Special Education and Student Services Newsletter for June 22, 2012

Special Education and Student Services Newsletter for June 22, 2012

Another busy week even in summer for Special Education and Student Services:

1. Prayers and Best Wishes
Prayers and best wishes to Lindsey S and Tyler T and their families for the upcoming surgeries on Friday and Monday respectively.

2. Chase Ried Memorial
We will be planting a tree in memorial and recognition of Chase Ried on Thursday June 28 at 10:00 am.  The tree will be planted on the grassy area between the tennis court and insurance building on the MASH grounds. All are invited to attend who are interested.

Chase's Grandma Donna Kalmon is writing a book and wants to include a chapter in the book from those who knew Chase Reid. If you are interested - please write how he impacted your life and say something funny that he may have done or that you remember about him. You can email that to Brenda Ann McNary who is helping her with this project or myself.

3. Special Education Summer School
We have had a very successful first week of summer school special education programs.  I would like to thank the special education teachers, early education teachers, paraprofessionals, and Mr. Everhard for their help with these programs which help deliver services for our students with disabilities.  Thank you to staff for allocating 3 or 5 weeks in the summer to provide these services for our students.  You can not be commended enough.

4. iPad Application Wish List
Staff should send their list of applications which need to be purchased for their curriculum/students to Dennis H.  He will be approving them this weekend through the Apple Volume Purchase Pricing Program.  Thanks to Caroline Radlinger who has been working on collecting the list of apps from teachers during this past week in summer school.

5. Wisconsin Common Core Essential Elements for English Language Arts and Math
Wisconsin educators collaborated with educators from 12 other states to create alternate achievement standards aligned to the Common Core State Standards. These alternate achievement standards are called the Common Core Essential Elements (CCEEs) in English Language Arts and Mathematics. The CCEEs were developed to satisfy the requirement of the U.S. Department of Education that Wisconsin have alternate achievement standards for its students with significant cognitive disabilities that are clearly linked to grade-level academic content standards, promote access to the general curriculum and reflect professional judgment of the highest expectation possible. These new standards will replace the current Extended Grade Band Standards and will be used as the basis for a new alternate assessment, which will replace the current Wisconsin Alternate Assessment for Students with Disabilities (WAA-SwD) in 2014-15.   The standards can be found at: http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sped/assmt-ccee.html

6. Taylor County Literacy Center
Taylor County Literacy Council has now opened a Literacy Center. This began on June 18 and will be open on Mondays from 12:00 to 4:00 pm and Wednesdays from 4:00 to 8:00 pm during the summer. It is located in the NTC Campus here in Medford. Reading literacy, financial literacy, health literacy, ELL, tutoring, classes, and more can be provided for individuals. Please call 715-748-1520 for more information.

7. Appropriate Use of Seclusion and Physical Restraint
Wisconsin Act 125 has new requirements starting September 1, 2012 related to the Use of Seclusion and Physical Restraint in Schools. I will be holding trainings to review this new law and how it will affect regular and special education students. Here is the DPI link with all of the updated information: http://www.dpi.state.wi.us/sped/sbseclusion.html

8. Medford Adult Diploma Academy
Medford Adult Diploma Academy will be open for classes during Summer 2012. We began on June 11 and will run on Mondays & Wednesdays from 4-8 pm and Thursdays from 10-2 pm. MADA is for adults 18 and older who wish to earn a high school diploma. Please contact Cindy Gibson at 715-748-1520 for more information.

9. Physical Therapy Services
We are working on an agreement with CESA 9 to provide Physical Therapy services in the Rib Lake School District. This will help bring extra revenue into the school district. Due to an open enrollment student in Rib Lake - there will be weekly PT services provided in Rib Lake.

10. Wilson Just Words Training
This will be held on July 30 and 31.  We have some limited openings still available as NTC will not be sending any staff to be trained at this time.

11. Self Assessment of Procedural Compliance Training on July 26
Our ad-hoc committee of parents, teachers, and administration has been formed and will meet on July 26 from 9:00 to 11:00.  Staff who were invited to attend should contact me to confirm their attendance. Every five years each school district needs to conduct a self assessment of procedural compliance of their special education services. 

12. MAES Special Education Teaching Position
This position (Wagner) has been posted internally and will close on Monday.  We have one internal candidate express interest in transferring to this position.

13. Diagnostic Special Education Program Support Teacher
I have proposed the addition of a Diagnostic Special Education Program Support Teacher position to help us with the delivery of the wide range of school psychological services responsibilities at the middle and high school level.  The qualifications and description was placed in last week's newsletter.  This position has not been officially posted or approved yet.

I would still perform the primary school psychologist services responsibilities at our middle and high school. School Psychologists have three years of graduate level training and coursework to perform their psycho-educational evaluation, IEP paperwork, and special education legal procedure responsibilities.  However the PST could help with some of the responsibilities and also teach 3-4 sections per day at our middle school level. I am working with our current school psychologists on what responsibilities could be shared/performed by a PST in 12-13. 

We have had internal and external candidates express interest in the position if it gets approved.

14. Congratulations to Sara and Paul Boettcher
Congratulations to Sara and Paul Boettcher on the announcement of her pregnancy of their first child!  Sara is our elementary school psychologist and Paul is our high school special education teacher.

15. Congratulations to Luanne Olson
Belated congratulations to Luanne Olson on her becoming a grandma to new twins a few weeks ago! 

