Why The Diener School is Unique
After surveying schools in the Washington DC region that serve students with language, learning, and social deficencies, Jillian Copeland, the Founder of The Diener School, determined that there were no programs available that offered a solid academic experience while providing students with meaningful and practical social and developmental growth. With a strong educational background, and a particular expertise in the special needs arena, Jillian researched the best practices of existing programs throughout the country.
Combining those findings and collaboration with renowned experts in a variety of educational and developmental fields, Jillian created the “Diener Pyramid of Learning for the Whole Child” and the Diener School was born. [more]
To Accomplish our mission our Staff will >>>
To Accomplish our mission our students will be provided with >>>
The Diener School Buddy Program
We have two 8 week buddy sessions for our older students. Our Diener students are matched up with a 7th or 8th grade buddy. They participate in a wide variety of experiences from playing board games, sports activities, cooking and art projects. This precious time allows our students to practice their social thinking and pragmatic skills.
Testimonials
See what our buddies have to say!
"Everyday I leave the Diener School I have a smile on my face. A smile that says, 'I helped change a life in only 45 minutes every Wednesday'... My buddy is making me a better person and I am so grateful that I was paired with him..." - Malachi
"The program was a lot different this session because we were always doing an interesting activity and the kids never got bored... I always enjoy doing the Diener School and this session I had more fun than I've ever had with the Diener School Program"- Darcy
"I remember one time we went on a scavenger hunt in each classroom. Every classroom had a different theme and each theme affected what we had to find. The Diener kids had lots of fun with this activity. Everything we did, no matter what it was, they enjoyed it and had so much fun"- Shayon
"I cannot believe what an experience this has been for me. The Diener School was super duper awesome and I am just speechless.... I was so shy when I started, but I feel welcome at the Diener School and now I feel almost like a teacher... I just love the Diener School and how great it is"- Mark
"Before I went to the Diener School, I was thinking that I wasn't going to like it that much. Later I found out I was totally wrong. As soon as I found out who my buddy was, I was so excited to see him the next week. Whenever I walked in, he walked over, gave me a high-five, and immediately started talking to me. We are very good friends, or the appropriate term, buddies"- Quinn
"I hope that I have been a good role model for my buddy to look up to. In addition, she has been a role model to me, because she cares about her friends, and is a strong leader. She does what she can to help because she knows it's the right thing to do" - Danya
"From this experience, I learned how special it is to do something like this important and have so much fun at the same time"- Mathew
" Patrice and Aaron have really made this fun and enriching experience, worth while... They did a very good job of getting everyone involved and excited, but also calm and respectful... I am so thankful to be given this opportunity. Diener has changed my life and has really opened my eyes to new limitsI thought I would never reach"- Ilan
"Everytime I go to the Diener School, I learn something new about my buddy. I even learn about the other kids, too..." - Drew
Field Trips
The Diener School believes in learning in and outside of the classroom. We have bi-weekly field trips that are curriculum correlated. We have visited The Baltimore Science Museum, The National History Museum, The Capitol, the White House, the local library, Croydon Creek Park, The Montgomery County Recycling Center, Robeks and more! We also take several field trips as part of our character development program. Our students visit the Hebrew Home of Greater Washington twice yearly to sing to the residents. We visit the personal pony farm where we learn to care for farm animals. We visit the parks on earth day to help clean and preserve our Earth!
 
 
Movement
The Diener School believes strongly in the connection between movement and learning. Our kids are moving throughout the day experiencing a variety of multi-sensory opportunities. Our movement program consists of the following:
- Daily Brain Gym
- Gross motor with our Occupational Therapist
- Fitness for Health
- Yoga
- Dance/Hip hop
- After school Martial Arts offered
 
Staff Like No Other!
On staff at the Diener School are the following professionals:
- 5 Classroom Teachers
- 5 Trained Classroom Assistants
- 1 Speech Therapist
- 1 Occupational Therapist
- 1 Academic Tutor
- 1 Fitness For Health Fitness Instructor
- 1 Yoga Instructor
- 1 Developmental Music Therapist
- 1 Developmental Art Teacher
- 1 Behaviorist
- 1 Drama Teacher
- 1 Science Teacher
The Diener School Board of Trustees
Jillian Copeland, Director of The Diener School
Michelle Herman, Co-Founder, Dynamic Development Pediatric Services, President of Board
Lois McCabe, Head of Admissions, The Diener School, Vice President of Board
Scott Copeland, RST Development, Treasurer of Board
Lisa Friedlander, Attorney at Law, Secretary of Board
Parent Trainings
The Diener School offers a Winter Parent Training Series for our parents and community. We choose various therapists and professionals (many of whom work with our students at The Diener School) to come educate and empower our parents with knowledge, information and resources!
Our 2007-2008 Winter Parent Training Schedule is as follows:
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