Special Education Department
Proud to Teach Amazing Kids
February 5, 2016 Volume 3 Issue 21
Mark your Calendar
- 2/5/16 Give Kids a Smile Day
- 2/8/16 Hess Special Education Meeting
- 2/8/16 PTA Meeting
- 2/9/16 Shaner Special Education Meeting
- 2/11/16 Autism Committee Meeting; Early Dismissal for Students
- 2/11/16 SPAN Meeting- Mays Landing Libray
- 2/12/16 Professional Development Day
- 2/15/16 Presidents' Day- No School
- 2/17/16 Davies Special Education Meeting
- 2/18/16 Books in Your Backyard- Oakcrest Estates Community Center
- 2/22/16 Board of Education Meeting
- 2/26/16 Complete on-line suicide training
- 2/26/16 Davies Dodgeball Tournament!
- 3/14/16 Ricky McAvaddy Blood Drive
Upcoming Events
March will be Developmental Disabilities Month
Piece By Piece Virtual Run- for more info contact Barb Barresi
Register now to be an Autism Ambassador
4/2 National Autism Awareness Day, Light It Up Blue
Special Education Week will be celebrated in May
The Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN) START Project
The Statewide Parent Advocacy Network START Project and the Office of Special Education Programs, NJ Department of Education are developing a manual to support New Jersey’s Special Education Parent Advisory Groups. This manual will be based on best practices for developing and implementing an effective collaborative SEPAG and utilized as a resource by parents and educators throughout New Jersey.
We would like to invite you to attend one of the 6 statewide sessions where stakeholders will have the opportunity to provide input on the development of the Special Education Parent Advisory Group (SEPAG) Manual. If you are unable to attend one of the sessions, please click on the survey link on the flyer and complete the short survey to share your input.
Special Education Parent Advisory Groups are required for all school districts in New Jersey. The purpose of these groups is to provide opportunities for parents and community members to provide input to their district on critical issues relating to students with disabilities. Input from parents and professionals and other stakeholders with experience in starting and running groups is essential to insure that the manual meets the needs of New Jersey’s Parent Advisory Groups.
Thank you!
Sincerely,
START project at the Statewide Parent Advocacy Network (SPAN)
From the Department of Education
From the PTA
At the close of the 2015-2016 school year, all five positions of the Hamilton Township PTA Executive Board will be open. The following 2-year term positions are available for nomination:
President
Vice-President
Treasurer
Recording Secretary
Corresponding Secretary
Membership Chair (non-executive board)
Nominations will begin in March/April so anyone who is interested should contact President, Tara Lyn Van Seters, or Vice-President, Nicole Benowitz. Voting is open to all card-carrying PTA members and will take place at the May 16, 2016 meeting.
Student Services Snippets
Critical Information for ALL staff is contained in these short screencasts. They run from 4.5 to 8 minutes. Please refer to them as needed. Two new screencasts have been added.
Working with Paraprofessionals NEW!
Critical Information for Paraprofessionals NEW!
If there is other information you feel it would be helpful for us to share via screencast, please let us know.
Learning Ally
Learning Ally provides audiobooks for students with a print disability, visual impairment or medical issue. All three of our schools have received a FREE subscription to Learning Ally this year. If you have a student who might benefit from access to audiobooks and textbooks, click on the link for a brief screencast (7 minutes) about Learning Ally. https://youtu.be/6nyj0ZL_xRs
Professional Development
Free, Fabulous PD!
EdCamp South Jersey 2016 @ William Davies Middle School Saturday, March 19
Free Webinars:
How to Improve Your Students' Health, Behavior, and Achievement Through Movement
Monday, Feb. 8 at 4 p.m.
Creativity Connects Schools and Families: Increase Parental Engagement
Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 4 p.m.
How to Build and Lead a High Quality Preschool Inclusion Program
Tuesday, Feb. 23 at 3 p.m.
Paid Workshops:
At this time the district is unable to approve any workshops that involve a cost including those for ETTC hours unless there are extenuating circumstances.
Here is the information about an upcoming dyslexia workshop that is on a Saturday. If you are interested, you would have to pay to attend.
Facets of Dyslexia: Third Annual Dyslexia Conference Saturday, April 16
sponsored by Cooper Learning Center
Grants and Contests
The Ultimate Cool School Sweepstakes is now open! Enter daily to win free access to Discovery Education Science for your school for a whole year! Deadline: 2/25/16
Nominate an exceptional special educator!
Nominate a K-6 teacher for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST). Awardees are recognized as leaders in improving mathematics and science education. They will receive $10,000 from the National Science Foundation, as well as attend special events and professional development opportunities. Deadline for nominations is April 1, and applications must be submitted by May 1, 2016.
Dollar General Literacy Grants
NJCIE’s 7th Annual INCLUSION WORKS! Poster Contest
The New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education is hosting its 7th Annual Inclusion Works Poster Contest. The contest is sponsored by the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, and open to NJ public school students in grades 2-12. The poster contest will kick off on December 7th as a way to celebrate National Inclusive Schools Week. The contest will run from December 7th,2015 – April 1st, 2016. Each year the poster contest has a similar goal; to teach students the importance of inclusive education. For NJCIE’s 7th Annual Poster Contest, we want poster contest participants to illustrate how INCLUSION WORKS. 2016 Theme-When ALL students are included everyone SHINES!
Healthy Playground Makeover Sweepstakes
Mr. Browne’s February Precept:
“It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” -James Thurber
- Choose Your Attitude
- Be Present
- Make Someone's Day
- Play
Special Education Department
Email: stecherm@hamiltonschools.org
Website: http://www.hamiltonschools.org/cst.html
Phone: (609)476-6314
Facebook: facebook.com/HTSDspecialed
Twitter: @HTSDspecialed