Public Consulting Group (PCG) is continuing its review of the PPS Special Education Program, with a final report containing actionable recommendations due at the end of this school year. Hearing from members of the community is a critical part of this process.
If you missed the focus group sessions held in November or have additional feedback that you would like to share, please email your comments to Public Consulting Group directly at programreviewfeedback@pcgus.com (please write Princeton in the subject line). All feedback is confidential.
Our December 2020 newsletter is now available here ! Included in this issue: news about our upcoming events (including a parents-helping-parents discussion of executive function skills on December 19), updates from the school district, and information about numerous community resources.
In January 2020, the Board of Education approved the appointment of Public Consulting Group (PCG) to conduct a special education program review. Although the pandemic has delayed the original timeline a bit, the review is currently underway.
The purpose of the program review is to assess the effectiveness of special education programming and implementation, and to identify areas of strength and areas for improvement. All stakeholders will provide input during the review process including administration, building leaders, Student Services staff, CST team members, special education educators and staff, general education educators and staff, parents/guardians, students and therapy service providers.
As your child's greatest advocate, parent/guardian voice is important. PCG is offering three parent/guardian virtual meetings to hear your perspectives and gather feedback. District leadership will be sending an invitation to Special Education families with details on how to participate. Please look for your invitation the week of November 9-13 and respond as soon as possible with your availability. Participants will receive a confirmation notice with virtual meeting details.
Special Education Program Review - Parent/Guardian Focus Groups
Tuesday, November 17, 2020, 4:00 - 5:00 pm
Thursday, November 19, 2020, 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Monday, November 23, 2020, 12:00 - 1:00 pm
For more Special Education PTO and PPS news, please check out the November 2020 edition of our newsletter, available here.
The Special Education PTO would like to extend a sincere thank you to all eight Board of Education candidates who participated in our Meet the Candidates Night on October 8th. We are grateful to have so many candidates who care deeply about our community and look forward to working together on issues impacting Special Education families. The candidates' written responses to questions posed by the Special Education PTO and links to additional information about the candidates can be found here.
Coffee Talks are back starting September 26th! Join us (on Zoom) for an informal conversation about topics of interest to families with students receiving special education services in Princeton. This will not be a formal presentation, but rather a parent-led group conversation. This is a great chance to meet other parents, ask questions and share knowledge. All are welcome! Feel free to join us for a few minutes, or the whole session!
Dates: Selected Saturdays: September 26, October 31, November 21
Time: 9:00- 10:00 am
Zoom Meeting Link (for every session):https://zoom.us/j/620145914?pwd=bE5pTkFjMWkwemk3ZUwycGRJRWNIQT09
Meeting ID: 620 145 914
Password: 08540
The Special Education PTO is also hosting a virtual Meet the 2020 Board of Education Candidates forum on October 8th. The event is open to all Princeton community members but will focus on special education topics. Join us to learn about the candidates' perspectives and support for special education services in our district and have an opportunity to ask questions. Detailed information about each of the candidates can be found here on the PTO Council's website.
Date: October 8, 2020
Time: 7:00 - 8:45 pm
Zoom Meeting Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82226498165?pwd=eCtRVGRRc3Q5Sk0xaWgxKzJGY3gwQT09
Meeting ID: 822 2649 8165
Password: 997008
One tap mobile: +19292056099,,82226498165#,,,,,,0#,,997008#
For more information about these events and PPS's back-to-school plans, please read our September 2020 Newsletter, available here.
PPS has announced several ways parents can participate in the development of a New Superintendent Profile that will be presented to the Board of Education on October 27, 2020 and used by the district's search consultant, Kevin O'Mara of Search Exec Connect, to identify candidates. All are invited to provide input on the district’s strengths, the district’s challenges, and the characteristics the next superintendent should possess by taking part in the superintendent search process in the following ways:
1. Participate in a Virtual Focus Group (sign up by September 18th)
PPS's search consultant will be running a number of focus group conversations for parents and staff. There will be one focus group specifically for parents/guardians of children receiving special education services, as well as groups for elementary school parents, middle school parents, and high school parents. If you would like to take part in a focus group, please click here to indicate your interest no later than September 18.
