Special Education Updates
from Kate Ryan, Director of Pupil Services
September 18, 2020
Dear Families,
I know none of us planned for this summer and return to school to be this chaotic. Please know that all of us are ready for your children to return!
I’m excited to begin my 20th year in education, with 18 being right here in Millbury! This will be my eighth year as the Director of Pupil Services in the Millbury Public Schools. I continue to be proud of the staff educating and supporting your children. Their dedication and skill are much admired.
During the summer months, the administrative team was busy developing return to learning plans, preparing professional development, and hiring new staff to support our students. Staff new to the Pupil Services Department include:
Ms. Brittany Balkus, Special Education Teacher, MMJSHS (jr. high)
Ms. Stephanie Bazinet, Elementary Team Chairperson (Grades 4-6)
Ms. Jennifer Chartier, English as a Second Language Teacher, Shaw School
Ms. Emma Delaney, School Adjustment Counselor/Social Worker, MMJSHS
Mrs. Stephanie Hermann, Speech and Language Pathologist, Shaw School
Ms. Casey Lyons, Integrated Preschool Teacher, Elmwood St. School
Mrs. Samantha Mansur, Speech and Language Pathologist, Elmwood St. School
Mrs. Heather Mistretta, Special Education Teacher, Elmwood St. School
Ms. Coleen Thomas-DeBari, English as a Second Language Teacher, MMJSHS
Ms. Heather Witkowski, Speech and Language Pathologist, Elmwood St. School
Throughout the school year, you will receive ConnectEd phone calls and/or emails from my office. This correspondence is intended to inform Millbury families of events and resources available to you to support your students. Should you feel the message does not pertain to you, kindly delete the email or hang up during the phone call. If you opt-out of receiving these notifications, you will be opting out of all ConnectEd calls from the district, including the calls notifying you of school cancellations.
Throughout the school year, I will be releasing the following SMORE newsletters:
“Special Education Updates” will be sent to families of children with disabilities
“The Pupil Services Post” will be sent to all Millbury families and will include updates and information specific to the various departments overseen by my office.
In accordance with federal special education law, IDEA 2004, school districts may distribute the Parent’s Notice of Procedural Safeguards once per year to parents/guardians of students in special education. In previous years, these safeguards were included in this mailing. You may find these safeguards online by visiting http://www.doe.mass.edu/sped/prb/ or https://www.millburyschools.org/Page/66. Should you prefer to receive a paper copy, please contact my office and one will be mailed to you as soon as possible.
If you have any questions regarding the contents of these Safeguards, please contact the appropriate Special Education Team Chairperson:
Elmwood St. School (Preschool-Grade 3): Ms. Kristie Barry-Ayres 508-865-5241
R.E. Shaw School (Grades 4-6): Ms. Stephanie Bazinet 508-865-3541
Millbury Jr./Sr. High School (Grades 7-12): Mrs. Christine Warren 508-865-5841
For students in out-of-district programs, you may contact Mary O’Brien at 508-865-0875.
Lastly, in an effort to improve communication with families, I encourage you to update your contact information, including email addresses and emergency contacts.
Other news:
As of this writing, all Special Education IEP and Section 504 Plan meetings will be held virtually. If a meeting must occur in person, clearly delineated protocols for screening, physical distancing, hand washing/hand sanitizer use, and use of masks/face coverings will be fully enforced. Regardless of whether meetings are held in person or remotely, interpreters will still be provided as needed to ensure multilingual families are able to participate in their native language.
The Millbury Special Education Parents’ Advisory Council (SEPAC) is seeking parent leaders. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact my office.
Notices and information about upcoming regional SEPAC meetings will be communicated via the District webpage, Twitter (@MPS_SpecialEd), the Millbury Public Schools Facebook page, local Cable Access TV, ConnectEd calls, the digital marquee found in the center of town, parent information centers within the schools, as well as sent home with your child. If you have ideas for future SEPAC meetings, please contact my office.
I look forward to this new school year and to working collaboratively with parents and staff as we strive to achieve a common goal of ensuring a positive school experience for all our students. As always, please do not hesitate to contact my office with any additional questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Kate Ryan, M.Ed.
Director of Pupil Services
Foster Care Point of Contact
McKinney-Vento Liaison
Back to School Letter for Families of Children with Disabilities from Russell Johnston, Sr. Associate Commissioner and State Director of Special Education
COVID-19 SERVICE LEARNING PLANS
By now, your child's liaison should have reached out to introduce themselves and schedule a time to discuss this plan. Staff will be working to complete all student service learning plans over the next few weeks. While these plans are in development, your child will be receiving the accommodations, modifications, and services noted in the IEP.
Should you have any questions please contact your child's liaison or Team Chair.
- Elmwood St. School (Preschool-Grade 3): Ms. Kristie Barry-Ayres 508-865-5241
- R.E. Shaw School (Grades 4-6): Ms. Stephanie Bazinet 508-865-3541
- Millbury Jr./Sr. High School (Grades 7-12): Mrs. Christine Warren 508-865-5841
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HEARING IMPAIRED INFORMATION
Callers can use Mass Relay (7-1-1). 7-1-1 is the single, toll-free, nationwide number that gives everyone access to relay services. People can simply dial 7-1-1 from any phone to reach someone who uses a standard phone or a TTY. An operator will relay verbatim the conversation between the parties.
You can also chat with us online at mass211.org
Call 2-1-1 or 1-877-211-6277
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Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) Program
The Department of Public Health is sharing the following information on access to WIC services and food for our families with young children.
The MA Department of Public Health's Women, Infants, & Children (WIC) Nutrition Program is informing our health and community partners that WIC services are available by phone. ALL WIC Programs are able to provide all services by phone to align with social distancing efforts. Our website will be kept up-to-date as well. Contact local WIC programs with any questions about breastfeeding, nutrition or shopping. Even if local program offices are not open, they are responding to phone calls and providing services from remote locations. WIC is committed to providing families with continued support now and in the days ahead.
WIC welcomes families at any time. Check out WIC's eligibility page to see how to families can apply online for WIC services. Parents, grandparents and foster parents may apply for children under the age of five years who are in their care.
Call WIC at 1-800-942-1007 or 617-721-6601weekdays Monday through Friday 9am – 5pm. If you hear a recording, please leave a message with your name and telephone number, and staff will respond the same business day or email the Worcester WIC Program (Oanh.Nguyen@FHCW.org) directly with any questions.
Child Find
The Millbury Public Schools wish to identify all Millbury students with special needs, ages three years to twenty-one years, who are in need of special educational services, and who have not graduated from high school. This would include any student enrolled in public or private schools in Millbury.
Additionally, the district wishes to identify any students that may currently be homeless and therefore have certain educational rights under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act.
If you can identify a child with special needs or a child without a permanent home who is not receiving educational services, would you please have the parents or any interested person contact:
Kate Ryan
Director of Pupil Services
Foster Care Point of Contact/McKinney-Vento Liaison
Millbury Public Schools
12 Martin Street
Millbury, MA 01527
508-865-0875
Contact the Director
Kate Ryan, Director
Mary O'Brien, Administrative Assistant to the Director
Email: kryan@millburyschools.org
Website: https://www.millburyschools.org/domain/15
Location: 12 Martin St, Millbury, MA, USA
Phone: 508-865-0875
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MillburyPublicSchools/
Twitter: @MPS_SpecialEd