Past Updates
2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR UPDATES
SEPAG VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
The Princeton SEPAG held its annual election of officers for the 2022-23 academic year on May 18, 2022. Congratulations to Lamyaa El-Gabry, SEPAG's new Co-President!
SEPAG is still looking for an additional co-president and a secretary, as well as volunteers to serve as parent liaisons at PHS, Community Park, Johnson Park, and Littlebrook. Please consider volunteering to fill one of these roles. Being a SEPAG leader is an excellent opportunity to get to know district leaders, to understand PPS special education policies and programming, and most importantly, to have a positive impact on our students. For more information about what these positions entail, please review the Princeton SEPAG bylaws; to volunteer, please email us at princetonsepag@gmail.com.
Upcoming SEPAG General Meetings and Officer Election Information
The Princeton SEPAG will hold its penultimate general meeting of the 2021-22 academic year on Wednesday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m. on Zoom. As always, there will be an opportunity for parents and guardians to provide feedback to the school district on critical issues relating to students with IEPs and 504 plans. What has worked well for your student this year? What changes would you like to see? Join us, and let your voice be heard.
Our final general meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 18 at 6:00 p.m., also on Zoom, and will include the election of officers for the 2022-23 academic year. Three executive board positions are open for one-year terms: 2 Co-Presidents, and 1 Secretary. Please consider volunteering to fill one of these roles. Being a SEPAG leader is an excellent opportunity to get to know district leaders, to understand PPS special education policies and programming, and most importantly, to have a positive impact on our students. For more information about what these positions entail, please review the Princeton SEPAG bylaws. Nominations may be made from the floor at our April 27th meeting or via email to Secretary Julie Cho at princetonsepag@gmail.com by April 27th at 6:00 p.m.
To request the Zoom link for our meetings, please email us at princetonsepag@gmail.com.
Princeton SEPAG To Host Event For Rising 6th and 9th Grade Families on March 16th
UPDATE - The recording of this event is now available here: youtu.be/IJy9iIr-oHc . A big thank you to Special Education Supervisors Beth Murrin and Crystal Riddick and teachers PollyJo Kassas, Gregory Koehler, Samantha Itkoff, Jeremy Reilley, and Cynthia Bregenzer for this very informative presentation!
Please join us on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 at 6:00 p.m. for our "What's Next? Preparing for the Transition to Princeton Middle or High School" program. PPS Special Education Supervisors Beth Murrin (PMS) and Crystal Riddick (PHS) will provide an overview of special education programming at their schools. Their presentation will be followed by a parent panel Q&A session where PPS parents will share their middle school and high school experiences and offer tips for preparing kids with IEPs and 504 plans for the move to the next school.
This event will be virtual and the parent panel will not be recorded. For the link, please see our February Newsletter or email us at princetonsepag@gmail.com. RSVPS are encouraged.
Next SEPAG General Meeting: Sunday, December 12 at 3:30 p.m.
Parent and student feedback is crucial to our mission to provide input to the district on systemic issues concerning students with IEPs and 504 plans. Please consider joining us at our upcoming virtual General Meeting on December 12 at 3:30 to hear updates about SEPAG and district activities and share your feedback. The link to the meeting can be found in our December Newsletter.
Princeton SEPAG To Hold Special Education Roundtable on November 11th on Zoom
UPDATE: The recording of the Special Education Roundtable is now available here: https://youtu.be/4_DQnIW3WkE
The Princeton Special Education Parent Advisory Group (SEPAG) invites PPS families to attend a virtual Special Education Roundtable on Thursday, November 11, 2021 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Princeton Public Schools Superintendent Carol Kelley, Director of Student Services Micki Crisafulli, and Special Education Supervisors Eric Csolak (Age 3-Grade 5), Beth Murrin (Grade 6-8), and Crystal Riddick (Grade 9-age 21) will discuss the district's response to the special education program review completed in May and the district's priorities for special education this year.
This event will be held on Zoom; please refer to our latest newsletter for the Zoom link. To ensure a smooth event and give the administration team time to prepare thorough responses, we request that families submit questions ahead of time using this form. If you do not have a specific question, you may list topics you would like to hear more about at the roundtable. Please submit your questions by Thursday, November 4th.