If more than 8-10 parents volunteer for each focus group, parents will be chosen at random from those who volunteer. A parent will only be able to take part in one focus group in order to allow as many parents to participate in this part of the process as possible. If your name is randomly selected, you will be contacted the week of September 21 via email by the search consultant, Kevin O’Mara.
2. Take a brief online survey
Click to take the survey in English or Spanish. The survey is available until October 4th.
3. Participate in a Virtual Open Forum on October 5th at 7 p.m.
If you would like to provide input on the district’s strengths, the district’s challenges, and the characteristics the next superintendent should possess, School Exec Connect consultants invite you to attend the virtual open forum for parents on Monday, October 5 at 7:00 p.m.
To sign up for the open forum, please click here. You will receive the Zoom link for the virtual open forum via email prior to October 5.
The August 2020 edition of the Special Education PTO's newsletter is available now here! Included in this issue: Updates on the PPS Restart and Reopening Plan, resources and tips to help prepare kids for going back to school, and more.
The Princeton Public Schools Restart and Reopening Plan, found here, was approved by the Board of Education on July 28 and sent to the Executive County Superintendent for approval. Please note this is a preliminary plan that the PPS administration is refining as it receives more data from families and staff.
The section pertaining to special education in particular is sparse on details because the supervisors need to know which students will be returning in person and which will be fully remote to finalize the special education instructional plan and schedules. For example, one plan the district is considering is to provide in-person instruction four days per week to K-5 students receiving resource room services. All PPS families should have received a parent survey on Thursday, July 30. Please be sure to complete the parent survey as soon as possible and no later than Thursday, August 6.
Interim Superintendent Barry Galasso and the Board of Education’s Student Achievement Committee intend to hold another forum for special education families during the second week in August. Details and a Zoom link will be sent via email once the date is confirmed. Student Services is planning for IEP case managers to contact each of their families in September before school starts.
As the 2019-2020 academic year draws to a close, we would like to highlight some recent district news and a few upcoming events, and share some resources you may find useful this summer as you look toward next year. Our last newsletter of this school year is now available here.
This issue includes a "Save the Date" for a Board of Education Student Achievement Committee meeting on June 15th at 3:00 for PPS families whose children receive special education services. Families are encouraged to attend to share their recent experiences and perspectives on returning to school and/or remote learning in the fall. Watch for an email from PPS with more details and the Zoom link.
Are you interested in becoming more involved in the Special Education PTO next year? If so, please join us at our last Coffee Talk of the year on Saturday, June 13th at 9:00 (scroll down for Zoom info below) or email us at specialedpto@gmail.com.
Although school buildings are closed and remote learning will never be as effective as in-person learning, we can continue to stay connected, share resources and support one another. The PTO will continue to do our best to communicate, collaborate and support our community.
With these goals in mind, the purpose of this month's newsletter (found here) is to share important district information, to highlight selected resources for families and to invite you to join our Saturday "Parent Coffee Talk" sessions. We hope you and your families remain safe and positive as we all learn to navigate this together.
While we're all staying home and social distancing, the Special Education PTO's Coffee Talk series will be moving to Zoom, every Saturday morning from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. starting April 4th.
Join us for an informal conversation about topics of interest to families with students receiving special education services in Princeton. This will not be a formal presentation, but rather a parent-led group conversation. This is a great chance to meet other parents, ask questions and share knowledge. Feel free to drop in at any time during the chat - all are welcome!
To join our chat, go to:
https://zoom.us/j/620145914?pwd=bE5pTkFjMWkwemk3ZUwycGRJRWNIQT09
Meeting ID: 620 145 914
Password: 08540
Contact Ginny Bryant at bryant.us.uk@gmail.com with any questions.
