Special Programs & Services News
January 2022
Message from the Team:
Happy New Year LISD families! As we kick off 2022, I would like to focus on our Special Programs vision. This vision guides our work as a team to ensure we are supporting our families and students in the best way possible. I encourage you to learn about our vision by watching this video. We are excited to partner with you to make this vision come alive in LISD! Have a fantastic start to the new year and I look forward to seeing the many accomplishments of our students in 2022!
Kimberly Waltmon
Executive Director of Special Programs and Services
In This Issue
Mark Your Calendars!
- Wednesday, Jan. 19th - Student Involvement in ARD & 504 Meetings
- Thursday, Jan. 20th - Pursuing Higher Education
- Tuesday, Jan. 25th - Medically Fragile Family Support Group
- Wednesday, Jan. 26th - Autism Parent Training: Verbal Behavior for Early Learners
- Wednesday, Feb. 2nd - AAC Family Chat : To Customize or Not to Customize?
- Friday, Feb. 4th - Coffee Chat
Parent Event Feedback Survey
We are looking for ways to improve your experiences with our parent events. Our goal is to collaboratively produce events that support the needs of your family. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey and share your thoughts with us by 5:00 p.m. Friday, January 21st.
Self-Determination Skill of the Month
ARD Parent Survey
After every annual and revision Admission, Review, & Dismissal Committee (ARD) meeting, families are sent the ARD Parent Survey to complete. When you receive this survey, we are requesting your help in filling them out as it will show us areas in which we can celebrate as well as improve our practices. The results are reviewed by the Special Education Administration team and remain anonymous to campus staff. If you do not receive the link after your child’s ARD, please reach out to your ARD specialist. Thank you for providing your feedback.
Dyslexia Screeners
Students in kindergarten through second grade are administered a brief screener of the foundational reading skills three times per year in accordance with the Texas Education Code (TEC) §28.006. Additionally, this screener is utilized with Kindergarten (at the end of year) and first-grade students (at the end of January) in accordance with TEC §38.003 to identify children who may be at risk for dyslexia and/or a related disorder. This screening is not a formal dyslexia evaluation, but is designed to give valuable information to help school staff develop and implement targeted instruction.
Information on your student’s overall standing regarding the early reading instrument screener is posted on the report card at the first, third, and fourth nine-week periods as “district reading screener.” Additional information about your child’s ISIP scores can be obtained from your child’s classroom teacher or at www.istation.com using your student’s login information. If your child is identified as at risk for dyslexia or a related disorder through this process, you will receive additional information from your child’s campus.
Math Interventions
This month we are spotlighting ways that families can engage in and support math learning for students of all ages. Building a positive mindset around math can be a very powerful way to help children feel empowered and build confidence. Therefore, the resources below provide ideas for improving math skills along with mindset.
For students at the elementary level, consider checking out these resources:
For our older students, we recommend looking into the following:
SELF Tours
Do you want to learn more about Skills for Enhancing Lifelong Fulfillment (SELF) and 18+ Transition Services? We still have a few more dates available for you to take a tour of our SELF locations. Parents, students, and staff are all welcome to join. View the flyer for more information.
Please reach out to denise.geiger@leanderisd.org with any questions.