**Please note that this roundtable will focus on district-wide or systemic special education topics, not individual student concerns.**
Learn More About This Year's Board of Education Candidates
Princeton SEPAG thanks the four candidates running for election to the Board of Education — Betsy Kalber Baglio, Mara Franceschi, Jeffrey Liao, and Brian McDonald — for participating in our annual Board of Education Candidates Forum held on Zoom on October 13, 2021. PPS families can find the recording of the event as well as the candidates' written responses to five questions submitted in advance of the forum on our new 2021 BOE Candidates Q&A page.
Save the Dates for SEPAG's upcoming events (all on Zoom)
Parent feedback is crucial to our mission to provide input to the district on systemic issues concerning students with IEPs and 504 plans. Please consider joining us at our upcoming events, all of which will be held on Zoom. The Zoom link for all of our events may be found in our latest newsletter.
SEPAG General Meeting #1 - Sunday, 9/26 from 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
SEPAG's virtual 2021 Board of Education Candidates Night - Wednesday, 10/13 from 6:30-7:45 p.m.
SEPAG's Special Education Roundtable with Dr. Carol Kelley, Micki Crisafulli and the Special Education Supervisors - Thursday, 11/11 from 6:30-8:00 p.m.
SEPAG General Meeting #2 - Sunday, 12/12 from 3:30-4:30 p.m.
If you are unable to join us in person, you are welcome to submit feedback to us via email at princetonsepag@gmail.com or, if you wish to remain anonymous, by using this form. Please note we treat all feedback submitted to us with discretion and never reveal names in our meetings with administrators.
Back-to-School Meet & Greet for Students with 1:1 Aides
Students who are assigned a 1:1 Instructional Aide will have an opportunity to meet with their aide prior to the start of school to ease transition. The 1:1 Instructional Aide Meet & Greet is scheduled for Wednesday, September 8th, 2:00 - 3:00 pm. The district will send an invitation to these families directly. Please RSVP promptly so your child's aide can make arrangements to meet you.
Princeton SEPAG To Present Annual Report to BOE on July 27th
Princeton SEPAG will make its annual presentation to the Board of Education during its meeting on July 27, 2021, 7:30 p.m. The presentation will include an overview of our organization and discuss our priorities and goals in light of the recently completed Special Education program review. A link to the Zoom meeting will be published on the district's calendar once it is available.
Update: The video of Princeton SEPAG's presentation to the Board of Education is now available at https://youtu.be/p5V9jhwaWMM?t=636.
New Superintendent Invites PPS Students to Participate in Youth Liberation Symposium
Dr. Carol Kelley, PPS's new superintendent, is encouraging PPS rising 6th - 12th grade students to participate in the Youth Liberation Symposium, a free five-day youth-led conference hosted by the National Equity Project. Dr. Kelley is excited for our district to participate in the symposium and to receive student feedback. This is a great opportunity for students receiving special education services to build their advocacy skills! The symposium will be held online August 2nd - 6th and registration is required by August 2nd - click here to register.
According to the organizers, "Youth will connect with other youth from across the nation to learn about the history of education liberation struggles, deep dive into questions around their own activist identity, and develop a list of demands and strategies that they can use to fight for justice in their own school districts." See the symposium flyer and agenda.
PPS Welcomes Questions and Comments About the Special Education Program Review Report
Princeton Public Schools shared the results of the Special Education Program Review, performed by Public Consulting Group (PCG), during the Board of Education meeting on June 15th. Please see the district website here to read PCG's full report, to see the board presentation from June 15th, or to offer comments or questions using the specific link provided on the website. In addition, the district has outlined 4 goals and will share more details as they finalize implementation steps and timelines. The district encourages families to read the report and offer comments and questions.
PPS Requests Responses to ESY Invitations
PPS has sent Special Education Extended School Year (ESY) communications to individual families. If you have not yet responded regarding your students' plans to attend ESY, please do so as soon as possible to ensure adequate staffing. If you have any questions, please reach out to your case manager.
ESY for Resource, LLD and Pre-school students: 7/6/21 - 7/30/21, 8:30 am - 11:30 am.
ESY for Autism and MD programs: 7/6/21 - 8/6/21, 8:30 am - 2:00 pm.
