EC Newsletter
Fall Edition
Imagine This All the People Living Life for Today in Peace
EC Department Teacher of the Year
Cynthia Moore has been selected as the Cabarrus County EC Educator of Excellence. Ms. Moore is an EC Resource teacher at Patriots Elementary School. Her principal, Billy Davis, said of Ms. Moore:
Mrs. Moore is gifted with the ability to uncover a child’s true love for learning and demonstrates a high level of commitment to her students. She is an excellent candidate for this award.
Mrs. Moore works closely with classroom teachers to create engaging lessons for students of all ability levels, not only the EC students that she serves. Her collaborative nature and her willingness to go the extra mile to support teachers makes her stand out among her peers.
Mrs. Moore is the EC Team Leader at our school and has demonstrated her ability to lead others to excellence. She is highly valued and respected by her peers and her entire school. Mrs. Moore has excellent communication skills and has the ability to reach students, families, and colleagues with her strong listening skills and expert verbal/written communication. She exhibits a work ethic like no other. Mrs. Moore will not stop until the job is done.
Mrs. Moore is able to build strong relationships with not only her students but their families as well. She holds her students to high expectations and believes in them. She is compassionate and knows how to motivate her students for success. She possesses a deep knowledge and understanding of how to educate students with special needs and is able to build strong relationships with not only her students but their families as well. Mrs. Moore holds her students to high expectations and believes in them.
Mrs. Moore is the epitome of an educational leader. She is friendly and approachable while maintaining strong community-building skills. As the Department Chair of the EC Department at Patriot’s Elementary, she exhibits excellent preparation and organizational skills. She is trusted and respected by her colleagues both within the building and within the district. If Mrs. Moore does not know the answer, she does not hesitate to reach out to her support network. She has built strong relationships with her EC Coordinator and her EC Coach.
Cabarrus County EC Educator of Excellence
Cabarrus County EC Educator of Excellence
BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT TECHNICIANS Resources
Keeping CCS Kids Minds and Bodies Calm
A helpful supplemental educational module on Social Skills, Emotional Needs, Exercise, and Nutrition, along with Parent Supports.
FBA Training
By the end of summer 2021, all current EC teachers should attend and complete requirements for this training. In addition to the year-long strand, there will be opportunities to attend training in the summer. Details for the summer sessions can be found below
Year-Long Cohort (2020-2021)
Details: This training is a hybrid model requiring both online module completion and monthly virtual coaching sessions. All components are required to receive full credit for the course. Content and digital learning CEUs will be offered. Please sign up for this session via this link: Signup Genius
Required components:
- Seven self-paced online learning modules (Completed independently)
- Application assignment based on Module content
- Monthly face-to-face coaching session - You will be required to attend one session per month (See dates below)
Information Session (Virtual on Microsoft Teams)
October 29
3:30-4:30 or 4:30-5:30
Module 1- (Virtual on Microsoft Teams)
November 19
3:30-4:30 or 4:30-5:30
Module 2- (Virtual on Microsoft Teams)
December 17
3:30-4:30 or 4:30-5:30
Module 3- (Virtual on Microsoft Teams)
January 28
3:30-4:30 or 4:30-5:30
Module 4- (Virtual on Microsoft Teams)
February 25
3:30-4:30 or 4:30-5:30
Module 5- (Virtual on Microsoft Teams)
March 25
3:30-4:30 or 4:30-5:30
Module 6- (Virtual on Microsoft Teams)
April 29
3:30-4:30 or 4:30-5:30
Module 7- (Virtual on Microsoft Teams)
May 27
3:30-4:30 or 4:30-5:30
Summer 2021 Sessions
Details: This training is a hybrid model requiring both online module completion and face-to-face coaching sessions (unless we are still required to do virtual). All components are required to receive full credit for the course. Content and digital learning CEUs will be offered. Based on participant feedback, the summer training will now be 3 days. Please sign up for 3 consecutive dates at: Signup Genius - Summer Cohort
Required Components
- Seven online learning modules
- Application assignment based on Module content (Due December 2021)
- Activities/Case study completed during face-to-face training
Summer Dates:
Session 1: Must attend all 3 days
8:30-3:30
July 12
July 13
July 14
Session 2: Must attend all 3 days
8:30-3:30
July 26
July 27
July 28
Please direct questions about this training to Kiley Donnell at kiley.donnell@cabarrus.k12.nc.us We look forward to seeing you there!
