Mrs. Christina Collings - Special Education Teacher collingsc@clarke.k12.va.us
Brian Davies - Occupational Therapist daviesb@clarke.k12.va.us
Ms. Victoria Fowler- Speech and Language Therapist- fowlerv@clarke.k12.va.us
Hello! I grew up in Winchester, and after 12 years in the Hampton Roads Area, I'm excited to be closer to family and friends. I live with my husband and two children. In my spare time I enjoy reading, crafting, and spending time in my garden. I'm passionate about native plants and pollinators, making the environment healthier and happier, and teaching. I have a B.S. in Psychology, a Post-Baccalaureate in Elementary Education, and I am working towards my Masters in Special Education. I am excited to start my third year here at Boyce Elementary School
I have lived in the Shenandoah Valley since 1993. I graduated from Shenandoah University in 1998 with a Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy. Prior to that I lived in the Annapolis/Baltimore area spending a lot of time on Chesapeake Bay. I have been with Clarke County Public Schools for 8 years. I love the valley and all the diversity and opportunities that it has to offer. In my spare time I enjoy spending my time with my family outdoors and traveling.
I attended St. Mary’s College of Maryland and majored in psychology and English. After traveling in India, I started working in early childhood education in Pennsylvania. In that field, I interacted with several speech-language pathologists and was amazed at their impact on the lives of my young students. I decided to pursue my masters in speech pathology at Old Dominion University in Norfolk. While there, I met and married my husband, who was raised in Clarke County. After graduation, we moved to Bluemont and I have been serving as a speech-language pathologist at Clarke County Public Schools since 2015. We have one child and a small hobby farm with chickens, livestock guardian dogs, and a noisy peacock. In my spare time, I make pottery and write fiction.
Special Education is specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities. Special Education may include, but is not limited to: academic services, speech-language services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, counseling services, and parent education. Special education services provided are at no cost to the parents.
The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) and state regulations require the Virginia Department of Education to provide a free appropriate education (FAPE), which includes a continuum of services for students who are eligible for special education and related services.
Special Education services are made available to any student ages 3-22 who demonstrates an need for specially designed instruction, after an eligibility determination. An evaluation is completed to determine the nature and extent of the student's needs. Evaluations are comprised of separate assessments which may include: academic performance, communication skills, general intelligence, health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, and motor abilities. If a student is eligible for special education, services are provided to the students through an Individualized Education Plan (IEP
Contact your child's school for procedures. The school may invite you to a meeting consisting of teachers, and possibly the counselor and/or principal, to discuss the student's needs. They may review students records, grades, test scores, etc to determine whether an evaluation is appropriate and determine what type of assessments are needed. Parental consent will be required for an evaluation to be conducted. You and your child have rights in the process.
An IEP is a written document about the educational program for a child with a disability. It serves as a management tool used to ensure that the child receives the needed special education and related services. It also serves as an evaluation when used to determine the extent of the child's progress toward accomplishing projected goals. It includes:
a statement of the child's present level of performance (PLOP)
a statement of annual goals and short-term objectives (if applicable)
a statement of the specific special education and related services to be provided
the extent that the child will participate in regular education programs
the projected dates for initiation of services and the anticipated duration of services.
