BCSSSD Pioneer Press
April 2016, Edition #17
April is Autism Awareness month
Editor: Mrs. Laura Geltch, Coordinator of Program and Community
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A Message from Dr. Nagy
Dear BCSSSD Community,
April is Autism Awareness Month
We are fortunate in the Burlington County Special Services School District to service students with autism from Burlington County and beyond, and from elementary school to high school age. We also support the transition processes for students who are eligible to seek day habilitation and career placement services through local partners such as Bancroft at Burlington County or the Occupational Training Center in Burlington County. Students are placed on respective campuses based on age and ability levels.
This month kicked off with World Autism Awareness Day on April 2, 2016. On April 20, 2016 we once again experienced record crowds at our 10th Annual Poster Presentation and Research Symposium held on the BCSSSD Westampton Campus from 6-8 pm. At this event attendees interacted with professionals in the field presenting the findings of interventions based upon empirical research and established standards for evidence based practice. The purpose for the research is practical and intended to be implemented to enhance the quality of life for students with autism spectrum disorder and other related developmental disabilities. We are proud and honored that our teachers, teacher assistants, related service therapists, and board certified behavior analysts exhibited their research. Research was judged by a panel of invited guests from a field of professionals and prizes were awarded.
Other activities took place throughout the month to celebrate diversity and the exceptionalities that our children bring to the Westampton Campus and our host locations. I am grateful to our administrative team and staff for their dedication, love and sensitivity to the broad based needs of our student population. All one has to do is witness the miracles in the classroom each day and realize how blessed one is to be touched by a smile or a new skill learned.
Please refer to the special education resources found on my homepage or at the following links:
http://www.appliedbehavioralstrategies.com/what-is-aba.html
http://www.lovaas.com/research.php
https://www.abainternational.org/journals.aspx
https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/world-autism-awareness-day
Assistant Superintendent, Special Education
Dr. Nagy's Special Education Weekly Blog
Attention Parents & Guardians: Parent Portal Letter and Parent Portal Form
BCIT/BCSSSD Board of Education Policies & Regulations
The following policies and regulations have been approved by the Board of Education. Please review and reference pertinent policies as applicable.
Policies/Regulations (Exhibit #1) (These items are available on the website.)
2nd Reading
3431.1 and 4431.1 Family Leave (Revised) R5111 Admissions (Revised: Rubric)
9150 School Visitors
7440 School Security
R8460 General Administrative Investigative Procedures (Revised) R7450.1 General Inventory (BCIT) (Revised)
1st Reading
8500.1 Offer Versus Serve (OVS)
R6660 Student Activity SOP
Policies/Regulations (Exhibit #1) (These items are available on the website.)
1st Reading
2340.1 and R2340.1 Competitions
2nd Reading
8500.1 Offer Versus Serve (OVS)
R6660 Student Activity SOP
Revised
7516 Use of Swimming Pool
8505 Wellness/Nutrition Standards for Meals and Other Foods
Policies/Regulations (These items are available on the website.)
2nd Reading 2340.1 and R2340.1 Competitions
Burlington County Alternative School March Principal's Update
Joan Barbagiovanni
(609) 261-5600 X 2501
jbarbagiovanni@bcsssd.k12.nj.us
Burlington County Middle School Monthly Newsletter
BCAS May 2016 Information Session
May 10, 2016
6 - 8 p.m.
Burlington County Alternative School, 1000 Briggs Road, Mt. Laurel, NJ
RSVP: Melissa Manno via email: mmanno@bcsssd.k12.nj.us
BCAS Monthly Staff and Student Update
I. Student accomplishments, recognition, awards, activities, assemblies, programs, etc.
Dayanara Zarama of the Rancocas Valley Regional School District has been selected as the Burlington County Alternative School Scholar of the Month. Dayanara is a very serious student and is consistently the top credit earner in the school. Congrats to Dayanara.
Ronald Ellis from the New Egypt Township School District has been selected as the Burlington County Alternative School Scholar of the Month. RJ is a very serious student and recently completed Calculus! Congrats to RJ.
Keith Coaxum of the Delran Township School District has been selected as the Burlington County Alternative School Citizen of the Month. Keith can often been seen assisting students and staff in a positive fashion. Congrats to Keith!
Ava Vaughn and Tristan Wesley-Jones were chosen as the Middle School Student Spotlights.
