Special Education Parent Newsletter
May 2021
Recognition and Resources
Occupational Therapy Appreciation Month (April)
Teacher Appreciation Week May 3rd-7th
NATIONAL CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK RESOURCES MAY 2-8, 2021
SAMHSA's website includes information about National Children’s Mental Health Awareness Day, highlights how communities around the country commemorate the day, and provides activities and resources you can use to raise awareness about the importance of children’s mental health in your community.
https://www.samhsa.gov/childrens-awareness-day
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) has compiled a list of helpful resources for mental health providers, other child-serving professionals, parents and caregivers, and children focusing on the mental health needs of children.
https://www.nctsn.org/resources/public-awareness/childrens-mental-health-awarenes
The National Federation of Families’ website contains event planning tools, a proclamation toolkit, and activities for families aligned with their “Flip the Script on Mental Health” theme for 2021, which focuses on changing attitudes regarding children's mental health.
https://www.ffcmh.org/awarenessweek
Children’s Mental Health Matters Campaign has developed downloadable toolkits for school- and community-based champions with resources, activities, and social media posts to promote children’s self-care, wellness, and mental health.
https://www.childrensmentalhealthmatters.org/
(From the National Center for School Mental Health newsletter, April 2021)
Better Hearing and Speech Month
May is Better Hearing and Speech Month, a time to raise awareness about communication disorders and available treatment options that can improve the quality of life for those who experience problems speaking or hearing.
School Nurse Appreciation May 12th
Special Education Program Highlights
Itinerant Instructional Services
Services include Adaptive Physical Education, Vision, Orientation and Mobility, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Music Therapy.
A description of services provided are attached below.
FBISD SEPAC Needs Your Help!
FBISD Special Education Parent Advisory Committee is Looking for Campus Representatives!
What is SEPAC?
The Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) is a support network where parents can ask questions, meet other parents on the special education journey, and learn about relevant issues in the state and district that pertain to educating students with disabilities. The mission of the FBISD SEPAC is to:
- Advocate for innovative and inclusive educational environments
- Advise Fort Bend ISD on programs, parent/teacher trainings, and policy related to special education, and
- Support and facilitate effective communication between parents, students and the school district.
How do I become a SEPAC member?
If you are interested in being your campus SEPAC representative, you must complete the online SEPAC Application or contact the FBISD Special Education Department to provide your information. Parent representatives will be selected for committee participation using a random lottery drawing of applicants. Applications will be accepted from Monday, May 10th through the end of the work day on Friday, June 18th. Parents will be notified of their selection by Tuesday, August 3rd.
We Want to Hear from You!
TEA annually conducts a survey of parents, guardians, or educational surrogates who have a student receiving special education services. Required by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the survey measures the extent to which parents feel their school is facilitating parent involvement as a means to improve services and results for children receiving special education services. Gibson Consulting Group, Inc. (Gibson) is coordinating the survey effort in 2021 for the seventh year running.
This survey is an opportunity for parents to share their opinions with their schools, districts, and TEA. Results can be used to guide improvements to special education services and parent involvement. Greater parent participation leads to more reliable data for districts.
Not all parents of students receiving special education services are asked to complete a survey each year. Instead, we select a stratified, random sample of students from different districts, and from schools within those districts based on district size. Small districts will survey all of their special education students’ parents while large districts will survey a sample of families.
The survey window will be April 19 -May 28, 2021to meet OSEP’s reporting deadlines.
Extended School Year (Summer 2021)
Special Education Extended School Year (ESY) services will be provided to students receiving special education services who are recommended through an ARD committee decision. ESY services are provided to students who have demonstrated substantial regression in critical skill area(s) that cannot be recouped within a reasonable period of time or that need to be maintained beyond the regular school year. Students who are currently receiving instruction in the online setting or who have documented medical concerns can be considered for online ESY, whereas all other students will attend ESY in the face to face environment. In order to ensure appropriate social distancing and staff to student ratios, no changes in the method of instruction will be allowed during ESY.
Please contact your child’s Program Manager if you have questions related to ESY.
