Embedded Files
Including: CST Overview, Basic Skills Improvement, Speech Referral Services, Home/Bedside Instruction, Peer Leaders
Child Study Team
The Byram Schools has a Child Study Team consisting of a school psychologist, social worker, and a learning disabilities consultant. The team works with the home and school in attempting to overcome academic and behavioral difficulties. In addition, the district also has an occupational therapist, speech therapists and guidance counselors.
The Byram Schools have established a wide range of student services for children with disabilities across all age levels. The families of children with suspected disabilities who are from birth to three years of age can contact the Child Study Team office for referral to appropriate area resources including the state sponsored Early Intervention Programs.
For children from three to five years of age, if you suspect that your child may have a preschool disability, contact the Child Study Team office (973-347-1047 ext. 2304) to request a parental referral form to access evaluative services or to discuss your child’s situation with a team member to assist you in determining if a referral is appropriate or to direct you to alternative resources.
For school age students, referral can be made through the classroom teacher, or building principal, or by contacting the Child Study Team office to request a parental referral form. Your first contact should be with the classroom teacher to discuss your child’s school functioning. District procedures have been implemented to avoid the needless labeling of students as disabled. Pre-referral procedures have been implemented which provide for consideration of alternative regular education supportive services including informal consultation with the Child Study Team members, referral for guidance services, involvement of remedial or basic skills staff, changes in instructional approaches and other interventions. Provisions have been made for direct referral to the Child Study Team in those instances in which students’ needs dictate immediate referral.
Basic Skills Improvement Program
The school district’s basic skills improvement program is designed to provide appropriate instruction to students whose achievement is below the established levels of proficiency in reading, math, and writing. Instruction may be provided inside or outside of the regular classroom in small instructional groups and interventions from the Response To Intervention (RTI) to assist with individual students.
Parents/guardians or community members who have any suggestions or comments they would like to make about the basic skills improvement program should contact the building principal in writing
Home Bedside Instruction
Students confined to their home or to a hospital by a physician because of illness or injury shall receive an appropriate educational program at their place of confinement upon ascertained and written notification to the Superintendent that such confinement is expected to extend to a period of at least two weeks. Instructional services shall begin no later than five days after the notification from the school physician has been received. Instruction shall be for a minimum of five hours per week in at least three separate sessions. The family physician shall provide the Superintendent of Schools with a written request for home/bedside tutoring stating the nature of the confinement prior to home/bedside instruction being provided by the school. An adult must be in the home at the time the instructor is present. The CST/Principal will notify the parent/guardian of the instructor’s name. The instructor will arrange for convenient tutoring with the parent/guardian. Home/bedside tutoring will only be offered on days that school is officially in session.
Speech Referral Services
Referral forms for speech services are available in the Byram Lakes and the Byram Intermediate School Principal’s offices. This form may be completed by parent/ guardian, teachers, or Child Study Team members who feel that a speech evaluation is needed for a particular student.
The referral agent must provide the background information on the student (name, address, birth date, phone number, grade, and teacher). After signing the forms, the referral agent forwards the referral to the Building Principal, who reviews the form and then forwards the form to the School Nurse for the completion of the medical and hearing areas.
The completed form is then forwarded to the Speech Therapist. At that time a student testing date is arranged with the classroom teacher. A determination of the need for speech therapy is made by the Speech Therapist once articulation and language screening is completed.
Peer Leaders
Peer Leaders are 6th, 7th and 8th grade students who have been nominated by school staff members at the end of their 5th, 6th and 7th grade school years. These students will work to create a welcoming school where all students feel safe and happy. Through this program Peer Leaders provide students with a proactive approach toward negative behaviors while promoting healthy lifestyles. There is a Junior Peer Leader program for fourth graders at the Byram Lakes Elementary School.
Some of the programs that Peer Leaders may be involved in include:
Peer Mediation Peer Tutoring
Orientation / Transition of 5th grade students
Welcoming committee for newcomers
Bully Awareness / Prevention School Unity – Spirit Week
Presentations at Elementary School
Character Education
As Peer Leaders, students are expected to display the following: tolerance, acceptance, ability to work independently, act as a team player, show responsibility, positive attitude, motivation, and trustworthiness.
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