BCAS Recent Graduates
Orlando Lampkin of Cinnaminson Township High School
Ryan Bailey of Lenape Regional High School District
Star Vessella of Maple Shade School District
Raekwon Davis of Pemberton Township School District
Iyonna Damon of Cinnaminson Township High School
Kathryn Smith of Rancocas Valley Regional School District
Francis Taylor of the Lenape Regional High School District
Jacob Hartmann of Northern Burlington County Regional School District
Glindy Garcia-Escobar of Lenape Regional High School District
Ronald Ellis of Plumsted Township School District
Nikkera Jackson of Rancocas Valley Regional School District
- 41 students attended a field trip to Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia to learn about its rich history and cultural influence.
- 40 students attended a field trip on April 22, 2016 to Washington D.C. to visit the Smithsonian, National Zoo and the Holocaust Museum.
- BCAS hosted a parent information session on April 12, 2016 entitled “Finding Inner Strength.”
- BCAMS hosted a rewards field trip to the swimming pool at BCS Lumberton for those students who are passing all of their classes and demonstrate appropriate behavior.
BCSSSD Resource Fair and Open House April 6, 2016!
Burlington County Times Article:
A note from Nicole Margiotta
Dear BCSSSD Community,
Those of you who are on Facebook, please "like" our pages and visit them regularly; feel free to add comments on posted items. When referencing our "Sign Me A Story" series, please reference it with hashtag and written exactly like this (#SignMeAStory).
Please join us on Saturday, May 21st for another "Sign Me A Story" event at the Burlington County Library. Time: 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.
Burlington County Times article on January's "Sign Me A Story": http://www.burlingtoncountytimes.com/news/local/photos-stories-signed-for-hearing-impaired-at-burlington-county-library/collection_80a11f08-bbaf-11e5-a646-97fa88dbb421.html
Here are the two Facebook links...
Thank you all for supporting our pages! Please pass the links along to anyone who might be interested!
Thank you,
Nicole Margiotta
Supervisor, Deaf and Hard of Hearing and Assistive Technology
Lumberton Campus "In the Loop" April 2016 Newsletter
BCPDI Workshop Series
Click HERE for the Burlington County Professional Development Institute (BCPDI) online Workshop Series Brochure
A note from Tara Montague, SFA President
Our next SFA meeting is Wednesday, May 4th, 7 p.m. in the Media Center on the Westampton campus. You can use the C-9 exit in the back next to the greenhouse to enter.
Child care is available but needs to be requested by Monday evening so we can prepare.
Please let us know if you have any questions. We hope you can join us. We will be discussing continuing leadership of the SFA at the meeting.
Best wishes,
Tara Montague, SFA President
Peggy Dugan, SFA Vice-President.
10th Annual Poster Presentation Research Symposium!
BCSSSD PASC Staff (Pioneer Autism Sensory Center) presented their student research projects to Burlington County educators, colleagues, and BCSSSD Administrators.
Thank you to our student presenters and congratulations to all our winners!
Please visit our Facebook page for a complete gallery of event photos.
Younger school principals means less experience, but more idealism and social and digital skills
Burlington County Alternative Middle School Principal, Bobbie Downs
High School Science Experiments: Mrs. Salmons’ 10th Grade Biology Class dissected a frog with Nurse Ellen and Social Worker, Jenn Higgs. Mrs. Wiley’s class came to observe.
Our High School students visited Camden County College's campus for a guided tour of endless possibilities!
Two BCSSSD Students: Burlington County Teen Arts Festival Winners!
Tie dye student t-shirt creations
CONGRATS to our Special Olympics Athletes!
NJ State Spring Sectionals Bowling, April 3, 2016
Isaac Gonzalez won a Silver Medal
Armani Marino placed 4th in the competition
A super accomplishment for our boys and BCSSSD!
BCSSSD Safety Patrol Annual Breakfast
Our Safety Patrol students celebrated with their annual breakfast, complete with fellow students and the BCSSSD Pioneer Band!
Congratulations Mrs. McLarney and our Safety Patrol for their hard work and service to our students. Your dedication as role models is outstanding!
Read Across America: "A hole in the bottom of the sea"
High School Ambassadors served as escorts to guide community guest readers to our Elementary Campus to share books. Community guest readers, including Assemblyman Troy Singleton, Board of Education members Paula Lee and Kathy Burgess, Toni Guerra, Dr. Manno, Dr. Nagy, Charleen Stevenson, retired BCSSSD teacher Jean Mann, Kathy Coulibaly, NJEA Associate Director of PR and Chelsea Collins, NJ Teacher of the Year, read to 19 classrooms on April 22nd!
