PACSAL Meetings for 2022-2023

This year PACSAL meetings will be via Google Meet. Here are the dates, times, and link for all the meetings: 

Topic: Lunenburg PACSAL Meeting

Join with Google Meet:

meet.google.com/bcq-nvqj-wan

or Join by phone:

(US) +1 405-352-8409 PIN: 998 491 575#

November 15, 2022 @ 6:00pm

January 10, 2023 @ 6:00pm

March 14, 2023 @ 6:00pm

May 9, 2023 @ 6:00pm

Care Solace (mental health support) -  This video walks you through what Care Solace is, what they do, and their Care Match website.  It is a free service provided to Lunenburg students, their families, and LPS staff. Care Solace Video

Transitioning Back to School

(submitted by Mary J. Young, BCBA, LABA)

All students can struggle with the transition back to the school year.  Students with disabilities may have extra difficulty returning to the demands of the school year and the change in schedule.  Many students, with or without disabilities, can benefit from extra support at the beginning of the school year. 

Educators provide age-appropriate supports for students returning to the classroom in order to ease this transition.  Some of these steps include;

· Visual schedules so students will know what is coming up later in the day.

· Frequent review of classroom routines and behavioral expectations so students will know what success looks and sounds like.

· Opportunities for students to get to know each other so that friendships may be more easily formed. 

· Offers to assist students who appear to become confused or anxious during those first few weeks of school. 

There are steps parents can take to help ease the transition back to school.  Visual schedules in the home allow a student to see what their entire day will look like.  For students who are not readers, this schedule can use pictures to represent the different parts of the school day.  For older students this can include the use of a calendar on their cell phone or Chromebook.  Having a checklist for students to use when packing up their backpack can help ease the stress of missing an important item while at school.  Using a checklist is a great way to build independence and to allow your student to take ownership for making sure they have all of their needed items.  Having your student participate in making and packing their own lunch, with your guidance to ensure a nutritious meal, may allow them to look forward to their meal and to have some control over their day. 

When your child returns home, it is often helpful to follow a routine.  For some students this routine includes time set aside for a snack, some physical activity, downtime, a scheduled homework time and a scheduled bedtime.  For other students it may include doing homework at an after school care program and participating in group activities. If your child is doing homework in your home, work together to designate the area they will be most successful.  This is often at the kitchen table or at a desk in their room.  Distractions such as television or electronics should be minimized and having someone available to answer questions can be very helpful and reassuring.  Talking about your child’s school day is important, but some students find it difficult to remember details or to share information.  Using some routine questions may help support the conversation.  Questions can include;

· What was your favorite part of the day?

· Did you struggle with anything today? 

· Did you find the opportunity to be kind to someone else today?  

· Was anyone kind to you today? 

· Is there anything you need help with?

· Who did you sit with at lunch?

Strong support in school and in the home will hopefully set each child up for a smooth transition back to the school routine as we start the 2022/2023 school year! 

Other Upcoming Events That May be of Interest:

Information by topic

***The information below is for topics from 2020-2021 - they may no longer be relevant but I have kept them here for reference purposes***

COVID-19 Compensatory Services (CCS) discussions:

11/5/20:  DESE has asked districts to reach out to every family to discuss the impact that COVID-19 may have had on your child during last spring (March-June 2020).  You should start hearing from your child's liaison over the next few months about these discussions (some of them will take place by December 15, others will take place during your child's annual IEP meeting).  Please see the following document from DESE which explains it further.  If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your child's liaison.  DESE Family Fact Sheet 

ESY Services:

3/19/21:  Lunenburg is planning on offering ESY services in person this year and will follow the same recommendation procedures we have used in past years.  If your child is recommended for ESY, parents will start receiving paperwork regarding it starting mid May.  Additionally, guidance from DESE put out on 3/15/21 https://www.doe.mass.edu/covid19/faq/   has afforded parents the opportunity to still have their child participate remotely.  In Lunenburg we will afford this option to parents and we are planning on having teachers also livestream their classrooms this ESY.  See below for the specific DESE information.  

How should schools and districts plan to provide educational services during the summer of 2021?

The Department strongly recommends that students receive as much in-person learning as possible during the summer of 2021. Schools and districts should plan for an in-person model for services that are a direct extension of the 2020-21 school year and that schools and districts are required to provide, such as Extended School Year services. However, schools and districts also need to allow families the ability to opt into a remote model of instruction for these services. Schools and districts should notify families that they will schedule these required services in person while also providing a date by which parents need to respond by if their children need remote instruction. This information should be written in plain, parent-friendly language and translated as necessary.

Most summer educational programming, however, will not be a direct extension of the 2020-2021 school year and will not need to have a remote option unless special circumstances arise on an individual student basis. Such summer services include acceleration academies, credit recovery programs, traditional summer school, etc.

6/12/20:  Special Education Summer Programming - The classes and schedules for Extended School Year (ESY) for special education this summer have been finalized. All families whose children were recommended have been contacted. If you have not heard from us and feel that your child should have been recommend for ESY please email Julianna Hanscom at jhanscom@lunenburgonline.com as soon as possible.

May 2020: ESY services will be delivered remotely this summer.  If your child has been recommended for ESY services you should have been contacted by June 4, 2020 via email with a schedule and a link to sign up.  If you have not received this email and expected one, or if you have any other questions regarding ESY, please contact Mary Young, ESY Coordinator, at myoung@lunenburgonline.com 

FAPE - IEP Services:

A district is not required to provide full grid, IEP services to students with disabilities during extended school closures if the district does not provide full online educational services to students during this period of time.  However, we are committed to providing support, activities, and remote learning activities to keep students engaged. 

During this closure period, liaisons and related service providers will be reaching out to families to describe the remote learning plan for your child and what goals will be addressed at this time.  Staff is also expected to have at least weekly communications with parents. The overarching goal is that this communication can help to minimize the disruption for these students to the extent possible and help maintain positive and open communication between the families and schools. 

New Referrals/Initial Eligibility:

June 2020 update:  Timelines have restarted as of April 9, 2020.   For parents whose child is currently undergoing an evaluation, someone from the Special Services Department will be in touch to discuss options for moving forward with the evaluation.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call the office at (978)582-4100 ext. 305.

March: The state has frozen evaluation, referral, and plan distribution timelines for all students in a referral cycle during school closure. This means that as soon as schools open again, the timelines will commence as is required by state and federal regulations.

Annual Reviews/Evaluations in Process:

The state has frozen all annual review and plan distribution timelines for all students on IEPs and 504s during school closure. This means that as soon as schools open again, the timelines will commence as is required by state and federal regulations. However, Lunenburg Public Schools will be offering parents the opportunity to participate in virtual IEP meetings and developing IEP plans during this closure time.  Upon the conclusion of the closure, and the re-opening of the district, IEP teams will be available to convene to determine what type of impact the closure had on your child’s educational progress, and make individualized team-based decisions as needed. If your child is due for an IEP meeting during this time, you should expect that the building's Process Coordinator will be in touch discussing your options. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to your child's liaison or call the Special Services Office at (978)582-4100 ext. 305 and leave a message. 

Here is a disclaimer regarding our online meetings:  By participating in the meeting, all parties agree to the following:  The parties hereby agree to hold the IEP Team meeting remotely. The parties acknowledge and agree that the IEP Team meeting is being held remotely due to Governor Baker’s Executive Order dated March 15, 2020, which prohibits in-person instruction and educational operations until April 6, 2020 (now extended through June 2020) while schools are closed due to the Executive Order.   By participating in the remote IEP meeting, the participants agree not to save, record, share, or post the IEP meeting. The parties acknowledge that, due to rapidly evolving events in connection with the current state of emergency, they have not been able to fully determine the extent to which the remote meeting platform complies with Massachusetts student privacy and digital privacy laws, as well as the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.  The District will take all reasonable measures to preserve your privacy and the privacy of your child, and each of our educators will continue to maintain the privacy of your child’s student record information.   The Parents/Guardians agree to excuse the District from strict performance of IEP timelines which are not feasible pursuant to governmental directives arising from or related to COVID-19 pandemic issues.

Progress Reports:

June 2020 update:  Teachers are currently working on completing 4th quarter progress reports.  Given the nature of the current international pandemic, specific data that corresponds with each goal/objective may not be available to report on, but teachers will be doing their best to give you the most up to date information that they have.  Expect to see your child's progress arriving via email in late June/early July. Typical progress report practices will resume once school is back in session.

March:  Teachers are currently working on completing 3rd quarter progress reports.  These progress reports will be based on information up to 3/13/20. Given the nature of the current international pandemic, specific data may not be available to report on, but teachers will be doing their best to give you the most up to date information that they have.  Expect to see your child's progress arriving via email in April. Typical progress report practices will resume once school is back in session.

Home/Hospital Tutoring and Walk-In Services:

Home/Hospital Tutoring and any Walk-In Services will not be provided during the closure.

Private Day and Collaborative Placements:

Lunenburg’s closure should not have any impact on your child and their current out of district placement.  As information is changing daily, please communicate directly with the outplacement school for any updates on their closures and remote learning opportunities. 

365 Day Residential Placements:

For students in 365-day residential placements, Lunenburg Public Schools will follow the attendance recommendations of the individual school or facility. 

Special Olympics:

The Special Olympics Day Games have been canceled until next year.

***Update*** There will be virtual summer games! Follow this link for more info - https://www.specialolympicsma.org/2020-virtual-summer-games/