SPECIAL PROGRAMS NEWSIES
FALL 2021
MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR
Dear Families...
Is it really November? As the first quarter comes to an end, We need to take time to reflect on all of our achievements. Schools opened for all staff and students on September 1 with very few glitches. We have completed all state and local testing. Our students are definitely becoming acclimated with the school environment. The new playgrounds have sparked a lot of interest with our younger population đ. New educational programs such as Exact Path and Reading Eggs are being utilized in our elementary classrooms. School Counselors are addressing social emotional needs of students through small group and individual counseling sessions. Without your support, we would not be able to provide such amazing opportunities for our students. As we move into the 2nd Quarter I continue to be thankful for everyone in the Caroline community. We can all make a difference in creating the best learning environment possible.
Best regards,
Elizabeth Anthony
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN SPECIAL EDUCATION
Special Education welcomes Susan Jacobs, BCBA!
Caroline County Public Schools has recently hired a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). Susan Jacobs, a previous BCBA for Talbot County Public Schools, will assist teachers, principals, directors, and other school-based staff and central office personnel in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of special education services for students with disabilities who exhibit challenging behaviors. She will conduct Functional Behavioral Assessments; develop, implement and evaluate Behavior Intervention Plans. Susan will provide direct support and consultation to classroom teams on behavior reduction, classroom management, crisis intervention, and skill acquisition.
Orton Gillingham Plus Training for Special Education Teachers:
Last year, CCPS provided 28 elementary school special education teachers/staff with OG+ training to target the specific needs of students with reading difficulties. This year, we are continuing this training with 10 additional special education staff members; including new teachers. All trained staff will be provided one on one coaching opportunities with Orton Gillingham Specialists to meet the individual needs of students.
FAMILY SUPPORT SERVICES - SPECIAL EDUCATION CITIZEN'S ADVISORY COMMITTEE (SECAC)
SECONDARY TRANSITION
Greetings to all of our Secondary Transition Stakeholders and Happy Fall Yâall! We have hit the ground running this year with our Transition team working to support all of our students. This year, we welcome Mrs. Peggy Wittman to our team as our Secondary Transition Specialist. Mrs. Wittman will focus on coordinating with MSDE as our State Transition Team Liaison, ensuring compliance with all of our programs. She will also coordinate college and business visits for our students, work with the community to identify individual internship/job opportunities for our students, and coordinate agency linkages for all of our students with disabilities. Mr. Hollis has moved into a dedicated role as the Transition Teacher and is devoting his attention full-time to the Transition Center Program and working with CCTC students pursuing a diploma, while Mrs. Ann Fink continues to work with us as a Transition Specialist and is using her considerable knowledge to strengthen our connections with our Adult Agency partners while also assisting our team at the Family Support Center.
Our year has gotten off to a great start with selected students from our Transition Center Program and North Caroline High School participating in a Work Readiness/Vocational Training Program sponsored by the Division of Rehabilitative Services and executed by Benedictine Vocational Training in Easton, MD. These students are learning work readiness skills and preparing to begin community-based learning in the retail and hospitality industries. Additionally, we have Transition Center students participating in volunteer opportunities with the Caroline County Food Bank, Petco, the Talbot Special Riders, and working in competitive employment at Weiss in Easton. We are also currently working with Michaelâs in Easton to secure an additional job opportunity for one of our students. We hope this will be the start of a great partnership.
For our students participating in Career and Technical Education and traditional Liberal Arts pathways, we have our first college visit of the year tentatively scheduled for November 17 when we will travel to Salisbury University for an information session and tour. We are also working with Chesapeake College to secure a date for a tour and information session later this first Semester.
If you have any questions regarding Secondary Transition or services with Adult Agencies, please feel free to email Mrs. Wittman at wittman.margaret@ccpsstaff.org.
INFANTS AND TODDLERS
The Caroline County Infants and Toddlers Program's (CCITP) overarching outcomes for children are to:
Develop positive social-emotional skills and relationships,
Acquire and use knowledge and skills, and
Use appropriate behaviors to meet their needs.
The overall outcomes for families are to:
Understand their rights,
Communicate effectively about their childâs needs, and
Help their child develop and learn.
The CCITP is not a medical program that âtreatsâ children. While they may not be trained specialists, CCITP believes that families and caregivers are a childâs most important teachers. The early intervention team will partner with them by using a coaching model to design and implement individualized strategies within a childâs daily routines and activities.
EARLY CHILDHOOD
Parents, caregivers and teachers serve as role models for children. This is especially true when it comes to managing emotions and understanding feelings. CCPS Early Childhood classrooms use a program called Conscious Discipline to teach social skills. Specifically, Conscious Discipline is an emotional intelligence program where children learn to express their emotions, resolve problems with words, and work with others. It was developed by Dr. Becky Bailey, an author and early childhood educator.
Recently, all of the teachers of the Regional Pre-K 3 Programs, Pre-Kindergarten teachers, Kindergarten teachers, and elementary principals participated in a full day professional development on this social foundations program.
GIFTED AND TALENTED
The purpose of Caroline County Public Schoolsâ (CCPS) Gifted and Talented (GT) Program is to identify students in all Caroline County Schools who represent all cultural, ethnic, and economic groups. It is our responsibility to develop and implement the gifted and talented education and services needed to develop our student's full potential. I look forward to a continued collaboration with teachers, counselors and administration to implement programs to meet the needs of our gifted and talented learners.
ENGLISH LEARNERS
Caroline County Public Schools continues to ensure that English learners (ELs), including immigrant children and youth, attain English language proficiency and meet the same standards that all children are expected to meet. We currently have almost 470 English learners enrolled in Caroline County Public Schools (CCPS). As of October 2021, our students and their families speak the following languages:
*Spanish *Vietnamese *Punjabi *Creole *Chinese
*Mandarin Chinese *Arabic *Urdu *Tagalog *Turkish
*Gujarati *Yoruba *MAM *Bengali *Portuguese
*Ilocano *Japanese *Korean *Qâanjobâal *Amharic
We are very excited about our growing population of English learners and want to do our best to communicate with our families. CCPS wants to work hand in hand with our EL students and their families to make sure your child is successful in school and that you have the resources you need. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your childâs teacher, guidance counselor or school administrators if you have any questions or concerns. If communication is a concern, please let the teacher know so an interpreter can be provided.
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