Ms. Jessica Wienke has been appointed School Nurse Supervisor. She replaces Mary Keller, who announced her retirement after 22 years this summer.

Ms. Wieneke has been a public health school nurse with Greenwich Public Schools since 2018, most recently at Cos Cob School. She worked closely with Mary, especially during the COVID pandemic, collaborating on health guidelines.

Jessica has worked at Greenwich Hospital as a charge nurse in labor and delivery and a staff nurse in the emergency department. She received an associate degree of science in nursing from Norwalk Community College, a bachelor degree of science in nursing from Grand Canyon University, and a master of science in nursing from Sacred Heart University.

We are so lucky to have Jessica join our team!

Special Education teachers at GHS had the chance to participate in professional development before school began, working on identifying their values, creating a vision for the year, and of course, team building!

The Behavior Support team is ready to roll for another amazing school year! Let's make 2023-2024 our best school year yet!

Parkway School's occupational and physical therapy room is ready for use! Student's have opportunities to try different sensory activities, whether it be a squishy seat when at the table or a trampoline to safely jump on.

Students in Ms. Rinaldi's resource room read an article on the pros and cons of cell phone bans in schools. The students learned reading strategies, annotated, and answered comprehension questions. Students work on Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER) and support their viewpoint with evidence from the article.

Students at Community Connections have fun at Manhattanville College! Here they gain opportunities to participate with same-aged peers in fun activities such as dancing!

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! I am Ms. Rachel Rubin, GPS’s inclusion specialist. I am excited to share different aspects of inclusive education throughout the school year. To start us off, I want to give you some information on two topics that are intertwined: inclusion and presuming competence.

Inclusion and presuming competence are two essential principles that promote both equity and respect for students of all abilities.

Inclusion is the practice of creating environments where everyone, regardless of their background, abilities, or differences, feel valued, accepted, and welcome. Inclusive communities or classrooms aim to celebrate diversity (including and especially neurodiversity). You know your school is inclusive when all students are included in general education settings, students work in naturally supportive, flexible structures and groupings with other students regardless of ability, students are supported to access the core curriculum, all students are known and valued members of the school community and develop meaningful social relationships with their peers, and finally, all students are presumed competent (Kluth, 2023).

Presuming competence is the belief that every person, regardless of their disability, possesses the capacity to learn, grow, and communicate in their own unique way. By presuming competence, we empower individuals with disabilities to actively participate, meaningfully contribute, and thrive in our classrooms and communities. Together, these principles pave the way for a more compassionate and equitable future.

The Supported Decision-Making Coalition of Connecticut is pleased to present three webinars on Supported Decision-Making topics.

All webinars are free. You must register separately for each webinar.

September 20, 2023 6-7:30PM Via Zoom

Supported Decision-Making and Special Education

Register for this webinar.

October 4, 2023 6-7:30PM via Zoom

Supported Decision-Making and Transition

Register for this webinar.

October 18, 2023 6-7:30PM Via Zoom

Supported Decision-Making and Vocational Rehabilitation

Register for this webinar.

The presenter for all three webinars will be

JONATHAN MARTINIS, ESQ., J.D.

Jonathan Martinis, Esq., J.D., is the Senior Director for Law and Policy in the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University. He is based at BBI’s Washington, D.C. office and leads the institute’s national and international efforts.

Martinis has over 20 years of experience representing and advocating for people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Most notably, in 2013, Martinis represented Jenny Hatch in the nationally acclaimed “Justice for Jenny” case. Martinis helped Ms. Hatch secure her right to live where and how she wants, to make her own decisions, and direct her own life. Jenny’s case was the first trial to hold that a person with disabilities has a right to engage in “Supported-Decision Making,” where people work with trusted friends, family members, and professionals to help them understand the situations and choices they face, so they may make their own decisions – rather than be subjected to an unnecessary permanent, plenary or full guardianship.

Looking for resources for your child? Are you interested in learning more about schools, therapists, providers, agencies, and nonprofit organizations that support your child with specific needs, educational and otherwise? Attend Special Education Legal Fund's inaugural Resource Fair on Sunday, October 1, from 2:00-5:00 PM at the Stamford JCC on Newfield Avenue.

This event is FREE for attendees with registration.