The Occupational Therapy Department, with Pride Committee support, organized their second annual Read Across America Open House to provide an interactive event based in literacy on April 21st and 22nd to celebrate Occupational Therapy month! Classrooms from the Elementary, Middle School and High School campuses gathered to participate in an undersea adventure. Students had the opportunity to listen to one of two books: A Hole in the Bottom of the Sea or Smiley Shark, with their classmates. Following the reading, students engaged in various fun activities to promote skill development (OT), academics (CCSS) and social/emotional growth (HIB). Parents and guardians were invited to participate with their child.
Students who participated in the Smiley Shark group worked with their classmates to race on scooter boards to retrieve fish that would later be sorted according to the characteristics detailed on the fish. The focus on being a supportive peer and identifying “good friend” qualities were the main themes. The final highlight was controlling the air swimmer clown fish or shark, a task that required attention and following directions to successfully “swim” the large balloon.
A Hole in the Bottom of the Sea was a fun book that included an interactive song so the students could scan to locate the identified sea creature, then toss it into the “hole!” Students who listened to this book were also able to explore different sections of the book as they used flashlights to spot sharks, dig in various wet textures to find eels or swimming sharks, or activate switches to turn on the light while viewing real fish swimming in a tank. All students, staff and family members ended their adventure with a “swim” under the sea in a multisensory tunnel with a glowing seascape!
Art in the Making -- Elementary Campus Art Classroom!
BCSSSD High school students celebrated the NCAA basketball playoffs creating a stylish bracket poster display!
Science Assembly on our Elementary Campus
Our Early Childhood Learning Center enjoyed an Easter Egg Hunt in the High School courtyard.
Spring Creations in our Floriculture and Building Trades classrooms.
Our Early Childhood students got a visit from a hedgehog!
Another Wonderful Reunion Dance!
3rd Annual Middle & High School Art Exhibit
Palmyra-Riverton-Cinnaminson (PRC) Rotary Club sponsored an interactive Fun Day along with high school students from Palmyra, Riverton & Cinnaminson School Districts.
BCSSSD Educational Foundation Annual Golf Outing
Monday, Aug 1, 2016, 07:30 AM
Medford Lakes Country Club, Oak Drive, Medford Lakes, NJ, United States
Jump Start Store
Dear parents and staff,
Students will be provided with the opportunity to shop at the Jump Start Store two times per month this year. Sign-up will be done on a first come/first served basis, so please stop in to schedule your preferred shopping times.
We are in need of the following items:
- Household items
- Knick Knacks
- Clothing: blouses, shirts, coats, & belts
- Dishes
- Glasses
- Wallets
- Purses
- Silk flowers
- Candles
- Holiday Decorations
Thank you for your support!
-Mr. McHugh & Mr. Zielinski
Revised BCSSSD 2015-16 District Calendar
Letter from Dr. Christopher M. Manno, Superintendent of Schools
BCSSSD Parent Corner
Please share your story as a parent or guardian. What does the Burlington County Special Services School District mean to you and your family? How has your child benefited from attending BCSSSD?
Thank you for your time and consideration. --Laura Geltch
Do you have a story to share?
Our students and staff are unique and truly outstanding Burlington County community members. It would be my pleasure to share student, family, and parent stories with our school's community.
Please contact me if you would like to share your story.
Thank you,
Program & Community Coordinator
BCSSSD
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BCSSSD School and Family Association (SFA)
https://www.facebook.com/BCSS.SFA?fref=ts
NEW PAGES:
Burlington County Deaf & Hard of Hearing-D/HH Education Initiative
ESU Augmentative Alternative Communication & Assistive Technology
Box Tops for Education
Thank you! - BCSSSD Staff
New Special Event Form!
Thank you,
Laura Geltch
Program and Community Coordinator
Burlington County Health Department Information: 2015-16 School-Aged Children Immunization Clinics
Letter from Burlington County Health Department:
Referral Form from Burlington County Health Department:
Emergency Closing/Delayed Opening Procedures:
In the event of a campus emergency or inclement weather, staff members will be contacted via email, phone message, and text message. In addition, we will post a Special Alert Message on our website.
Staff Members, Help us Contact You.
Have you moved? Have you changed your phone number or email address? Please make sure to update your information with BCSSSD Personnel.
Students will be contacted using information stored in Genesis, our electronic student database. Parents should be reminded to ensure their contact information is up-to-date. Any changes should be reported to the main office of the student's school.