H.E.L.P.
Help Every Learning Person
Semi-Annual Newsletter
"A Parent Information Newsletter"
We are a parent-run informational group for parents, teachers, and families of children with varying disabilities and diagnosis. We supply information through our newsletter and various speakers each month. We meet at the Chardon United Methodist Church 515 North Street in Chardon from 7:00-8:30pm, once a month, usually the first Tuesday of the month. Contact information for this group can be found on the last page.
Meetings for this year are:
*February 5, 2002 Individual Education Plan Workshop. Come and find out how you can help your child at his/her next IEP meeting. Presented by: OCECD
*March 5, 2002 Parental Rights and Due Process Presented by: Attorney Donald R Menefee. "Summer Camp Information" will also be available
*April 2, 2002 Extended School Year Services. Come join us in understanding what this is all about, and what needs to be considered in order for your child to qualify, Presented by: Gabrielle Spangler from OCECD
*May 7, 2002 Autism. Please join us in understanding what "Autism" is all about NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED & IT'S FREE!
"Tentative" Future Events
March 23: Kids Fun Day @ Ernest Lanes - Flier's to be mailed. Please RSVP by March 16 for reservations
May 2nd -4th: Rummage Sale - , look for our fliers, signs, & add in the local paper
*NO MEETINGS FOR THE SUMMER!
"Tentative" Future Meetings:
*September 3, 2002: Different ways a Speech Therapist may work with your child
*October 1, 2002: Behavior Assessment & Supports. Does your child get detentions, loss of recess, or golden rods? Are you receiving phone calls from the school over your child's behavior? Come and learn how you and your school can help your child. Find out why your child is using problem behaviors. If the reason for the behavior can be understood, then interventions can be designed to teach better ways to respond. Presented by Barb Partington with SERRC
*November 12, 2002: ADD, ADHD, LD, Strategies for home and school. Presented by: Lawrence School
FLIERS EDUCATE TEACHERS
Chardon School District's special education department is providing fliers for teachers to understand certain disorders. The program began in response to teacher requests. The teachers wanted to find out about the disorders, and parents want regular education teachers to know about the disabilities. The information sheet explains what the disability is, what causes it and how it will affect the school performance of the afflicted child. The information sheets educate teachers on how to interact with these students and what to anticipate. The special education department will continue to publish these sheets the rest of the year or until they run out of disorders. THANK YOU CHARDON SCHOOLS!
AUTISM PROJECT IN GEAUGA COUNTY
You ask " what is autism"? Autism is a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and non-verbal communication and social interaction...that adversely affects a child's educational performance.
Two pilot programs to benefit autistic children are under way in Geauga County through a grant. The program in which the county is the supporting partner began earlier in January. The focus is on 12 autistic children who are grouped in clusters and are being served in special-education resource rooms at Ledgemont and Huntsburg elementary schools and the Geauga County preschool at the Metzenbaum Center. They want to learn how their staff and resources can be better used and developed, so they can provide more services for the kids.
The second part of this is a summer program to help autistic children maintain the skills they learn during the school year, Kenston schools will be the fiscal agent for this part. The Geauga County consortia received two of 26 awards granted among 54 applications statewide. Ohio earmarked $1 million for the programs benefiting autistic children with money the state received from the federal government. THANK YOU FOR CARING ABOUT THESE KIDS!
REITER NAMED HEAD OF SCHOOL BOARD
Chardon School Board has a new president, for the first time in four years. Larry Reiter is the new school board president. New vice president of the school board is Bob Faehnle. Congratulations!
*Ohio Representative Timothy Grendell, District 68, 7416 Tattersall Drive, Chesterland, OH 44026. Phone (440) 746-9600
*Ohio Senator Timothy Ryan, District 32, 161 W. Market St., Warren, OH 44483. Phone (330) 399-7926
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS CONFERENCE
WHO: Community Connections Conference: Linking all parents, schools, districts, and agencies in educating all children in the Lake and Geauga Counties.
DAY & TIME: Thursday, March 7, 2002 8:30a.m.-3:30p.m.
LOCATION: Mentor Community Center 8600 Munson Road, Mentor.
COST: No Cost! Paid for by the community for schools, districts, parents, and agencies.
REGISTRATION: East Shore SERRC 440-256-8483 Continental Breakfast & Luncheon will be served. Free Give-Aways, literature, materials and prizes.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Jay H. Berk, Ph.D. Licensed clinical psychologist. Consultant to the United Nations: UNICEF. Author of the UNICEF Manual: used by teachers to work with war traumatized children throughout the country.
MEMBER and TRAINER: American Red Cross Disaster and Mental Health Team.
HOT TOPICS: Differentiating conditions such as ADD, ADHD, Conduct Disorders, Trauma, Learning Disabilities, Aspergers Syndrome and more...
Promoting effective strategies to use in creating positive behavior in children and more...
Break-out workshop sessions will be included in this event: Positive Behavior Supports, Writing an Individual Education Plan, Transitioning from school to work, and more.
If you would like more information on this event please contact: East Shore SERRC, 7900 Euclid Chardon Road, Kirtland, Ohio 44094, Telephone: 440-256-8483, Fax: 440-256-0404
"WHAT'S NEW WITH IDEA?"
On January 19, President Bush proposed to increase spending on IDEA by $1 billion. Bush said, "We want these new dollars to carry to special education the same spirit of reform and accountability we have brought to other education programs... We must have high expectations for children who are more difficult to teach or who have fallen behind." The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) is scheduled to be reauthorized in 2002. If you are the parent of a child with a disability, you represent your child's interests. You need to stay informed about changes and proposed changes to the law that may affect your child. Visit the IDEA 2002 Page @ www.ideapractices.org for news, progress reports, and other information about reauthorization process.
"SPECIAL EDUCATION LAW PROGRAM"
Interested in learning more about special education law and advocacy? A Forum for Parents and Professionals. Presented by: Special Education Legal Services and The Cuyahoga County Bar Association. Wednesday, February 20th from 8am to 4:30pm. Web: www.cuybar.org or call 216-621-5112 The program Agenda is as follows:
8:00 - 8:55 Registration.
8:55-9:00 Welcome and Introductions, Aimee Gilman Esq. Special Education Services.
9:00 - 10:30 History and Overview, Case Law, Recent Legal Developments, Peter W.D. Wright, Esq.
10:30- 10:45 Break.
10:45 - 12:00 IEP's, Understanding Tests, Peter W.D. Wright, Esq.
12:00- 1:00 Lunch (provided).
1:00 - 2:30 Special Ed Advocacy for the Parent, Advocate and Parent's Attorney Peter W.D. Wright, Esq. Pamela Darr Wright, MA, MSW.
2:30 - 2:45 Break.
2:45 - 4:00 Tactics and Strategies, Peter W.D. Wright, Esq.
4:00 - 4:30 Questions and Answers. Location; Sheraton Four Points South 5300 Rockside Road Independence, OH 44131
"WRIGHTSLAW"
Have questions about special education? Visit Wrightslaw @ www.wrightslaw.com Open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! A great source of information can be found on this web site. You can even subscribe to the FREE Special Ed Advocate Newsletter! The newsletter is about special education legal & advocacy issues. If you register for the above mentioned program you will receive a copy of Mr. Wright's book, Wrightslaw: Special Education Law.
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR SYPPORT Presents FUNCTIONAL BEHAVIOR ASSESSMENT
This workshop was designed for educators, parents and all adults who care for and about children. FBA is a team strategy that uses scientific principles to determine why a child is using problem behaviors. If a planning team can understand the reason, or function, for a behavior they can design interventions to teach better ways to respond.
Please join us for a FREE 90 minute seminar about Functional Behavior Assessment at one of the following time and places:
Tuesday February 26, 2002 Jordak Elementary 4:00-5:30
Wednesday March 6, 2002 Kirtland Elementary 4:00-5:30
Thursday March 7, 2002 Eastlake Middle School 4:00-5:30
Wednesday March 13, 2002 Madison High School 4:00-5:30
Wednesday March 13, 2002 Chardon High School 7:00-8:30
Monday March 18, 2002 Hobart Middle School 4:00-5:30
Thursday March 21, 2002 Fairport~McKinley Elem. 6:30-8:00
~No Reservations Required~ Questions... Please call Barb Partington or Joe Schellentrager 440-256-8483
NEED RESOURCES FOR INFORMATION?
The Learning Disability Association of America, has a newsletter titled Newsbrief. It is published six times a year. Check them out on their web site @ www.ldabatl.org We have included 6 pages of resource information that can be ordered from their newsletter ranging in price from $1 to $50. Pick up your copy of this information at one of our H.E.L.P. groups meetings.
LOOKING FOR TUTORING FOR YOUR CHILD?
Many of you may of thought it impossible to find private tutoring for your child. Think again! Finally, tutoring that can come to your home! Watch our newsletters more information on this tutoring service, or check out their web site for contact information @ www.clubztutoring.com
For local contact information call 440-285-7457. CLUBZ - In-Home Tutoring Services Now Serving 100 Cities Nationwide Improve your child's grades!!! No long term contracts - Free consultation - Grades K - 12 Affordable one-on-one tutoring in the comfort of your own home. Club Z's qualified tutors provide personalized tutoring in all subjects and skill levels.
ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS & PREVIOUS MEMBERS
Do you still wish to receive our mailings? The H.E.L.P. Group will be updating our mailing list in September. If you still wish to receive information please let us know by September 30th. We only wish to send information to people that want it. If you are not able to make one of the meetings and still wish to be included, feel free to contact us by phone or e-mail. Contact information is provided below. Please include your name, street address, city, state, zip, phone number (optional), and e-mail address. Thank You!
"Parents as Advocates"
Every parent of a child with any disability should act as an advocate for their child in school. If you don't stand up for your child and make sure that s/he is receiving an appropriate education, then who will? As an advocate you will need to know about the laws which were written to ensure that your child receives a free and appropriate education. You will also need to know how school systems function and what you, as a spokesperson for your child, can do to bring about changes that will benefit your child. You should also try to build a working relationship with your school system. This will help assure that everyone is working on the same goal, "The best education for your child". If you are unsure of how to go about this contact one of our groups Information Resource Directors listed below. There is a lot of useful information out there for parents to assist in the education of their child. Lets make a difference in "our" child's life.
**To contact an "Information Resource Director", or to become a member please call 286-5335, 286-4221, or 286-8178. Leave your name, number where you can be reached, and state that you are calling about the H.E.L.P. group, we will get back with you.
If you prefer you can e-mail us at one of the following addresses, King286@juno.com, ucandoit@att.net, DMVirago@aol.com. Let us know what information it is that you need, and we will get back with you.
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