Each lower school student is paired with a middle schooler to be their buddy for activities including lunch, an interview, games and a scavenger hunt. This event encourages our kids to make new friends and develop social skills by pairing them with students who they do not typically interact with during school. The Buddy Lunch kicks off the Buddy Program, in which buddies who are paired at the beginning of the year continue to participate in activities together all year long.

Every October we celebrate The Joy School by inviting all current and alumni students and their families back to the School. Over 400 people join us for a casual evening of food and fun.

The Joy School’s parents and faculty organize a day that our students look forward to each and every year. There is a carnival complete with games, snacks, crafts, pumpkin decorating contests and more. Teachers and students alike don their costumes and have a ball.

For two days in November, we invite grandparents and special family friends to visit the School and enjoy a picnic lunch with their student. This is a terrific time for our students to show off their school and their work!

Before the winter break, students form teams to engage in friendly competition for the Winter Games. The competitions allow students to focus on social and fine motor skills while having fun as part of a team. Students receive awards based on good sportsmanship, teamwork and facing their fears!

The Joy School Annual Luncheon is held each February and has become a highly anticipated event in the Houston community. Each year the School brings an acclaimed expert on child development or education to address luncheon guests. Over 350 people gather at the River Oaks Country Club for this beautiful and informative luncheon.

We believe helping other educators in the community work effectively with children with learning differences is crucial. The Joy School holds an Educator Seminar in conjunction with The Annual Luncheon, in which the Luncheon guest speaker spends an evening addressing professional educators such as teachers, school administrators, diagnosticians and speech pathologists. This seminar is generously underwritten and offered to all education professionals in the Houston area free of charge as part of our ongoing community outreach program. Teachers also earn TEA credits by attending the seminar.

Every March, the kids and teachers take an overnight trip to Camp For All in Burton, Texas. Students challenge themselves to climb the rock wall and ride the zip line, learn how to shoot a bow and arrow, see a variety of animals up close, and more!

This is one of our favorite events held each spring. Dads come to school with their children in the morning and stay for coffee and donuts. The students love having a few extra moments with Dad in the morning!

Every spring, moms get a special time to have a Joy School breakfast with their kids. Muffins, coffee and a little extra time with their loved ones gives everyone a great start to their day.

This is one of the last events of the school year, and we go out with a bang! All year students and faculty look forward to this fun day of games, relays and of course the water balloon fight.