, said she was pleased with the leadership changes. Berry, who began her career in the district as a student teacher and previously taught German and world languages, has been communicating regularly with parents, she said.
Welsh demanded an investigation after receiving the video with Levi, 6, pleading, “I can’t breathe. I can’t leave. Let me out,” from within a folded gym mat, acting as a barricade. The video was taken by an aide in his special-education class.
It appeared that the teacher had been using the method known as seclusion, a form of involuntary confinement, with Levi and other children.
Under a 2018 state law on restraint and seclusion, tactics such as confining students alone in a closed room can be used only with students with disabilities who present an immediate danger to themselves or others.
Welsh said her son has trouble self-regulating, cries easily, and has difficulty calming himself down when he becomes agitated. She said Levi was probably crying because he was hungry or tired.
That method also was not a part of his Individual Education Plan, or IEP, and she would never have approved it. She had talked with the parents of other special-needs children in the class and heard other troubling allegations of things that had occurred in the classroom.
The aide said she recorded the incident after she reported her concerns to supervisors and was ignored. The aide has left the district.
Hibbs has declined comment, citing an active investigation. Welsh said she reported what happened as child abuse to the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency.
For months, Allison Welsh wondered why her son, Levi, had suddenly stopped wanting to go to school. He couldn’t sleep, had nightmares, and begged to stay home.Then, two weeks ago, she was sent a disturbing video recorded by an aide in his special education classroom at Wedgwood Elementary School in Washington Township in Gloucester County. She recognized the cries of her son, heard from within a folded gym mat, acting as a barricade...
For months, Allison Welsh wondered why her son, Levi, had suddenly stopped wanting to go to school. He couldn’t sleep, had nightmares, and begged to stay home.
Then, two weeks ago, she was sent a disturbing video recorded by an aide in his special education classroom at Wedgwood Elementary School in Washington Township in Gloucester County. She recognized the cries of her son, heard from within a folded gym mat, acting as a barricade.
“I can’t breathe. I can’t leave. Let me out,” the kindergartner is heard pleading on the video.
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Welsh was horrified and immediately demanded answers from the South Jersey school system. She also began talking with the parents of other special-needs children in the class and heard other troubling allegations of things that had occurred in the classroom.
It appears that the teacher had been using with other children the barricade method known as seclusion, which is an involuntary confinement. The video with Levi showed the teacher and an aide supporting the barricade.
“He sounded terrified,” Welsh said. “What they did to him was wrong and not acceptable. Nothing like that should have been attempted.”
Welsh said her son, who is 6, has trouble self-regulating, cries easily, and has difficulty calming himself down when he becomes agitated. But she said the use of seclusion was not included in her son’s individual education plan, or IEP.
School Superintendent Eric Hibbs declined to comment directly about the incident, citing an active investigation.
But in a statement, he said, “As a leader, the safety and security of our children is our top priority.”
Wedgwood principal Charlie Zimmerman didn’t respond to a request for comment. Welsh said parents were told that the teacher, a newcomer, had been removed and was “never going to step back into that school.”
Welsh, a speech pathologist in a neighboring district, said she reported what happened as child abuse to the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency and has spoken with an investigator. A spokesperson for the agency declined to comment.
Under a 2018 state law on restraint and seclusion, tactics such as confining students alone in a closed room can be used only with students with disabilities who present an immediate danger to themselves or others. Levi’s mother said the youngster was probably crying because he was hungry or tired.
The nine kindergartners and first graders in Classroom 14 at Wedgwood began having behavioral problems shortly after a new teacher arrived in January, according to Stacy Garofalo, one of several aides assigned to the classroom. The students have communications disorders and other learning disabilities and most cannot speak.
“Her whole personality was horrible,” Garofalo said. “She was not a kids kind of person.”
The teacher could not be reached for comment.
The teacher came to Wedgwood to replace another teacher in the self-contained classroom that was added this year, Garofalo said. The students were supposed to interact with general education students during lunch, recess, and non-academic classes, but parents said that never happened.
» READ MORE: Gov. Phil Murphy approves extension of special-needs services, calling it ‘the right thing to do’
The episode involving Levi occurred in March and was recorded by Garofalo on her cell phone. She said she took the video to provide evidence to support her allegations after her earlier complaints were not addressed.
Garofalo said she reached out several times to Zimmerman and notified him about the video. A union representative told her to stop talking about the allegations and that Garofalo would be reprimanded, she said.
“I just got to the point that I couldn’t take it anymore,” said Garofalo, who eventually resigned from the district.
She contacted Welsh by Facebook and sent her the videos. Welsh made several TikTok posts that went viral. She also began hearing from other parents who shared concerns about the teacher at a school board meeting last week.
One parent said her daughter was left unattended in a soiled diaper, embarrassing the girl in front of her peers. Guistina Canning said her son, who is on the autism spectrum, has been terrified to go to school because of the conduct in the classroom.
“These children deserve better, and we as parents demand better,” Canning said.
It was after she saw the video that Welsh, a mother of three, said she finally began to understand Levi’s reluctance about school. He had told her, “My teacher is mean to me,” but hadn’t been able to give examples.
Before shooting the video, Garofalo, an aide in the district for nearly nine years, began keeping a list of what she described as the teacher’s aggressive behavior toward students. She reported the episodes to her superiors, and provided The Inquirer with copies of emails she sent.
» READ MORE: Philly parents call for a public school that would be devoted to autistic kids
In one instance, a medically sensitive student was pushed down to her knees. Another student sitting on the floor was jabbed with a foot. A boy had a metal water bottle pressed hard against his forehead, she said.
“I get that some of these kids have behaviors, but this is no way that a teacher should be treating them,” she wrote in a February email provided to The Inquirer. “They come to school for safety and security.”
In 2020-21, about 7.2 million students ages 3 to 21, roughly 15% of all public school students nationwide, received special education services, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Most were classified with learning disabilities.
Garofalo said Levi was kept in seclusion for about an hour on several occasions. Welsh said Levi usually can be calmed down by positive reinforcement. He also responds well to his sister, Chloe, a second-grader in the same school, who has a soothing demeanor, she said.
Now that the teacher is no longer at the school, Welsh said, Levi has returned to his former self. On a recent school morning, Levi told his mother that he liked his new teacher. “She’s nice.”
Upon hearing that, Garofalo said everything was worth it. She has landed a job in another district and has no regrets for speaking out.
“I know that I got those kids safe,” she said. “I did my job.”
Local residents interested in enrolling their 3- or 4-year-olds Washington Township Public Schools’ tuition-free, five-day integrated preschool program need to register for the upcoming lottery by Jan. 31.The lottery is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 7, and will be streamed on the district’s YouTube channel live at 5:30 p.m.Admission slots will be made available in the fall to 72 preschool 3-year-old students and 32 preschool 4-year-old students into the program at GTECC, and 13 preschool 3-year-old-students and 13 pre...
Local residents interested in enrolling their 3- or 4-year-olds Washington Township Public Schools’ tuition-free, five-day integrated preschool program need to register for the upcoming lottery by Jan. 31.
The lottery is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 7, and will be streamed on the district’s YouTube channel live at 5:30 p.m.
Admission slots will be made available in the fall to 72 preschool 3-year-old students and 32 preschool 4-year-old students into the program at GTECC, and 13 preschool 3-year-old-students and 13 preschool 4-year-old students at Learn With Me Daycare. The program in both locations will follow the same curriculum, allowing typically developing children and children with disabilities to learn together in the same environment.
During the lottery preregistration process, families will be asked to rank their choice of venue.
The full-day program, funded by a Preschool Education Aid grant from the state Department of Education’s Division of Early Childhood Education, will run weekdays from 8:45 a.m. to 2:55 p.m. during the district’s school calendar. The preschool play-based program is structured to meet the social, emotional, physical, communication and cognitive needs of the students by teaching developmentally appropriate skill areas that are embedded throughout the curriculum. The PEA does not apply to preschool children with disabilities, as their programming is supported through state aid, including funding through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
Parents should submit their child’s information immediately via the district’s Registration Page. The District also will compile a waitlist of students in the event of cancellations by the initial lottery winners and/or the receipt of further grant funds. Deadline is 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31.
Once preregistered, families will receive details via email about the selection process for the Feb. 7 lottery drawing. Only families of multiples — twins or triplets who share the same birthdate— who successfully secure one lottery spot will have the option to enroll all of their children into the program.
Students enrolling in the program must be the designated age of the class on or before Oct. 1, 2023; must be residents of Washington Township; and must have up-to-date immunizations
Before- and after-school care will be available at both locations. Information and pricing will be forthcoming. Transportation cannot be guaranteed at this time. Click here for a video of frequently asked questions on the preschool program.
Click here to review more information on the preschool curriculum. Direct questions on the lottery process and pre-registration to Matt Pesyna in the district registration office at 856-589-6644, ext. 6698. For questions on the integrated preschool program, contact director of elementary education Gretchen Gerber at 856-589-6644, ext. 6341.