FDLRS Galaxy Newsletter
January 2021
FDLRS Galaxy is here to serve you.
FDLRS Galaxy, an associate center of The Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System is a discretionary project of the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) and the Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (BEESS). The four central functions of FDLRS are: Child Find, Parent Services, Human Resource Development, and Technology. FDLRS Galaxy provides diagnostic, instructional, and technology support services to district exceptional education programs and families of students with disabilities across Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St Lucie school districts.
Director of FDLRS Galaxy
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Virtual Teaching Resource Hub
The University of Florida Literacy Institute (UFLI) has developed a web-based gold mind of instructional tools and resources for teaching reading, struggling readers and understanding Dyslexia. UFLI recently shared with FDLRS their Virtual Teaching Resource Hub. This site is filled with tools and resources to assist teachers as they explore new ways to teach foundational reading skills using technology. This site has tools for reading instruction and intervention with children in the elementary grades.
The materials here are designed to be used with videoconferencing platforms for distance education and with interactive whiteboards in the classroom. The activities can also be used if you are creating video lessons for asynchronous lessons.
The site includes an orientation video on their approach to virtual teaching along with links to downloadable lesson templates, tips for creating engaging lessons, and finally, instructional activities to plan lessons appropriate for your students. Resources will continue to be added so continue to check out this site for some amazing stuff!
Visit their site at https://education.ufl.edu/ufli/virtual-teaching/main/
Universal Design for Learning
Universal Design for Learning is unique way of thinking about teaching and learning that will provide ALL students opportunities to succeed. Lessons designed using UDL reflect a variety of teaching methods, provide flexibility in how students access materials, engage in learning and demonstrate what they know.
The Every Student Succeeds Act highlights Universal Design for Learning (UDL) as a recommended approach for breaking down academic barriers and providing instruction that reaches the needs of ALL students in every classroom. FDLRS Galaxy now offers professional development opportunities to educate district and school personnel on making this a reality for schools across our region?
If you are interested in a training, please contact Mary Trubisky @ mary.trubisky@stlucieschools.org.
Email: mary.trubisky@stlucieschools.org
Phone: 772-429-7698
Inclusive Scheduling
It's that time of year again!
The Florida Inclusion Network would like to remind districts and schools of the Inclusive Scheduling option that we offer. With Inclusive Scheduling, we would work together with a school-based team to create a master schedule that aligns student needs with existing school-wide staff. For more detailed information, please visit our website Inclusive Scheduling – Florida Inclusion Network .
Please contact your FIN Consultant Erin Perman at erin.perman@stlucieschools.org with questions or if your school is interested in this great opportunity!
Email: erin.perman@stlucieschools.org
Location: 772-429-4566
Do you have experience with on-line professional development and have an interest in providing quality professional development and coaching to educators?
If so, you may be interested in becoming a facilitator for the Professional Development Alternatives (PDA) on-line program that is coordinated locally by the Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS).
FDLRS is currently recruiting PDA facilitators for the 2021-22 school year. Potential facilitators will be invited to participate in a virtual orientation session in April or May. Topics to be covered include the basics of the PDA program, D2L features (the platform used within the courses), and facilitator responsibilities.
Qualifications for facilitators include a minimum of five years of teaching experience or experience working in a school district in a related professional capacity (school psychologist, speech/language pathologist, etc.). Facilitators should have expertise in the specific content of the course being facilitated. A Master’s Degree is preferred. Facilitators will need to be available to provide on-line professional development within a district or region and will have the opportunity to earn up to $1500.
If you are interested or would like additional information on the next facilitator training opportunities, please contact. Jody Hays, Director of FDLRS jody.hays@stlucieschools.org
Please check out the following link for a list of facilitated courses. https://fl-pda.org/
Upcoming Professional Development
FUNDAMENTALS IN THE SENTENCE WRITING STRATEGY
Join us for Fundamentals in the Sentence Writing Strategy training February 10, 2020. This strategy is part of the Strategic Instruction Model Framework and can be used as a developmental writing curriculum in grades 3 through 5 or as an intervention strategy for middle and high school students who struggle with writing a complete sentence.
With all due respect, writing a simple sentence is not an easy job. You’ve got all those subjects and verbs to keep untangled. Prepositions and infinitives only add to the mess. Throw in a few adjectives and adverbs, and, well, it can be hard to tell which end is up, much less where the period goes.
To help make sense of it all, the Fundamentals in the Sentence Writing Strategy program offers a logical and simple way to teach—and learn—the basics of good sentence writing.
The instructor’s manual provides step-by-step instructions for 11 lessons for teaching the requirements for a complete sentence, the basic parts of a simple sentence, and the four major patterns that a simple sentence can take. Through the sequence of the lessons, students learn a strategy for writing sentences and checking their completeness. A separate student materials volume contains all the practice activities that correspond to the lessons in the teacher’s manual.
Register using the following link: https://forms.gle/WggnqcAfYFbyTxuZA