Special Education News Update
August 31, 2015
Welcome!
Please give a warm welcome to Alicia Eckert! She will be working as the EI Teacher at the High School (replacing Craig Harvey)!
Welcome Back to School! Please Note:
Important Information:
On September 1st, as part of the back to school PD, there will be (simulated) staff safety drill training. Please wear school appropriate comfortable and casual clothing. (Dodging behind desks in your finest 3 piece suit or dress and 6 inch heels may not be your idea of fun)!
Other Important Information:
In order to increase student independence, at all levels K-12, this fall, we will be working to rotate support staff and parapros in order to meet student needs. Previous practice had us assigning one person to some students all day long to support them. They in turn became the adult for whom the child depended on and responded to rather than the student's teacher. What we will be aiming for as part of "best practice" is to train staff as a team to work with students so that students are able to generalize and perform for a variety of adults. We will still be using peer supports as much as possible, but when students require adult assistance, we want to make sure we are programming in such a way as to set students up for success with independence and socialization.
New This Year: IEP Procedure
- In order to move to a more paperless process, we will strive to project (overhead or smartboard) IEPs in order to provide more of a discussion format that allows parents to witness the changes to the draft IEP as they are made during the meeting (hopefully fostering more of a sense of involvement).
- In order to increase positivity at every IEP, every IEP should start with a photo of the child engaged at school, either projected or displayed on an IPAD. Who doesn't love to see fun pictures of their child?
New This Year: Teacher Evaluation
- Walkthrough (informal) observations no longer require signatures unless there are concerns.
- If you would like to meet to discuss the observation, you have 48 hours to set up a meeting with your administrator
Special Transportation
- If you are changing transportation options or looking at changing transportation for students, you must include the transportation department in those conversations and team meetings.
New This Year! Let's Kick Things Off!!
Special Education Staff Meeting for Classroom Teachers and Itinerants: Wednesday September 2, 2015 8:00-9:30am in the Ryan Intermediate Library.
Important Information:
- Assessments: SAT is replacing the ACT this year, students will be taking the PSAT in several grades
- REEDs must be done when adding new services or removing a service that is no longer needed (OT, Speech, etc). REEDs must also be done when changing programs! (ECSE-RR, RR-CI, EI-RR)
Paperless IEP Components
We are working to make the IEP Process even more efficient and more paperless! Thank you for staying positive through this process!
All building scanners should be set up to scan and email documents. We will work to make sure all staff is programmed into the system to make this as quick and efficient of a process as possible. You are responsible for uploading your own documents into Tienet. Please let me know if you need help with this!
- Invitations: Complete invitation information and send a message through Tienet to (Linda Flowers, Cheri Larson, and Diane Thomas) who will finalize and send out invitations (staff invitations will be emailed and parents will receive a paper copy)
- Transfers: Fill out ESA transfer form- scan and email to Cheri and Molly- Cheri will upload into Tienet and send a message through Tienet to ESA who will complete and finalize
- REEDs: Complete in Tienet - Upload signatures as appropriate
- IEPs: Upload attendance pages to Tienet ***When all sections are complete, and all documents are uploaded, send a Tienet email to Molly letting her know the IEP is complete and ready for review***
- Initials requiring parent and district signature - email to Molly (entire notice section, not just last page)
Please try to connect with returning families on your caseload to make the transition back to school a smooth one. Please try to reach out to new families and build positive relationships early!
Please keep in mind....
- Please let your building secretaries know about the dates and times of your IEPs
- Please get IEP Accommodation information to general education staff ASAP!
- Please continue to get all caseload changes to Cheri and Diane Thomas- paper copies of your caseloads (as of beginning of August) and Medicaid lists are being delivered to buildings
Celebrations:
Happy Birthday! (September)
7th - Gail Brooks (Ryan)
7th - Gail Brooks (Ryan)
11th - Mary Beth Thoman
21st - Chauntelle Boot
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
- August 31 - Teacher Work Day
- September 1-3 Professional Development
- September 7 - Labor Day
- September 8 - First Day of School (Full Day)
- September 30-PLC
- IEP Blackout Days - Count - Sept 30-Oct7
- October 7 - Fall Count Day
- October 22-23 Parent Teacher Conferences
- November 11 - PLC
- November 26-27 Happy Thanksgiving!!
- December 3-4 Exams/Records Day
- December 7 - 2nd Trimester Begins
- Progress Reports Due Dec 8
- December 21- Jan 1, 2016 - Winter Break (All IEPs due in by December 17, 2015)