At one table, 7-year-old Daron White used brightly colored foam letters to spell out the word "bat," followed by "hat." At another, instructor Shannon Bland bent over a worksheet about an owl named Oliver, reading directions for 8-year-old Harmony Johnson to draw and then color in a picture of the nocturnal bird. "See? It's giving you steps to follow," Bland said, as Harmony nodded. The small-group exercises, which took place Friday at St. Thérèse Academy, are just one of many ways the new Catholic school is trying to serve elementary and high school students with mild to moderate learning disabilities.

It was a great 1st day! Here are some reminders: