Equity By Design
ASD's Winter Training Series is currently open until Feb 25! Equity By Design, by Mirko Chardin, is synchronous, happening TODAY (1/20; 4:30pm; Zoom link here), so now is a great time to jump on board. This session counts towards your required equity training hours for the year, as well as your clock hours and pay.
Session Description: Every student deserves the opportunity to be successful regardless of their zip code, the color of their skin, the language they speak, their sexual and/or gender identity, their religion, and whether or not they have a disability. If we truly want to be inclusive in our districts, schools, and classrooms, we must proactively plan for student variability and begin to see culture and diversity as an asset. This starts with examining our implicit biases, power and privilege, and universally designing classrooms and schools so all students have equal opportunities to learn, share their voice, and work toward meaningful, authentic, and relevant goals.
Please also consider attending these excellent trainings created by your peers in student special services:
Low Burden, High Impact Tier 1 Behavior Supports, by Kara Abernethy-Friedman and Deanna Tompkins
What Every Educator Needs to Know About Supporting a Student with a 1:1 Paraeducator, by Patrick Mulick
What is SEL? Moving into Integrated, Holistic Education, by Colin Clark and Melissa Slatt Maxwell
Our Nurses!
It's hard to be a nurse during a global pandemic! So as hard as we know you all are working, we know you also have appreciation for our school nurses at this time.
Please do your best to provide ample notice to your school nurse of evaluations and IEPs that they are contributing to. Remember that they rely on you for notification, as they do not monitor IEP and evaluation due dates as closely as you do. The earlier you can provide notice, the better!
If your school team has coordinated evaluations and IEPs for the year and you have tentative dates or at least expected due dates, it could be very helpful to share that as well.
The Washington Education Association (WEA) and Special Education Support Center (SESC) are offering online courses to support inclusionary practices, in real-time and via Zoom. Course topics include positive behavioral intervention and supports (PBIS), inclusive instructional strategies for students with significant disabilities, co-teaching strategies, and how to provide accommodations and modifications in general education settings.
Registration is open. Clock hours are available. Courses/Clock hours are free and open to all.
Learn more about all the courses offered.
It took a while for us to find him a replacement for his previous role as an SLC teacher at Cascade, but we did int! Please welcome Steve Quist to his new role as a program specialist supporting implementation of inclusionary practices at the secondary level. He will be taking over the role vacated by Megan Black (SLC at AMHS).
There is so much to do right now! Yet, our annual routines roll on:
ESY - now is a great time to look at how students are doing post-holiday break, a long-standing regression of skills when out of school is a key criteria for ESY! Link here in our department manual)
Safety net IEPs need to be reviewed, as usual, and most are due by 2/18. Please look ahead at your caseload and reach out to Alex Siwiec with any questions.
Progress reports are due soon! The next secondary grading period ends 1/28. Please plan to send progress reports to parents along with grades.