Special Programs & Services News
April 2022
Message from the Team:
The Spring semester is a busy time with campus events, parent nights and celebrations. In this month's newsletter there are many ways to engage with our team to learn alongside other parents in our community. Be on the lookout for the April Parent events remind! As I reflect on the year thus far, we have so much to celebrate and our students have blasted through their goals and have made such great progress, both in and out of the classroom. Please take a few minutes for you and your child to discuss and celebrate their successes in encouragement to finish out the year strong. We're almost to Summer but have 8 more weeks to continue to grow and shine! As needs arise or if you have questions, please continue open communication with your student's teachers as they are there to support.
Thank you for sharing your amazing students with us! Happy April!
Kimberly Waltmon
Executive Director of Special Programs and Services
In This Issue
Mark Your Calendars!
Wednesday, April 13th - Navigating Special Programs
- Tuesday, April 19th - Medically Fragile Parent Support Group
- Thursday, April 21 Autism Parent Training & Transition to Adulthood
- Wednesday, May 4th - AAC Family Chat
- Friday, May 6th - Coffee Chat
Self-Determination Skill of the Month
Self-Regulation is the Self-Determination skill of the month. Self-Regulation is defined as the ability to assess one’s own behavior and make adjustments as necessary. People who are good at self-regulation are able to evaluate and adjust their actions to achieve results that they desire. A major role of self-regulation is learning acceptable and unacceptable behaviors in various environments. View the poster of the month to learn how you can incorporate self-regulation in your home. You can also visit our Self-Determination page for more information.
Student Highlights
The Regional Student Advisory Committee (RSAC)
The Regional Student Advisory Committee (RSAC) is composed of LISD students representing four high schools and our 18+ services. RSAC is tasked with discussing topics critical for adulthood periodically throughout the school year and providing feedback to the Texas Education Agency (TEA), and the Student-Centered Transition Network (SCTN).
In February, committee members discussed student participation in State Performance Plan (SPP) Indicator 14. SPP 14 surveys students that received Special Education services one year after they have exited Leander ISD. The main concern addressed by the committee is that the State lacks proper contact information to reach students after they graduate. RSAC came up with a needed improvement for exiting students to update their contact information with their school's registrar, including phone numbers and personal email addresses not issued by the school district. As a district, we are currently working on ways that we could implement and improve this process.
Leander Lazers
Our Leander Lazers held their Letterman Jacket Ceremony towards the end of February. We are very proud of these student athletes! You can help support the Lazers by stopping by Bush's Chicken on 551 W Whitestone Blvd Cedar Park, TX for Spirit night on Thursday, April 21st.
Parent Resources
High Contrast Needs/Visual Impairment Apps
Take a look at this great list of apps for our parents of students who have high contrast needs or visual impairments.
Building Independence with Visual Supports
Growing Young Readers
Check out the recent editions of our SRP's Growing Young Readers to learn at home tips for supporting your young readers:
Important Notes
LIVE CELEBRATION
Join us in celebration of our community business partners, transportation staff, vocational students, job coaches and teachers supporting our students to be proud of their skills and goals for employment. #YouAreOurHERO
This year's LIVE Celebration will take place on April 20, 2022. Watch the live stream online from 10:00-11:00am and 1:00-2:00pm.
World Autism Month
Friday, April 2nd marks World Autism Day, while the rest of April is known as World Autism Month! The purpose of World Autism month is to celebrate Autism, spread awareness and promote acceptance for students and adults with Autism.
ASL Day - April 15th
National American Sign Language (ASL) Day is April 15th. April 15th is a significant day for the deaf community because on April 15, 1817, the first school dedicated exclusively to deaf, American School for the Deaf, opened in the United States. Check out this short video on A Few Things to Know About American Sign Language from everyday ASL users.
House Bill 4545
As we approach the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) Spring 2022 administrations, we would like to remind you of HB 4545 that was passed during the 87th legislative session last June, 2021. For students who do not meet the “Approaches” level or do not take the STAAR/STAAR End-of-Course (EOC) assessments, accelerated instruction will be provided. Please note that students supported by special education will have any accelerated instruction needs reviewed by their Admission, Review, Dismissal (ARD) Committee. Please see the TEA resources regarding this legislature below.
Destination Life
In case you missed the Destination Life Transition Fair and Conference, don’t fret! You can view the sessions here