Special Education Scoop
February 2024
In This Edition
Translation
Destination Life Transition Fair and Conference
Summer Camp Guides
Winter Activities
STAR Caregiver Trainings
Special Olympic Athletes Receive Letter Jackets
Texas Parent to Parent
Medicaid Interest List
Resources
Important Dates
Translation
Para traducir el boletín informativo [Smore] a otro idioma, vaya a la parte superior del boletín y seleccione traducir. A seguida, seleccione su idioma.
To translate the Smore Newsletter into a different language, go to the top of the newsletter and select translate. Then select your language.
Destination Life Transition Fair and Conference
The Destination…Life Regional Transition Fair and Conference helps Central Texas families prepare and support their student(s) with disabilities for life beyond high school. Families can expect to gather information and gain access to experts on how to help their student(s) with disabilities ranging from early childhood through high school to successfully transition to adulthood.
La Feria y Conferencia Regional de Transición Destino a la vida, ayuda a las familias del centro de Texas a preparar y apoyar a sus estudiantes con discapacidades para la vida después de la escuela secundaria. Las familias pueden esperar recopilar información y obtener acceso a expertos sobre cómo ayudar a su(s) estudiante(s) con discapacidades que van desde la primera infancia hasta la escuela secundaria para tener una transición exitosa a la edad adulta.
All families are encouraged to attend. Please visit the Destination Life Website for more information. The event is being held February 24th from 9-1:30 at McNeil High School in Round Rock.
Winter Activities
Looking for fun activities to do when the weather turns cold and you are stuck inside? This website has an abundance of fun activities for families to do together! Including winter science experiments, winter sensory play ideas, and some winter STEM activities to try. There is an activity for all ages!
Here is a list of a few fun activities for families to enjoy in the winter months.
Snowstorm Glitter Sensory Bottle from Rhythms of Play. Make a beautiful glittery snowstorm in a bottle!
Three Ingredient Snow Ice Cream. Turn all that snow into something creamy and delicious!
Snowman Baking Soda Science from Little Bins for Little Hands. Melt this cute snowmen with science!
Penguin Craft and Writing Prompt from A Dab of Glue Will Do. Make a cute penguin then practice your creative writing skills with this free printable.
Winter Build, Read, Write Mats from Fun With Mama. These free printables are a great way to practice reading and writing skills
Don’t forget ot check out these great Winter Books for Kids
For a complete list of all activities please visit https://www.123homeschool4me.com/january-activities-for-kids/
Happy Winter!
STAR Caregiver Trainings
We are excited this year to share with you caregiver trainings by partnering with STAR Autism Support.
We began our ECSE - Elementary series in October.
October 26th - Behavior: Increasing Desired Behaviors at Home and in your Community
November 9th - Visualize It: Using Environmental Supports Effectively
January 25th - Understanding: Caregiver Supports for Increasing Receptive Language
We began our secondary series in December.
December 7th - Identifying Strategies That Work
January 18th - Puberty and Adolescence: Preparing Yourself and Your Child
All recorded trainings can be found at: https://starautismsupport.com/round-rockpflugerville-parent-caregiver-trainings
Upcoming STAR Caregiver Trainings:
February 15th - ECSE and Elementary
Communication: Caregiver Supports for Teaching Expressive Language
February 25th - Secondary
Thriving in a Social World
View the flyers below for more information and to register.
Special Olympic Athletes Receive Letter Jackets
The Pflugerville Falcons Special Olympics athletes recently celebrated a significant achievement as they were awarded letter jackets for their participation in their respective high school sports.
The recipients are:
Hendrickson: Javien Anderson, Aleigha Bratchett, Isaac Nichols
Weiss: Hudsyn Allen
Pflugerville: Kayden Kauff, Alana Ortiz
This recognition highlights their dedication to sports and emphasizes the inclusive and supportive community within PfISD! Congratulations athletes!
Learn more about the Pflugerville Falcons and keep up with all their sporting events Here!
Texas Parent to Parent
Texas Parent to Parent provides support, information, and education for families of children and adults with disabilities, chronic and mental health conditions and other health care needs.
Medicaid Interest List
What is a Medicaid Waiver? A Medicaid waiver allows the state to assist individuals and provide some long-term services to those with disabilities. Most of these waivers assist after adulthood, however please look at slide deck to see what waiver can provide and what are the age ranges. If an individual meets eligibility requirements, they can receive services they need in their own homes or other community settings, instead of having to go into a nursing facility or institution. You may apply and/or qualify for both Medicaid benefits, as well as Medicaid Waiver programs.
In Texas, there are several different waiver programs that offer a broad range of home and community-based services to people with disabilities and elderly citizens. There are different rules and funding amounts for each of the different waivers.
You do not need to be on Medicaid to be placed on the interest list. Most of the interest lists take years until a person is able to be considered for services. It is important to get on the interest list as early as possible.
Medicaid Waiver Presentation for Caregivers
School Calendar 24/25
The school calendar for 24/25 has been adopted by our board. Check it out below.
Important Dates
February 15th - STAR Caregiver Training
February 16th - Student Holiday
February 19th - Student Holiday
February 22nd - STAR Caregiver Training
February 24th - Destination Life Transition Fair
March 11th-15th - Spring Break
March 29th - Staff/Student Holiday
April 1st - Staff/Student Holiday
May 27th - Staff/Student Holiday
May 29th - Last day of school (early release)