A couple of great resource for helping student's dealing with crisis.
http://www.cec.sped.org/~/media/Files/Membership/TraumaticEvents_TipsforEducators.pdf
http://www.nasponline.org/resources/crisis_safety/specpop_general.aspx
The Division of Special Education has scheduled an All Teacher Training in the cities and on the dates below. Specific locations and registration information will follow in August. The training will review the special education process and forms. All trainings will be from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Glasgow, September 17
Whitefish, September 17
Conrad, September 18
Billings, September 19
Bozeman, September 20
The results of the Needs Assessment Survey conducted last spring indicated that many experienced special educators feel that the All Teacher Training contains information that is too basic for them. Experienced teachers that completed the evaluations from previous All Teacher Trainings shared the same concerns.
The Division of Special Education has scheduled training for the experienced special educators for October 1, 2013 from 9:30 – 3:00 to be held in Helena. The training can be accessed via video conferencing at sites to be determined at a later date. Specific topics of interest will be included in the Experienced Teacher Training on a per request basis. If you want to attend and want to suggest topics that could be important to experienced teachers, please contact Francisco J. Román at froman@mt.gov.
Again, registration procedures and further details will be made available the middle of August.
Goodwill Community Foundation International offers this great free on line learning site. Trent Moore from the Townsend School District informed me of this great resourse this morning. I felt it was worth passing it along to the rest of you.
http://www.gcflearnfree.org/
Several local businesses received a presentation Friday evening from Ennis 12th grade student Justin Hubbard. The presentation explained the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Program that gives students with special needs and individuals facing barriers an opportunity to move into gainful employment.
The philosophy behind the school to work program, explained Hubbard, is to help students achieve their goals after they finish school by preparing them for employment. The program also helps students to transition from school into adult life while keeping them aware of career opportunities. It is designed for students with special needs ranging from slight learning disabilities to more severe conditions.
The WOTC program, offered through the Statewide Workforce Programs and Oversight Bureau of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, gives private for-profit employers up to $9,000 in tax credits for participating in the program. Employers in the private sector are encouraged to hire job seekers from qualified target groups such as recipients of Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) or Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), disabled or unemployed veterans, disconnected youth or recipients of vocational rehabilitation.
Hubbard himself is a participant in the program and spent the summer mowing lawns and fixing sprinklers at the Rainbow Valley Lodge under the supervision of Ed Williams. While he’s excited about being on track to receive a high school diploma this spring, Hubbard admits he struggles with higher-level mathematics. His goal is to go into Fish and Game, and he says his experience with the work to school program has helped him work toward that goal by giving him the confidence to succeed.
“I learned that you can have special needs and still do what normal people do,” he said following the presentation, visibly relieved to have made it through without incident. He admitted that he was nervous beforehand, having put in a lot of work and practice for the presentation.
“All I have to do is try hard, work hard, keep at it and I can accept it and do it,” he said with a matter of fact smile.
Program coordinator Lori Ruffier watched Hubbard’s presentation with a satisfied smile as well. “I’ve seen this program get going in other communities and it really does benefit the students to have this time to transition from school to work,” she said.
As for why local businesses should participate in the school to work program, aside from the obvious tax credits, Justin Hubbard’s answer comes easily.
“It just gives the special needs kids a chance to get out and actually experience what the world is like,” he said.
For more information on the WOTC program visit http://wsd.dli.mt.gov/wotc/wotc.asp or contact Ennis Public Schools Special Education teacher Dan Olkowski.
Special education occupies a large part of the mission—and budget—of many school districts. With learning disabilities such as ADHD and dyslexia each estimated to affect more than 10 percent of the school-age population, special education teachers have their hands full helping those students navigate increasingly rigorous, state-mandated curricula.
Helping students with intellectual disabilities and autism to make the transition from high school to self-sufficiency and employment has proved a challenge for special education departments, according to experts in and advocates for people with these learning disabilities. Since 1990, districts have been required to provide such services under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act.
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This week's Tool provides a checklist for you and your students as they move through high school and transition into college.
The transition from high school is always challenging for any high school student, but for young adults with disabilities, it can be even more difficult. This Tool helps students manages what documents and information they will need as they transition from high school.
This Tool of the Week comes from 7 Steps for Success: High School to College Transition Strategies for Students With Disabilities.
The annual Montana Youth in Transition Conference will be held, November 9-11, 2011, at the Heritage Inn, Great Falls, Montana. This is a conference for youth with disabilities, parents, educators and adult service providers. There will be a Real Life Fair, multiple breakout sessions and keynotes. A specific youth track will be provided to start youth on their own individualize transition journey.
This is the place to be if you are in the process of planning innovative and meaningful transitions to life after high school or helping youth make these plans. Scholarships are available for youth and their families. For details and registration information go to: www.montanayouthtransitions.org
A conference flier can be at: http://www.opi.mt.gov/pdf/SpecED/Link/11SeptMYTFlier.pdf
For more information, contact Brandi Long at bklong@mt.gov, or 406-444-0688.