16. Amanda Williams and Chuck Prihoda
I would like to thank our lead teachers Amanda Williams and Chuck Prihoda for teaching our new Summer Seedling for Students Entering Pre-Kindergarten in the Fall.  We have close to 40 students who enrolled in this 5 week program.  Thanks to our assistants like Tammy Lange for their help in the program as well. 

17. Early Childhood Special Education
We are projecting to start the school year with 18 early childhood special needs students.  We anticipate more students being added through B-3 transitions, Child Development Day evals in October, and referrals from pre-kindergarten.  This is why we are discussing 1.5 teachers (Fettes 1.0 and Williams .5) for ECSE in 12-13. 

18. Preschool Entitlement and Flow Through Budgets
Preschool Entitlement Budget for 12-13 was $23,525 and was over $5,000 less than anticipated.  This has been sent into DPI through the special education web portal this week. 

IDEA Flow Through budget of $440,647 will be sent into DPI through the special education web portal this week. 

19. Medford Morning Rotary Club
I would like to thank the Medford Morning Rotary Club for honoring me as a Paul Harris Fellow which is their highest level of recognition given to a member.  It has been a privilege to represent the school district as a member of the Rotary Club. 

Associate Elementary Supervisor Donald Everhard will be President of our Rotary Club starting July 1. 

Rotary helps sponsor foreign exchange students to and from Medford, gives scholarships to high school seniors, supports our Spring Fling Special Education Dance, and many other local and international projects.

20. Pre-Kindergarten Coordinator
Mr. Miller will be doing the evaluation, supervision, and coordination of the pre-kindergarten staff and programming in 12-13.  I will still be doing the Child Development Day, Birth to Three transition, Preschool Options Model, and Preschool Entitlement Budget responsibilities.

21. Pre-Kindergarten Report Card
There will be a pre-kindergarten report card meeting on Monday June 25 at 1:00 pm at MAES.

22. Alternative High School in 12-13
Donald Everhard is the administrator for the Alternative High School in 12-13.  He should be contacted for any new student entrance interviews over the summer.  Kellie Keene will be the teacher in 12-13.  No decisions have been made for assistant support.

23. Transition Night for Parents/Students with Disabilities
This will be held on Monday November 5 and will be coordinated through the Taylor County Transition Advisory Council.  Thanks to Cheryl Ketelhut from Human Services for contacting local agencies to have representatives/tables of information at our Transition Night.  This night is based on the Lincoln County and Marshfield School District models.  Any students over 14, parents, and staff are invited to attend.  A spaghetti dinner will be provided for anyone in attendance.  Cheryl and I have been working together on the past week of developing a list of agencies to invite.

24. English Language Learner Update
I met this week with Lucia Albrecht, Lisa Vanusek, and Dan Miller to talk about ELL curriculum and evidence based practice materials on Wednesday. We are looking at purchasing some ELL evidence based materials which have not been updated in several years.  An Ann Marie Grant request will be made to help with the costs.  We also have an iPad paid for from the CESA 10 Title III Consortium to be used with students in 12-13.

I spoke this week with former Medford Schools ELL Support Staff Indira Thodakee about our vacant ELL position (Rios and Brandner) in 12-13. ELL services are a contracted position and hours are dependent on translation services, tutorial supports, number of students, scheduling, etc.

25. Special Education Teacher Computers
These have been ordered and should be delivered within the next week.  All special education teacher computers will be replaced this year as part of the computer recycle process.  We received above anticipated medicaid billing for special education revenue which will help with purchase of the computers.

26. Vacation
I plan to be on vacation and out district July 9 through July 20.  You can email, call, or text me with any questions or information while I am on vacation.

27. RVA Special Education Staff
RVA special education staff in 12-13 are Jill Chasteen - Special Education Teacher and Jessica Martin - School Psychologist.

28. Guidance Counseling Services in 12-13
Building principals will be doing the evaluation and coordination of guidance counseling staff and services in 12-13.  Student Services Team meetings will be scheduled and held by Mr. Everhard.  This realignment is due to additional school psychological services responsibilities on my end.

29. New SLD Criteria
We will be implementing the new SLD criteria model in our elementary buildings in 12-13.  There will be a training on July 26 from 1:00 to 4:00 pm at the D.O. for anyone interested in learning more. 

30. Projected MAMS Special Education Staffing Alignment for 12-13:

Certified Staff
Grade 5: Julie Kakes 1.0 FTE and Program Support Teacher .25 FTE
Grade 6: Tara Niemi 1.0 FTE and Program Support Teacher .25 FTE
Grade 7: Carol Wieman 1.0 FTE and Sue Laher .5 FTE
Grade 8: Jill Chasteen 1.0 FTE and Sue Laher .5 FTE
Grade 5-8 Jan Farmer (EBD Resource) 1.0 FTE
Grade 5-8 Ryan Brown (Autism Resource) 1.0 FTE

Special Education Paraprofessionals
Grade 5: Kathy Nassios
Grade 6: Candy Lindow and Tammy Lange
Grade 7: Brenda Kraegenbrink
Grade 8: Gloria Lindahl

31. CESA 10 Billing for Special Education Services in 11-12
Hearing Impaired Services = $12,818
Audiology = $2,835
Vision Impaired Services = $22,692

32. Extended School Year Services
If you are delivering ESY services as part of a student's IEP - you need to clarify that on your time card so you can be paid at your regular rate.