EC Parent Advisory Meeting.
On Wednesday, November 4, 2020, CCS Exceptional Children Programs held its first EC Parent Advisory meeting. All EC Coordinators and 9 parents of students who receive EC services, representing each region of the district, and all grade levels met. The team met to review EC data and current math, reading, and extended content standards programs. Parents were actively engaged and gave great input on how to best engage parents in the understanding of EC programs and processes. The next meeting of this group is scheduled for the third week in January 2021.
Compliance Corner
Compliance Corner Items:
Consent to Evaluate/Consent for Services
Please remember to enter the consent to evaluate response and consent for services responses into ECATS once you get the response from the parent. The date and parent response for each should be documented on the Consent page found within the EC Process tab in ECATS. We have to have this information for state reporting.
DD Eligibility
Students cannot be served as a student with a Developmental Delay once they turn eight or enter the third grade (whichever occurs first). A reevaluation must occur to determine another eligibility area prior to the students eighth birthday or entering third grade.
Timelines
Please schedule annual reviews at least 30 days prior to the IEP end date and reevaluation meetings 90 days prior to the eligibility due date to ensure proper time to complete the paperwork. Remember that our mismanagement of calendars does not mean that we can allow IEP’s to lapse or reevaluations to be opened.
Transfer File Documentation
When you transfer student files between school buildings, please make sure that you are keeping a record of where the file is being transferred and to who you addressed the file.
ESY Worksheets
Make sure that you click the button to print the ESY worksheet regardless of the ESY decision. See screen shot below:
Employee Links
Working with Challenging Students
Working with Challenging Students
Some of the most difficult student relationships to establish and maintain is with our challenging students. Truth be told, sometimes challenging students are difficult to like or connect with due to their attitude or the types of misbehaviors they are demonstrating. And if we could, we would probably avoid the student altogether. But let’s be real, total avoidance is not (and should not be) an option.
This is where you put on your hero cape and lay aside your feelings (even if justified) for the good of the student, yourself and the classroom environment as a whole. I am not saying that it’s easy, nothing worth having is.
Here are a few strategies I have used to gain positive relationships with challenging students:
GIVE ATTENTION TO THEIR STRENGTHS
Most of the time, when I ask staff to share the difficulties and weaknesses of their challenging student, the information just flows. But if I ask for the strengths or positives of that same student, I get the long pause and blank looks.
One thing that has helped me develop better relationships with students who challenge me is to find their strengths. Then, I acknowledge their strengths often by pointing them out and naming them, encourage their strengths with praise and reminders, and allow students to demonstrate or use their strengths frequently. The attention received for what they do well shows students that I see them as more than a problem or an issue that I have to deal with. It communicates that see them as a person who brings positive aspects to my world and the world around them.
FEED THEIR NEEDS
All behavior is a form of communication. Instead of seeing a person as challenging or "bad," look at them as a person in distress with unmet wants and needs. Think of their words and actions as communication of those unmet wants and needs. When I think of challenging behavior in this way, it makes it easier for me to intentionally take time to look at their behavior patterns to determine what emotional, social or academic need is not being met.
I ask myself, "What is the student trying to gain or avoid through their behavior?" Once I find the answer to that question, I feed the unmet need by applying strategies that help them get what they want or need with more appropriate on-task behavior instead of the behaviors they are currently demonstrating.
Feeding the unmet wants and needs of my challenging students showed them that I was invested in helping them succeed, thus cultivating a positive relationship.
DO SOMETHING POSITIVE OR FUN WITH THE STUDENT WHEN EVERYTHING IS CALM
I started doing this as an effort to keep from stereotyping my students as negative students. I wanted to change this narrative in my mind, so I created opportunities for us to engage or interact in a positive way.
I intentionally invited challenging students to play academic games with me, eat lunch with me or help me with a "teacher" job. I always tried to find out what they were interested in and talked about it or mentioned that subject at least one time a day. I would walk by a student's desk and throw out a random, "Hey, did you see that touchdown Cam threw yesterday? I can't wait to talk to you about that as soon as you are done with those math problems!" I made time for them even when it felt like I had no extra time to give.
Engaging in this way, gave both me and my challenging students a different perspective of each other. We both grew to like each other outside of the conflict, which ended up decreasing our overall conflicts.
Building a positive relationship with your challenging students is very possible and, in fact, necessary!!! I promise, it will be worth your time and effort and you will be glad you did!!!