EC Newsletter: May 2019
Exceptional Supports for Literacy & Learning
Welcome to the EC Department's Monthly Newsletter!
In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week next week, we want to send a special thank you to ALL of the wonderful EC teachers across the district! We are SO grateful for all that you do for students with disabilities!
Recipients of the Dr. Jane Rhyne Continuing Education Scholarship
Zanitha Thomas
Charzette Brown
Paula Williams
Unified Champions Schools- Getting Started!
All schools are eligible to participate! Click here for more information: Unified Champion Schools - Getting Started
supporting our SBS programs
CMS has 9 SBS classrooms in middle and elementary schools that implement The Boys Town Specialized Classroom Management Model® as part of the specially-designed instruction. This is a behavior management token economy system that focuses on teaching socially appropriate behaviors, building relationships, and teaching students to be accountable for their behavior. It incorporates preventive and proactive practices rather than reactive responses to change students’ behavior. The Boys Town Motivational System allows students the opportunity to earn points for demonstrating targeted social skills. Although the goal is to move students toward intrinsic motivation, many students initially benefit from extrinsic motivators. These extrinsic motivators begin with students being able to purchase items with their points (tokens) as a reward for their behavior.
We continue to need your help! We are soliciting contributions for the stores to ensure that ample motivational items are available for our students. We accept donations great and small, new or gently used. These can include, but are not limited to sporting equipment, arts/crafts, monetary donation, trinket, toys (no weapons), and sport memorabilia. Think outside the box.
If your school, program, or district office would like to donate to help these programs or a specific program, contact your school-assigned ICT or one of the behavior liaisons, and we will come pick up the items.
Thank you so much for this collaborative effort to support our students and our programs!
We would like to send a special thank you to the teams at Oakdale Elementary and Steele Creek Elementary for sending in donations for our Specialized Behavior Support (SBS) classrooms!
Literacy Strategy of the Month
Looking for a way to get additional practice with vowel sounds for older students?
Consider this Advanced Visual & Auditory Drill
* Using syllable types you have already taught, make a set of 10 cards with detached syllables (samples below)
o Closed: mit, trum, syn, vis, com, des, bas, tran
o Open: cra, pho, ze, bo, du
o Silent e: vite, mire, fuse, clude, spire, cate, scribe, ware
o Vowel team: noy, proach, coun, toid
o R-controlled: jor, ster, tur, ver, har
o Consonant le: ble, cle, cle, gle, tle, zle
* Visual Drill (show student the card)
o With your group, move from student to student asking these questions
- What type syllable?
- What does the vowel say?
- Read the syllable
* Auditory Drill (dictate detached syllable)
o Students tap and write
Remember your drill is quick- limit 5-7 minutes at the beginning of our lesson!
Compliance Tip of the Month
As a reminder for case managers at the end of the school year, please ensure the following items are completed:
1. Fax all signature pages, documents, and/or reports for meetings that occurred this school year into EdPlan.
2. Ensure that printed copies of documents for all meetings held this school year are filed in the student’s EC folder.
3. Complete and finalize 4th quarter progress reports for all students on your caseload and fax all progress monitoring data into EdPlan.
4. Hold transition meetings for rising kindergartners, 6th graders, and 9th graders.
5. Gather items for secure shredding opportunities:
EC Visual Challenge
Click on the video below to see a wonderful one-minute video of Ericka Williams, EC Pre-K teacher at Sterling Elementary, using core vocabulary with her morning circle. She incorporates low tech strategies with voice output devices to make the activity fun and engaging for students while teaching them to assign meaning to picture symbols.
Note: Core vocabulary is a small number of words that make up approximately 80% of what we say each day. It is meaningful across contexts and so powerful because it allows communicators to express a wide variety of concepts with very few words.SAVE THE DATE!
Shout Outs!
Resource teacher/OT collaborate to establish an optimal learning environment at River Gate Elementary
Miss Vickers' students participate in a multisensory approach to learning including the pairing of movement with phonemic awareness, movement with use of a number line, and use of self regulation strategies. Social, emotional, and physical preparedness is the key to success with activities incorporating executive functioning, and for a student's focus, motivation, and love of learning.
Last day for CMS bus use for field trips is May 31
School staff requesting CMS bus transportation for field trips must have those requests in Educational Journey by May 10. This allows time for the principal and community superintendent to make approvals.
Requests must be in the Transportation approval queue by May 17. The last day to take a field trip using a CMS bus is May 31.
For field trip related questions, please contact your area transportation office.
Contact info is listed on the intranet under Departments/Transportation.EC Department Resource Hub
Our Resources Hub can be found using the link below or by clicking the "CMS Resources" button on the left side of the page on Canvas. https://cms.instructure.com/courses/202112
Archived Communication
Too many emails and not enough time to read all of them? Take a quick look at our consolidated EC Department Communication Archive to see recent messages that may have come your way from the EC Department and make sure you didn't miss anything important!
Happenings in the broader Special Education Community
Please see the memorandums below regarding a series of webinars on supporting students with learning disabilities (LD) in the general education setting. PLEASE consider registering and share with others!
Council for Exceptional and CEEDAR Center have developed High Leverage Practices (HLPs) in Special Education
Print document: http://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/CEC-HLP-Web.pdf
Videos and other resources available at https://highleveragepractices.org/
Social Media
Check us out on Social Media!
EC Department Twitter: @CMS_EC
EC Department blog: cmsecdepartment.wordpress.com
APE Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/CMSAPE/
Our EC Parent Advisory Council has created the following online resources for families:
Website: http://bit.ly/cmsecpac
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/ecpacofcms/
Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/cmsecpac/
Important Contacts
Need help but not sure who to ask?
Our teams are here to give you the support you need! Click HERE to see who from the EC Department supports your school.
Don't forget about the EC HelpDesk who can also answer time-sensitive questions that you may have!
980-343-2724