PCG To Present Special Education Program Review Report on June 15th
PCG has completed its independent special education program review and will present its report at the public Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, June 15th at 7:30. The meeting is being held on Zoom and can be accessed through the following link:
https://princetonk12.zoom.us/j/82920779206?pwd=TUlYSG50d2dIRExscTI4Yk1KcUpZUT09
There will be a public comment period during the meeting, but please note that board members and administrators generally cannot respond to comments or questions during the meeting. The Special Education PTO/SEPAG has been told there will be an opportunity for parents/guardians to submit questions and feedback to PPS administrators after the Board of Education meeting.
Special Education PTO Changes Name To Princeton SEPAG Effective July 1, 2021
Effective July 1st, the Special Education PTO will be repositioned as a Special Education Parent Advisory Group (SEPAG, pronounced "See-pag"). All school districts in New Jersey are required to “ensure that a special education parent advisory group is in place in the district to provide input to the district on issues concerning students with disabilities” (NJ Administrative Code 6A:14 -1.2h). Although our PTO already serves in the role of a SEPAG and fulfills this mandate, we believe that officially repositioning the Special Education PTO as a SEPAG more accurately aligns our activities with our mission and purpose.
The mission of the Princeton SEPAG is to
Engage, Educate and Empower
our community of families and educators.
Our purpose is to provide input to the district on system-level issues to improve the policies, programs and services for students who receive special education services and accommodations.
Membership in the Parent Advisory Group is open to any resident or staff member of the Princeton Public School District with an interest in special education, intentionally broadened to represent families with IEPs and/or 504 plans as well as students who may be placed out-of-district in other schools.
In many ways, the SEPAG will function similarly as the PTO in the past. We will remain a district-wide organization aiming to represent the interests of the nearly 1 in 5 students who receive special education services in our district from preschool through high school. We will continue to collaborate with the district, hold regular informational and feedback meetings, host events and communicate with stakeholders through our webpage, Facebook page and monthly e-newsletter. We will also continue to have parent volunteers serving as liaisons at each school, and have now added the role of a student liaison, to represent their designated groups.
Liaisons serve a vital role as the point person in collecting and sharing feedback and enhancing communication with families and the district. Currently, we are seeking parent liaisons for our out-of-district families, Community Park Elementary, Johnson Park Elementary and Princeton High School. If you are interested in being a liaison or would like to be added to our e-newsletter distribution list or have any other questions, please reach out to us at our new email address, PrincetonSEPAG@gmail.com.
Finally, we would like to thank our Board of Education, Administration, Student Services Director, Special Education Supervisors, Child Study Teams and our educators for their commitment and collaboration through the years. We look forward to further strengthening our partnerships to make positive and meaningful impacts on the education and experiences of all students.
2020-2021 School Year Updates
Join Us For Our Last Events of the 2020-21 School Year
The Special Education PTO will close out the 2020-21 school year with two final events for parents and families of children receiving special education services. Please join us at our final PTO meeting on Tuesday, June 8th at 3:00 when we will share updates from our most recent meetings with PPS administrators. Families will also have the opportunity to provide input to Board of Education members in attendance. We'll wrap up the year at a Coffee Talk on Saturday, June 19th at 9:00 a.m., where we will also share tips for preparing for a smoother transition back to school in the fall. The Zoom link for both meetings is https://zoom.us/j/620145914?pwd=bE5pTkFjMWkwemk3ZUwycGRJRWNIQT09 (Meeting ID: 620 145 914; Password: 08540).
Our final newsletter for this year can be found here.
Pending Legislation Would Extend Special Education Eligibility Temporarily For High Students Aging Out in 2020-21 or 2021-22
There are two bills pending in the NJ Legislature that will extend special education eligibility temporarily in response to Covid-19. If passed, Senate bill S3434 and Assembly bill A5366 will require districts to provide special education and related services to students who would otherwise age out in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years for an additional year.
The bills can be found here:
https://legiscan.com/NJ/bill/S3434/2020
https://legiscan.com/NJ/text/A5366/2020
If you are interested in showing your support for these bills, you can find contact information for District 16’s legislators Senator Kip Bateman and Assemblymen Roy Freiman and Andrew Zwicker here.
For more information, see this press release from the sponsors of the Senate version of the bill.
