February Newsletter
Upper Moreland Township School District Special Education
Happy February!
It may be the shortest month of the year, but you can still pack a lot of instruction into February!
Sometimes, in education, lecture format can't be avoided to convey important, need-to-know information. Carmine Gallo, author of, Talk Like Ted, analyzed hundreds of Ted Talks and found that the most successful presentations shared three common characteristics:
1. Emotion- the presentation touches your heart
2. Novel- the presentation teaches you something
3. Memorable- the content is presented in a way that you will never forget.
During the sweetest month of the year, I challenge you to create presentations in your classroom that hit all three of these characteristics. You just might find a re-energized audience hanging on your every word!
Important Reminders
IEP Team Members
- Parent
-Special Education Teacher
-Regular Education Teacher
-LEA
-Student (if older than 14 and completing transition services)
Make sure that your Invitation to Participate and IEP Signature Page includes everyone on the above list!
Other team members, such as related service providers, counselors and special teachers can and should be invited when appropriate. However, if they cannot attend the meeting, make sure to fill out a waiver (detailed in last month's newsletter) and have the parents sign and agree.
ESY Decisions
Remember, adding ESY to an IEP requires a parent signed NOREP reflecting the change. Make sure that you contact your LEA to have them attend the meeting!
Not Applicable
All areas of the IEP should be completed. No areas should read, "Not Applicable." If you do run across an area that does not apply, such as transition planning for students under age 14, include a sentence as to why it does not pertain to the student.
i.e. At this time, the student does not require transition planning as he/she is not turning 14 during the course of this IEP.
Specially Designed Instruction
1. What does this child need to be successful in their classroom?
2. How could the environment or assignment be modified to help them achieve?
3. What can I or the general education teacher do to help this child be more successful?
Here are some examples:
Suzy has focusing issues and often stares into space. She frequently doesn't complete her assignments and never writes down her homework. In addition, she struggles with her math facts. Appropriate SDI's for Suzy include:
- use of a calculator to complete math assignments
- teaching prompting during individual and group assignments
- daily teacher signature on assignment book to ensure that homework is copied
- seating away from distractions in the classroom
- small group reteaching opportunities for new math concepts
Dan struggles with reading and writing. He has a difficult time sounding out words when reading aloud and cannot write full sentences. Appropriate SDI's for Dan include:
- use of a research based reading curriculum
- extended time to complete writing assignments
- scribe spoken thoughts during writing activities
- Small group reteaching opportunities for new reading words
- repetition of new words and concepts
- favor quality over quantity in written assignments
Make sure that your SDI's match the information about a child. For example, a student that rushes through tests and always finishes first should not have extended time as an SDI. Also, ensure that the SDI's are for today's student, not what the student may need in the future. (i.e. Student doesn't need or use extended time, but they might want it for the SAT test, 4 years from now.) Focus on the here and now, not some undetermined date in the future!
And remember, whatever you put as an SDI, we are legally obligated to provide. So make sure that you, as the case manager, can offer and monitor all of the SDI's that are included on the IEP.
Food Bank Information
Beth Sholom Congregation Mitzvah Food Pantry
215-887-1342 x107
8231 Old York Road Elkins Park, PA 19027
Wednesday, 1- 3 pm
Bucks County Housing Group Doylestown Food Pantry
215-345-1492
470 Old Dublin Pike Doylestown, PA 18901
Sunday 10:30am-1pm Wednesday 5:30-8pm Thursday 10:30am-1:30pm
Calvary Assembly of God
215-886-0404
7910 Washington Lane Wyncote, PA 19095
2nd Tuesday, 9 am - 11 am
Coordinating Council of Health and Welfare Emergency Food Cupboard
215-672-9422
75 Downey Drive, Warminster, PA 18974
Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m
Holy Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church
215-659-2642
2086 Parkview Avenue Abington, PA 19001
Monday – Friday 11:00am – 1:00pm
Jenkintown United Methodist
215-886-7250
328 Summit Avenue Jenkintown, PA 19046
Thursday 12 pm - 2 pm
Jesus Focus Ministry
215-953-2002
1150 Bristol Road Southampton, PA 18966
Monday through Friday 9:00 am - 11:30pm
Mattie N. Dixon Community Cupboard
215-628-3002
150 N. Main Street Ambler, PA 19002
Monday & Wednesday, 9:30 am - 11:30 am
New Britain Baptist Church Food Larder
215-345-9170
22 East Butler Avenue New Britain, PA 18901
Monday and Wednesday 9:00 a.m. - Noon and 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
North Hills Food Cupboard
215-628-3002
212 Girard Ave. North Hills. PA 19038
Thursday, 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Seeds of Hope Community Pantry
215-646-5557
1601 North Limekiln Pike, Dresher PA 19025
Tuesday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Wednesday 7 – 9 p.m. Friday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.
St. Vincent de Paul Society at St. John Bosco Catholic Parish Center
215-882-2707
215 E. County Line Road Hatboro, PA 19040
Mondays 9am-12pm Thursdays 1pm-3pm
The Food Pantry at St. John’s Lutheran
215-675-2031
505 N York Rd, Hatboro, PA 19040
1st and 3rd Monday of the Month – 4pm – 6pm Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays – 10:30am – 2:30pm
Willow Grove SDA Church
215-657-8364
1556 Fairview Avenue Willow Grove, PA 19090
3rd Thursday, 11 am - 2 pm
YWCA of Bucks County Bucks Landing Family Center Food Pantry – Apt. L4-4
215-672-2974
120 E. Street Road, Warminster, PA 18974
Tuesday, Thursday & Friday 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m
"It takes a big heart to help shape little minds." -Unknown
The Re-Evaluation Process
- Determine whether to review records or request additional testing (consult with your building psychologist)
- Issue a Permission to Re-Evaluate (consult your building psychologist for specific wording, don't forget that N/A is not acceptable--see above)
- Complete all boxes on the re-evaluation form, include IEP testing (i.e. KTEA results, transition surveys, Reading probes, attendance data, grades, PSSA or Keystone scores, parent input etc.)
- Send home the re-evaluation report along with a copy of the procedural safeguards for the parent to read over.
- Schedule an IEP meeting within 30 days of the date of the re-evaluation report to update and change the IEP based on the most current evaluation report.
Tips and Tricks
Checklist for Engaging Students in Lectures
Many teachers feel that the lecture method of instruction cannot result in student engagement at a high level. Although teachers shouldn't use any method of teaching exclusively, you can make a lecture or mini-lecture more engaging for students.
As you plan a lesson in which you will deliver a portion in a lecture-based format, incorporate the following characteristics into your lecture. Check off each item as you embed it in your planning.
- Present the lecture topic and the learning goals before the beginning of the lecture.
- Invite students to self-assess what they already know about the topic and elicit a few of these responses.
- During the lecture, require everyone to take notes. For younger students, supply a partial outline that they complete during the lecture.
- Use visual aids, such as pictures, media and graphic organizers, to complement the lecture.
- At various points in the lecture, ask a question that requires students to refer back to their notes to respond.
- When asking questions during the lecture, call on non-volunteers.
- Midway through the lecture, ask a reflection question. Have students either write a response to it or share their thinking with an elbow partner.
- At the conclusion of the lecture, ask students to reflect in silence for a few moments to think, formulate a question, make a suggestion, or record their thoughts on the topic.
Source: Implementing the Framework for Teaching, ASCD
Contact Me
Email: mlutz@umtsd.org
Location: 2900 Terwood Road, Willow Grove, PA, United States
Phone: (215) 830-1513