The Scoop
Weekend Edition - November 13, 2021
Random Moment in Time Surveys & Breaks
With the holidays coming up, please be extra diligent about making sure your RMTS moments are completed with 24 hours and before leaving for any breaks to avoid any complications.
If you have any questions about loggin in, the sample itself, how to answer the questions, etc. please contact keriwilliams@tomballisd.net for support.
FFA Special Rodeo Tshirt Designs are In...
Voting for the design will begin Tuesday, November 16th. If you would like to vote, please visit the table outside of Kalli Wakefield's office at the Innovation Center and place a tic mark on the sticky note underneath the top two designs of your choice.
Thank you for your help!
Parent Involvement Survey by TEA & Gibson Consulting Group Results for Tomball ISD
Tomball ISD Special Education Department was chosen to participate in the Parent Involvement Survey as part of the states State Performance Plan 8.
The state provided a random sampling of Tomball ISD's parents and Gibson Consulting Group assisted in getting the surveys out to our parents. Tomball ISD's results can be found HERE.
Holiday Respite Event on December 11! Let's Volunteer for our Tomball Families!
If you are interested in working this event, please complete this form. Drop-off will begin at 8:45 AM on December 11th at Tomball Elementary School. Parents will pick up their students at 12:00 PM.
Please share with all families this form to register for this event! We will be accepting registration for this event until the week of December 6th.
In Home Training Opportunities!
If you are interested in this opportunity, or would like more information, please contact Kalli Wakefield kalliwakefield@tomballisd.net
Untangling Procedural Safeguards: Help Parents Know Their Rights
An IEP team just solidified for parents that their child has a disability by offering an IEP with intensive services, some of which the parents have never heard of before the meeting. Then the team hands them their procedural safeguards and states that they have rights. The parents don't ask any questions.
"I can imagine a newcomer parent dealing with this," said Joanne L. Butler, a school attorney at Schenck, Price, Smith & King LLP in Florham Park, N.J. "Not only are you handing me evaluations that say my child has serious disabilities and is going to have a very difficult educational course in life, but then you're also handing me a document that is, in essence, a contract -- an IEP -- and I'm not an educator, and you're saying, 'Oh, and here are your rights.' It can be very overwhelming."
In Tomball ISD, we want to make sure the parents have a full understanding of their procedural rights. Click on the article HERE to learn more about ways to ensure parents feel comfortable in their knowledge of their procedural safeguards.
SSES Resource for Families!
Supplemental Special Education Services (SSES) are $1,500 one-time on-line grants for eligible parents/caregivers of eligible students served by special education that have been impacted by COVID-19 school closures.
Families of eligible students can use the on-line accounts to obtain educational materials and resources and/or services such as additional therapy, tutoring, or other specific services.
Beginning November 1, 2021, to be eligible for the SSES grant, students must currently be:
- enrolled in a Texas public school,
- enrolled in PreK - 12th grade,
- and a student with a disability served through Special Education.
Below are some resources that you can use to share information about SSES with families in your LEA and encourage them to apply beginning November 1st for the next round of grant allocations beginning January 2022. If they already applied and were previously awarded an SSES $1500 grant, they will not be eligible.
- What is SSES? Program Overview: ENGLISH | SPANISH | VIETNAMESE | ARABIC | SIMPLIFIED CHINESE
- Link to all resources available on TEA SSES website: ENGLISH (landing page with Spanish and other languages resources included)
- Link to FAQs: ENGLISH | SPANISH
- Additional information for parents
National School Psychologist Week - We love our LSSP's
Michelle Howard - is always willign to go the extra mile for her students and the LSSP team. She constantly puts others first and is a fierce advocate for the work of the LSSP's.
Esmeralda Mansoor - has been a fantastic addition to the LSSP team. She has quickly established positive relationships with staff and students at both of her campuses. We are so blessed that she chose Team Tomball when she relocated from California.
Lucinda Marcia - is patient, kind and caring! She carefully and diligently completes each early childhood evaluation. She is a leader on the early childhood evaluation team and works hard to ensure families understand the process and feel good about their children starting their education in Tomball ISD to receive excellent services.
Nydia Caldwell - is a gem and a fantastic addition to Team Tomball. She has quickly established positive relationships at two campuses, while juggling a large workload with quality services.
Josanne Colon - is a fabulous addition to Team Tomball this year! She has demonstrated great poise, knowledge and calm while building relationships and community across her campuses.
Kim Day - has jumped in to help others while a colleague was on maternity leave. She is very involved in supporting her campuses and assisting in our special programs in any way she can. She is great at building relationships and wonderful to work with.
John Day - is diligent and consistent in his drive to provide quality evaluations and services to his campuses. He demonstrated great drive and leadership this year in completing very thorough evaluations and meaningful reccommendations in very short amounts of time.
Pooja Kelm - worked as fast as she could to finish assessments so there would be less for others to cover during her maternity leave. She's compassionate and supports parents as well as students. She went out of the way to make a new Tomball family feel welcome when their child had to move campuses and she facilitated the transition and ensured questions were answered.
Jessica Mueller - has extended her knowledge to help teachers and staff members on both campuses she supports to understand teh ins and outs of behavior interventions and overall Autism characteristics. She supports all teachers with behavior concerns through answering questions, modeling and providing feedback.
Donna LaRue - is such a steady influence on whatever team she is on. She is reliable, focused and has a wealth of knowledge that she shares to better the lives of so many students. She is a huge asset.
Jacy Warren - is a great addition to Team Tomball. She has come in quickly and become a vital part of the campus team. She is knowledgeable and approachable. We are so lucky to have her!
Olga Champagne - is thoughtful and caring and always striving to make sure things are done well for student success. She balances her dual role (diagnostician and LSSP) with grace.
More Information
Be sure and check out and read the other Smore Newsletters being produced by Student Support Staff: