Welcome Spring!!!! This time of year can be the most uplifting!!!...longer days, warm weather, outdoor sports, and lots of pretty flowers blooming all around us. Please stop and take advantage of all the wonderful opportunities that Spring has to offer. It's so hard to believe we are just shy of the beginning of the fourth quarter.

For the past three months, the special programs team has continued to provide professional development in all of our schools via Zoom. Instructional Tools and Strategies for our English Learners was provided to all English Learner Teachers . PreK is preparing for PreK registration in all elementary schools. Special Education has provided training on transition, agency linkage and MSDE Updates. Also, the Special Education Leadership team has developed after-school workshops for special education teachers. The first workshop is Tips and Tricks to Specially Designed Instruction.

On April 28 at 6 pm, SECAC (Special Education Citizen's Advisory Committee) will be hosting our quarterly meeting via Zoom. Our guest speaker will be Dr. Dwayne Isava, Promoting Social Skills and Pragmatic Language. A Zoom link is listed on the SECAC flyer. Please join us!!!

Elizabeth Anthony (Twigg)

Nomination timeline extended! Nominations being accepted until April 15th, 2021!

Each year, our Special Education Citizen’s Advisory Committee (SECAC) hosts an evening event that enables special education students and their families to say thank you to specific staff who have made a difference in their lives. In the past, students have chosen teachers, administrators, and support staff such as bus drivers and assistants as their special honorees.

This year, the fourth annual Staff Appreciation Celebration holds particular meaning as our students and staff have been through an incredibly difficult year. It also presents a unique challenge as we plan for a safe and socially distanced celebration. Rather than the banquet-type event of years past, we are planning for small, individual surprise events for honorees. Our event was originally scheduled for April 15th, however we will be surprising the staff members who have been nominated at the beginning of May.

If you would like to nominate a staff member and highlight the impact they have had on your student, please click on this google link to complete the form:

https://forms.gle/Qfqvc8xwD52wRGaZ8

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! YOUR OPINION MATTERS!

Parents or guardians of children receiving special education and related services were mailed the Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey from the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services during the week of February 8, 2021. Parents are asked to complete the survey and return it in the postage paid envelope by May 21,2021. The survey may also be completed online. Please look for details in your survey packet. Your feedback will help guide efforts to improve special education and related services in your local school system. Your voice can make a real difference for your child and many other children across the state of Maryland. To learn more, please visit https://www.mdparentsurvey.com .

If you have questions about the survey, please contact Kenneth Hudock at 410-767-7770 or via email, Kenneth.Hudock@maryland.gov.

A Special Education Citizens’ Advisory Committee (SECAC) is a committee established by the local school system to seek meaningful input from parents, community partners, service providers, educators, and administrators on local issues relative to the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE) and the achievement of students with disabilities. To work most effectively a SECAC operates as a partnership between parents and families, community leaders and organizations, educators, and administrators at the local level. A local SECAC enables a local director of special education to collaborate with others on local issues and it has the potential to facilitate positive changes in the delivery of special education services and the achievement of students with disabilities. [COMAR 13A.05.02.13I]

All events subject to change depending on the COVID 19 Pandemic

April 28, 2021

Wednesday at 6pm

Board of Education

Dr. Duane Isava, Ph.D., NCSP

Executive Director and Registered Psychology Associate /Halcyon Wellness Center

Promoting Social Skills and Pragmatic Language in Children

May 12, 2021

Wednesday from 10am - 1pm

Tuckahoe State Park

Discovery Day

Expo featuring community agencies and organizations to support our families

Please RSVP to Luisa Carlisle, Family Support Resource Coordinator

410-479-3609 or carlisle.luisa@ccpsstaff.org if you plan on attending any of the events listed above.

The transition center has been moving forward with taking students into the community for activities such as budget planning and travel training. Additionally, transition students will be taking field trips to local businesses which support their post-secondary goal interests.

Services for eligible infants and toddlers are presently provided through a Hybrid Model. A key component of the Caroline County Infants and Toddlers Program is coaching with families.

Early intervention teams use coaching with families to improve existing skills, learn new skills, and increase the abilities to use these skills in future situations with their children. The program’s outcome is for early intervention team members to use coaching to promote adult learning and to help parents feel empowered to address their child’s disability in their daily routines.

Our Early Intervention Specialists are utilizing newly purchased dolls with joint articulations to help coach parents. These dolls provide more realistic demonstrations for motor planning and movement patterns. Parents are able to learn how best to help their child with therapeutic movements during their daily routines to achieve optimal gains in their child’s functional movement skills.

Through use of this doll, parents can see how to help their child - whether they are receiving in-person or virtual services.

April is Registration for the Pre-K, and Kindergarten!

During the month of April, online Registration will begin for children entering Pre-K and Kindergarten. Parents should go to the Caroline County Public Schools website and learn more about this process. Please refer to the link below: https://www.carolineschools.org/ccps-blog/pre-k-kindergarten-online-registration-screening-begins-in-april/

Kindergarten Online Registration

An online registration process is currently being developed for children entering kindergarten in the coming school year, and will be available in April. All children whose birthday is on or after September 2, 2015, and on or before September 1, 2016, are required by Maryland law to begin kindergarten in September 2021.

Families without access to a device or the internet may contact the school in April for assistance with registration.

Pre-Kindergarten (4 Year Old) Registration and Screening

A two-step process to request enrollment in Pre-Kindergarten begins in April. Families with children whose birthday is on or after September 2, 2016, and on or before September 1, 2017, may request their child be enrolled in pre-kindergarten classes that begin in September 2021.

Step 1 – Registration: Online registration will begin in April. Families without access to a device or the internet may contact the school in April for assistance with registration.

Step 2 – Screening Day: By appointment only on the days specified below

Families must contact the child’s school to schedule a screening appointment. Hearing, speech and language, and early learning skills will be informally assessed, and take approximately 30 minutes.

Screening Days by School:

• May 5 – Denton & Ridgely students at Denton Elementary, 9:00-3:00

• May 12 – Federalsburg & Preston students at Federalsburg Elementary, 9:00-3:00

• May 19 – Greensboro students at Greensboro Elementary, 9:00-3:00

We are required by COMAR to complete universal screening of all 3rd grade students before the end of the school year so students who meet the criteria for G&T services can be invited to participate in our Gifted & Talented Program. Testing will take place during the last week of March through the middle of April. Please note, at this time we are only testing students who are attending school in person. We will test students who are learning virtually at another time. Parents and guardians will be notified by the Gifted & Talented teacher at their child’s school in May as to whether or not their child has qualified for Gifted & Talented services.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any concerns or questions about our gifted and talented program. 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.

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 approximately 440 English learners enrolled in Caroline County Public Schools. 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 child’s teacher, guidance counselor or school administrators if you have any questions or concerns.

Please remember to make the school aware of any changes that can have an impact on your child’s 504 Plan. Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child’s school should you have any questions or concerns about their 504 Plan. You do not have to wait until the date of your annual review to ask questions or check in on your child’s progress.

Christal Harkowa

Supervisor of Instruction

English Learners, Gifted & Talented and 504

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