Thank you to the parent who brought this to our attention at our last PTO meeting!
Additional Opportunities to Provide Feedback for Special Education Program Review
As its independent review of PPS's Special Education Program wraps up, Public Consulting Group (PCG) is offering a final opportunity for stakeholders to provide input. PCG recently surveyed district educators, and the PCG survey for parents/guardians of students with IEPs will be open until March 17th. Special Education parents/guardians should check their inbox for the invitation sent by PPS on March 3rd with the survey link. If you did not receive a survey but would like to offer feedback, please email your comments to Public Consulting Group directly at programreviewfeedback@pcgus.com (please write Princeton in the subject line). All feedback is confidential.
Thank you for participating so that all voices can be heard and continuous improvements can be made for all students.
Hot Off The Press: Our March 2021 Newsletter
Check out our March 2021 newsletter, available here, for important updates about the Special Education program review currently underway, the new Autism Classroom teacher at PUMS, and our upcoming PTO events. Not a subscriber? You can find all of our past issues on this website under the Newsletters tab, or email us at specialedpto@gmail.com to be added to our mailing list so you don't miss an issue.
Join Us at One of Our February Virtual Meetings!
Do you have a question about PPS's Special Education programs or the IEP process? Please join us at our next parent-led Special Education PTO meeting on Tuesday, February 16th at 3:00 p.m. At these meetings, we share updates from our latest meeting with PPS's Director of Special Services and the Special Education Supervisors, solicit parent feedback, discuss resources and ideas, and provide support for one another.
We are also hosting our monthly Coffee Talk on Saturday, February 27th from 9-10 a.m. This month's discussion will focus on Person Centered Planning - What is it and why should you care?
The links to both meetings can be found in our February 2021 newsletter, now available here. If you plan to join us at either meeting (or both!) for the first time this year, please RSVP to specialedpto@gmail.com. RSVPs aren't required, but they help us recognize your name when we're letting participants in from the Zoom waiting room.
If you can't attend either meeting but have a question or would like to offer feedback, please email us at specialedpto@gmail.com or use our anonymous contact form.
January Updates
Happy New Year! The Special Education PTO is kicking off 2021 with our first PTO meeting of the academic year on January 12th at 3:00. Please join us to hear updates from our meetings with the Student Services team and the PTO Council and to ask questions and share feedback. Our PTO meetings are open to all parents and guardians of children receiving special education services in the PPS school district. New faces are always welcome!
Also in January, PPS's Supervisor of Mathematics and Business Education, Stephenie Tidwell, is holding several virtual meetings for parents and guardians to discuss the PPS Math curriculum. The meetings are on Wednesday, January 13th at 7 p.m. (part of the PHS Program of Studies meeting for high school parents), Wednesday, January 27th at 4 p.m. for PUMS and PHS parents, and Thursday, January 28th at 4 p.m. for elementary school parents. The Zoom links will be posted of the PTOC's website prior to each meeting.
Finally, our Coffee Talk series will continue on Saturday, January 23rd from 9-10 a.m. This month's topic: Parent “Make & Take” - Create an emergency list of contacts, professionals and supports for your student.
For more updates and resources (including the Zoom link for all of our meetings), check out our January 2021 newsletter, available here.
It's Not Too Late to Participate in the PPS Special Education Program Review
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 Latest Newsletter
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.
The Special Education Program Review Continues:
Parent Focus Groups To Be Held on November 17th, 19th and 23rd
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.
Meet the 2020 Board of Education Candidates
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.
Save the Dates for the Special Education PTO's Fall 2020 Events
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 Invites Parents To Assist In Superintendent Search -
Sign Up For Special Education Parent Focus Group By Tomorrow, September 18th
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.
Our August 2020 Newsletter Is Now Available
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 School Reopening Plan — Parent Survey Data Needed By August 6th
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.
2019-2020 School Year Updates
End-of-Year News
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.
Our April 2020 Newsletter With Covid-19 Related Resources Is Now Available
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.
Our Coffee Talk Series Returns Saturday, April 4th - Now on Zoom!
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-
Hot off the Press - Our March 2020 Newletter
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.
Let's Build A Community!
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.
Join Our New Parent Wellness Group This Winter for Breathing, Yoga, Chai and Meditation
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.