Special Education Parent Connect
Lovejoy ISD
Hello Parents!
We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break and enjoyed time with family and friends. As a Special Education Department, we want you to know how very thankful we are for your kiddos as well as your continued support.
As always, we are here to support both Lovejoy students and their families. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.
We hope that you have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Specially Designed Instructional Coaches
Our Specially Designed Instructional Coaches are an valuable resource on the campus. They not only work with special education teachers but also general education teachers.
Eva Pearl
I am excited to start my 15th year in Lovejoy ISD. I have served every campus in the district as a speech language pathologist. Currently I am the Specially Designed Instructional Coach for Lovejoy High School and Lovejoy Child Development Center. Additionally, I support Lovejoy High School as their speech language pathologist. I attended Texas A&M University and received my Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies in 2000. After teaching elementary for 5 years I returned to school at Texas Woman's University where I received my Masters in Communication Sciences in 2008. My husband and I live in Allen with our 3 children. William is a senior at UTD, Brandon is a senior at LHS, and Emily is in the 5th grade at SCIS. In our free time we love to travel!
Elena Widdes
I recently moved to Texas with my husband and two sons. I grew up in San Diego, CA. I have taught for over 15 years in special education as well as general education.I am so very excited to be a Specially Designed Instructional Coach. I love this line of work because I can help empower teachers to reach the needs of students with special needs and help them reach their fullest potentials. In my free time I enjoy cooking, doing yoga, traveling, spending time with her family and being in nature.
Dayna McCormick
I am enjoying my 5th year in Lovejoy and 15th year in education! I love supporting staff at Hart and Puster Elementary school as a Specially Designed Instructional Coach where I have the opportunity to work alongside the best people to collaborate best instructional and behavioral strategies for all students. On the weekends my husband, Cy, and I will either be watching Hadley (2nd grade at Puster) play soccer or watching Cal (1st grade at Puster) on the baseball field or basketball court.
Special Olympics
Bowling:
Competition- January 13, 2023 in Sherman, TX
Basketball:
Teachers/coaches will trained the first week in January.
Track:
TBD
If you have questions about Special Olympics, please contact your students Case Manager.
Lovejoy ISD- Special Education Advisory Committee
At the last Special Education Advisory Committee Meeting, the 2030 Strategic Target was discussed as well as the Special Education goals for the year. Members of the committee shared their input and narrowed down 2 focuses for the year.
Lovejoy 2030: Strategic Target
Lovejoy ISD will prioritize program reviews that evaluate program efficiency and program experience.
Strategy:
Utilize the district and campus improvement planning teams and district committees/teams to provide feedback, identify strengths, gaps and needs of programs to assist with evaluation and recommendations for improving the student experience.
Special Education Goals for the year:
Focus for goals:
1. ARD Training for Parents
2. Student Support Process/Pathways- MTSS/RTI, 504, SPED, Dyslexia
Parent Training
Region 10 offers Monthly, Family-Focused Webinars just for parents! Click on the picture and it will link you to registration.
Texas A&M Parent Project
The Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M University would like to offer training at no cost to Texas parents and caregivers of children up to age 22 with core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parents and caregivers will learn how to improve their child's communication skills. This service is provided by a grant project entitled Coach to Communicate (C2C), sponsored by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
The training includes a 1-hour self-paced webinar that teaches behavioral strategies to increase communication use in children with ASD. Once complete, parents can choose to be paired with a coach for a more intensive 12-week training specific to their child’s communication needs (again, at no cost to parents). Shorter options of 2-5 coaching sessions are also available for parents, if better suited to their needs. Coaching is offered in English and Spanish.
To see training modules available, enroll at https://prep.catalog.instructure.com.
Puster Elementary Special Education Department keeps kids first! They have strong pathways of communication with parents and teaching teams. They continue to collaborate to create the best plans for students. Thank you Puster SPED!!!
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What is Special Education?
Special education instruction that is specially designed to meet the unique needs of a student with a disability. It includes any related services needed for the student to benefit from his or her special education services. Special education is not a place, but a set of services and supports that can be provided in many ways and in many different settings. What special education looks like for an individual student is outlined in his or her IEP. The IEP is developed by a team referred to in Texas as the admission, review, and dismissal (ARD) committee. The parent is a member of the ARD committee.
SPEDTex.org is a wonderful resource for parents that are new to Special Education even parents with some experience . They provide resources and answers to many frequently asked questions. Check it out!
Special and Gifted Education
What is SAGE?A thriving partnership between parents, teachers and administration to enhance the education of every student while aiding them to achieve their highest potential.
What is the Purpose?
Create Awareness, Promote Connection and Provide Education= ACE
What are the Goals?
SAGE representatives will communicate regularly with the campus principal, celebrate calendar awareness days and hold events for connection and collaboration.
Click below to view the presentation recently shared at each campus SAGE meeting.