Dates:
June 14th -June 17th
June 21st – 24th
June 28th – July 1st
July 12th – July 15th
July 19th – July 22nd
Times:
ECSE 3yo: 9:30a-12:30p
Elem: 8:30a-12:30p
Secondary: 7:30a-11:30
Campuses
Elementary:
•Glover Elementary
•Colony Bend Elementary
•Cornerstone Elementary
Secondary:
•Lake Olympia Middle School
Meet the ESY Teacher – Parents and students will have the opportunity to meet the ESY classroom team prior to the start of ESY, through a virtual model. Please be on the lookout for a TEAMS invitation from your child’s ESY teacher for “Meet the Teacher”, to occur on June 10, 2021.
Local Organizations that Support Our Students
Arc of Fort Bend County
The Arc of Fort Bend County provides a variety of social and recreational programs, Special Olympics, education advocacy, adult transition guidance, parent training, information and referral services and more.
Want more Information? Contact a Program Director
Youth & Advocacy - Karri Axtell - kaxtell@arcoffortbend.org
TwentySomethings & Special Olympics - Pam Hollaway - phollaway@arcoffortbend.org
Adult Social Recreation Club - Nancy Dobert - nndobert@arcoffortbend.org
Visit The Arc of Fort Bend County Facebook Page for the latest tips, resources, community events, helpful videos and MORE.
Please visit their website to sign up to receive a newsletter!
Hope For Three
Social Skill Builders @We Rock the Spectrum
We are excited to announce that we are partnering with The Behavior Toolbox and Tech-E Labs to roll out our Social Builders Program. This program will consist of a Social Builders Camp and S.T.E.M. Classes for the 2021 summer.
SOCIAL BUILDERS CAMP: Our Social Builder’s Summer Camp is a half-day program immersed with a variety of activities geared towards enriching your child’s social skills, critical thinking abilities, and digital literacy.
S.T.E.M. CLASSES: With the goal of exposing our participants to several different aspects of S.T.E.M., this is an introductory class adventure. Our participants will be immersed in a a variety of S.T.E.M related activities that will foster their problem-solving and exploratory learning skills.
***Added behavioral support will be available to enhance the experience of our learners who need it.
***All the programs are 10% off during early registration. Early Registration ends on May 31st.
To learn more please, call 832.945.1445, email info@TheBehaviorToolbox.com or visit https://www.thebehaviortoolbox.com/social-builders
Upcoming Activities and Camp Registrations
WCJC Presents Kids' College 2021
Kids' College is a summer enrichment program packed with hands-on experiences that will encourage children to try new things as well as explore and discover hidden talents. This unique program offers students, grades Kindergarten - 8th, the opportunity to participate in academic and enrichment courses. Kids' college provides over 120 classes in areas of computers, language arts, math, science and engineering, the arts, special studies, sports, dance, and many more!
Kids’ College is back for 2021! However, due to the continued presence of COVID-19, our program will be offered on a much smaller scale than normal and will be held at the WCJC Richmond campus. Below are the details of our program for Summer 2021.
Location: WCJC Richmond Campus
5333 FM 1640
Richmond, Texas 77469
Dates:
Session 1: June 14th – June 24th
Session 2: June 28th – July 9th
Session 3: July 12th – July 22nd
*All sessions will run Monday – Thursday with the exception of July 5th
which will run Tuesday – Friday
Schedules:
AM Classes (8:30, 9:30, and 10:30) will be reserved for K-1st kids only
PM Classes (1:00, 2:00, 3:00, and 4:00) will be reserved for 2nd- 8th only
*We will soon be publishing our 2021 catalog online only with actual classes and times and will post on FB once the catalog is available. Mail-in Registration will begin at that time.
Additional Information:
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Being that there is no cafeteria at our Richmond campus, no food will be served onsite and students are expected to eat lunch either after leaving or before arriving to Kids’ College
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All students will be required to wear masks at all times while at Kids’ College
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For the safety of your children, we are limiting class sizes to 12-15 depending on the size of the room; will require frequent hand sanitation and washing, and will do our best to keep your children socially distanced at all times
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Only mail-in or email registration will be accepted this year. There will be no in-person registrations and all changes to schedules must be made via email. Additional instructions will be available in the catalog to be published soon.
Camp Paradigm
Camp Programs & Activities
Fitness & Recreation: Martial arts & outdoor activities
Personal Development: Self-awareness, perseveration, anxiety, autism self-advocacy, self-confidence, and social communication skills through improv
Job Readiness: Google Docs training, practice filling out a job application, interviewing skills, and practice through a short self-introduction
Nature Education & Outdoor Survival Skills
Independent Living: Money Math & real-world scenarios
Computer Science: Coding with Google CS
Art: Wood carving and painting on plant pots and canvas
Music: Genres & beats
Camp Dates & Times
Week One Camp Dates: July 5, 2021 - July 9, 2021 Times: 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
Week Two Camp Dates: July 19, 2021 - July 23, 2021 Times: 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
Week Three Camp Dates: August 2, 2021 - August 6, 2021 Times 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
Camper Ages
Campers 8-19 years old.
Camp Daily Schedule
Email houstonpdc@gmail.com for specific information about the daily camp schedule.
Cost
$400 per week
COVID-19 Information
Payment Information
Payments can be made through Zelle or Venmo (using 281-755-6631 or houstonpdc@gmail.com). Payments can also be made using cash or a check. There is a $50.00 fee for returned checks.
Camper Registration Form
Contact Information
Have questions? Call 281-755-6631 or email houstonpdc@gmail.com
Camp Smiles (Easter Seals Houston)
A week-long overnight camp for children ages 6-14 with cerebral palsy and other neurological disorders. Volunteers work one on one with a camper and act as their buddy and personal care giver for the week. Each day campers participate in typical outdoor camp activities like rock climbing, fishing, paint ball, karaoke, swimming and many more that have all been adapted to fit the needs of each camper. There are 10 cabins full of campers at Camp For All, an adapted camp facility in Burton, TX. Camp Smiles is only offered for one session. All volunteers must be at least 16 years of age to volunteer at Camp Smiles.
**2021 Camp Smiles will be hosted as a family camp the first week of July (July 3rd-9th) at Camp For All. For more information please email or call us at 713.208.0543.
Camp Smiles Camper Frequently Asked Questions
Camp Smiles Volunteer Frequently Asked Questions
For more information please call us at 713.208.0543 or email us.
Camp that Love Built (Spina Bifida of Houston Gulf Coast)
Camp That Love Built provides summer camp for people with Spina Bifida, focuses on a family environment to help independence, growth, positive learning and a network of friends. We can't wait for this year's camp festivities. Be sure you send in your registration forms. Questions? Be sure to contact us.
DATES:
June 27-July 2, 2021
(Volunteer arrival June 26, 2021)
LOCATION:
Camp For All
6301 Rehburg Road
Burton, Texas 77835
2021 Camp FAQ Facebook Live
This year the CTLB Staff will be hosting a one stop shop for all questions, comments, and concerns about CTLB 2021 via a Facebook Live session on June 12th at 12pm. We will be discussing camp arrival/departure procedures, COVID protocols, and much more as well as answering your questions. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Admin Team at ctlbapplication@gmail.com or by clicking the button below. We can't wait to see you there!
DATE AND TIMES:
Date: June 12, 2021
Times:
12:00 pm
Virtual Camp (Easter Seals Houston)
Virtual Camp is a program for both children & adults with any type of disability; this program is hosted online via Zoom one Saturday per month. Both groups will have the opportunity to participate in dance class, music therapy, small group socialization, and more! Each participant needs to register online once, this will enroll them for all sessions of virtual camp. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, please register by at-least the Wednesday before your first session. This program is free of cost to families!
2021 Dates:
January 16th
February 20th
March 20th
May 15th
Kids Camp (ages 6-14): 10:00 am-12:00 pm
Teen/Adult Camp (ages 15+): 1:00 pm-3:00 pm
For more information please call us at 713.208.0543 or email us.
Upcoming Trainings
The Special Education Administration Team and SEPAC Members want to partner with parents raising a child with a disability in our district. Our vision is to connect you with resources and equip you with knowledge and skills in order for you to make informed decisions that will further enable your child to succeed.
Community Resources available through the Texana Center presented by Tim Jones
Audience: All parents of students receiving special education services
This session will address the behavioral healthcare and developmental disability services available to residents in Fort Bend County. Texana is the Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority and the Local Mental Health Authority in the Greater Houston area.
Thursday, May 13, 2021, 06:00 PM
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RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Need Additional Training?
- Understanding the ARD Process
- Understanding Specialized Programs
- Understanding the Evaluation Process
Click Below to Visit the Website:
FBISD Special Education Parent Training Videos