To download Zoom, go to: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362233-Where-Do-I-Download-The-Latest-Version-
Our March 2020 newsletter is now available here! Included in this issue: details about our upcoming events (including our PTO meeting/parent workshop on Sunday, March 8th and What's Ahead: JW and PHS on Tuesday, March 24th), an update on the school district’s Special Education Program Review, and information about numerous community events and resources.
Not already a subscriber? Email us at specialedpto@gmail.com to be added to our mailing list.
If you plan to attend the PTO meeting/parent workshop on Sunday, March 8th, please click here to RSVP and see location details and directions.
Starting in March, 2020, the Special Education PTO will begin hosting a monthly Open PTO Meeting and Parent Workshop on selected Sundays from 4:30-6:00 p.m. in the resident lounge at Avalon Princeton. The first hour will be used to conduct PTO business (make announcements, give program updates, solicit feedback, plan initiatives, etc.). The meeting will then be followed with a Parent Workshop. Each workshop will give parents the opportunity to share knowledge and learn together. Workshops may include a guest speaker and in some cases we may work alongside one another to create useful tools or resources to support your child and family. All district Special Education parents/guardians are welcome, and there is an adjacent area where children can socialize with one another, read, do homework/iPad, etc.
Workshop topics include:
March 8, 2020: Create Your Child's Vital Information Document
April 19, 2020: Create Your Child's "All About Me" One-Pager
May 3, 2020: What is PCAST (Person-Centered Approaches in Schools and Transition) and Why is it So Important?
June 7, 2020: TBD
For more information or to suggest topics, please email us at specialedpto@gmail.com.
Are Saturdays better for you? Then join us for one of our Coffee Talks! Our Coffee Talk series continues on Saturday, February 22nd from 9:45 - 11:00 a.m. at The Blue Bears in the Princeton Shopping Center. Grab a drink & a nibble and join us for an informal conversation about topics of interest to families with students receiving special education services in Princeton. This will not be a formal presentation, but rather a parent-led group conversation. This is a great chance to meet other parents, ask questions and share knowledge. All are welcome!
No need to RSVP, just show up. Feel free to bring your child (with a book, iPad or homework).
Contact Ginny Bryant at bryant.us.uk@gmail.com with any questions about the Coffee Talks.
We all know as parents engaged in a sometimes bumpy and demanding journey that the days are long but the years are short. Let us pledge to take care of ourselves and explore together the many methods that can bring us greater balance, wellness and peace. All parents are welcome!
February 21 and 28, 2020 and March 6, 13, 20 and 27, 2020, 12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m. - A weekly Friday yoga session (exception of January 17th) will be held by Claudina Bonetti, certified Yoga teacher and fellow parent, at Locomotion Fitness. Limited number of participants. Please RSVP directly to Claudina for each session with a text to 917-592-1283. To cover the cost of the room, a $15 fee will be asked for each session and participant. If the cost is an issue, please contact us by email at wellness1920@gmail.com to find a solution; we want you to be able to fulfill our pledge to take care of ourselves.
February 24, 2020, 12:00 noon - 1:00 p.m. - "About Breathing" Only if weather conditions permit (no rain, no snow, temperatures above 50 F). During the winter time, Corine Caffort Andre-Hessig proposes to change the time and the location of the About Breathing sessions to adapt better to the weather conditions. Let us meet a little later and move more! Let us gather at Mountain Lakes Preserve at noon in the parking lot at the entrance, walk and breathe towards the lake to warm up, practice some Qi Gong simple breathing moves, and then conclude with a meditation walk before getting back to the parking lot. No RSVP is required: just show up. Location is Billie Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve, 30 Mountain Avenue, Princeton. Please email wellness1920@gmail.com if you have any questions.
To learn more, ask questions or suggest topics, please email wellness1920@gmail.com.