April 2017
Especially for Parents
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The FCPS Parent Resource Center
(PRC) provides resources, information, and consultations to support the success
of all students, including those with learning challenges, special needs, and
disabilities. Confidential meetings, training opportunities, an extensive
lending library, and a year-long calendar of workshops are offered for parents,
educators, and community members through collaboration with staff members from
FCPS offices as well as local and national experts. Contact the FCPS PRC for
additional information, to schedule a consultation, use our extensive lending
library, or to attend a workshop. Contact us at 703-204-3941 or email prc@fcps.edu.
Follow us on Twitter @prc_fcps and bookmark our NEW website! https://www.fcps.edu/resources/family-engagement/parent-resource-center
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Don't miss the 12th Annual Special Education Conference on
Saturday, April 1, 2017, from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. at Hayfield Secondary School, 7630
Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA. The conference is FREE and open to parents, educators,
and community members. Attend the conference to learn the latest research,
strategies, and trends in the education of students with learning challenges,
special needs, and disabilities. Workshop topics will include executive
functioning skills, dyslexia, learning challenges, anxiety, autism spectrum
disorder, and much more! The Exhibit Hall will feature vendors from Fairfax
County Public Schools, government agencies, and non-profit organizations. Visit
the conference website for all the details www.fcps.edu/spedconference2017 and REGISTER TODAY!
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Flash
Forward! Postsecondary Education and Employment Options
is a FREE event for students with
IEPs and their parents that will take place on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, from
6:30-8:30 p.m. at Woodson High School, 9525 Main Street, Cafeteria A, Fairfax
VA.
6:30-7:30
p.m. Information Tables
7:30-7:45 p.m. Overview of Postsecondary Options
7:45-8:30 p.m. Workshops ~ choose the one that is right
for you!
Information on Supported Employment
and Competitive Employment options will be available, as well as Postsecondary
Education options for students with disabilities. Don’t miss this opportunity
to explore options for life after high school.
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Join
the FCPS PRC staff members as we conclude our year-long series of Mind in the
Making Workshops! Mind in the Making:
Self-Directed, Engaged Learning will be held on Friday, April 21, 2017,
from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Dunn Loring Center for Parent Services, Entrance
1, Room 100. In this free workshop for parents, learn the research behind why
self-directed, engaged learning is one of the Seven Essential Life Skills Every Child Needs. Learn strategies for
improving this skill, the important role this skill plays in the lives of
children - now and in the future - and activities to promote the skill. This
evidence-based research program involves executive functions of the brain for
ages 0-12.
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Don’t miss a special Autism
Awareness Month event at the PRC on Tuesday, April 25, 2017, from 7-8:30 p.m.
at the Dunn Loring Center for Parent Services, Entrance 1, Room 100. Glen Finland’s memoir, Next Stop, is a moving account of a family caring for a
child with special needs, of preparing him for the world – and then letting him
go. As a mother of a young adult on the autism spectrum, this author and former
TV news reporter, feels a keen responsibility to tell her story to help build a
community for families like hers, who are “in it for life”. Ms. Finland will
share her own hard-won lessons as well as strategies and insights she has
learned about the uniquely individual dynamics of families who have children
with special needs. This presentation is for moms, dads, siblings, and
grandparents! Light refreshments will be served.
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Career
and Transition Services and Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) are
offering an opportunity for students interested in NVCC to learn about options
available. Vision 2017 will
be held on Wednesday, April 26, 2017, at the NVCC Annandale Campus. Registration
will start at 3:30 p.m.; the program at 4 p.m. This orientation will include
presentations from disability and counseling services. Additional sessions will
provide both students and parents with information related to college life, the
application and registration process, and placement testing. Following the
general session, students and parents will meet separately with NVCC faculty
and staff members before coming back together for the Q&A session. NVCC
Annandale Campus is located at 8333 Little River Turnpike. For more information
students and/or parents should contact their school’s Employment and Transition
Services Representative.
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Autism
& Safety: Public Safety Considerations
is a free workshop for parents and educators of individuals with Autism
Spectrum Disorder and other cognitive disabilities. Join us on Thursday, April
27, 2017, from 10 a.m.-noon at the Dunn Loring Center for Parent Services,
Entrance 1, Room 100 to learn about safety risks for individuals with special
needs; proactive steps to reduce the risk of potential dangers; resources
available in the community for emergency preparedness; and safety guidelines, FREE safety kits, the NEW Yellow Dot program, and more.
Especially
for Staff Members
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A
newly updated Special Education
Diploma Options handout is now available in the IEP documents
section in SEA-STARS and on the Office of Special Education Instruction (OSEI)
Assessment page. This updated document is intended to provide current
information and guidance regarding available diploma options to parents and
guardians. This newly updated document should immediately replace the current
special education diploma options information that is shared with parents
during IEP meetings.
http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/ssse/SpecialEducation/assessment/index.htm
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Visit
the OSEI Extended School Year (ESY) intranet page regularly for current
information about ESY resources, professional development, employment
opportunities, and student registration.
http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/ssse/SpecialEducation/summerservices/index.htm
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Testing Memo 13 informs schools about the scoring of the
Virginia Alternate Assessment Program (VAAP), Virginia Grade Level Alternative
(VGLA), and Virginia Substitute Evaluation Program (VSEP) Collections.
All VAAP and VGLA Collections of Evidence (COEs) will be scored locally by FCPS
during the week of May 1 – 5, 2017. All completed COEs are due to the Test
Distribution Center (TDC) on Wednesday, April 26, 2017. All VSEP Course Work
Compilations will be scored by Pearson and are due to TDC on Monday, May 8,
2017.
http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/pla/ost/testing_memos/2016_17/tm_2016_17_index.shtml
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The
Very Important Paraprofessionals
(VIP) Conference will be held at South County High School (SCHS) on
Monday, April 17, 2017. The 2017 VIP Spring Conference will provide VOLUNTARY
professional development workshops on wide-ranging topics for preK-12
paraprofessionals including: instructional assistants (IAs), public health
attendants (PHAs), kindergarten assistants, applied behavior analysis (ABA) assistants
and public health teaching assistants (PHTAs). Registration through MyPLT for
conference workshops is ongoing through Friday, April 7, 2017. Please have your
paraprofessionals register now!
Up-to-date
information for this year’s conference may be accessed at any time from the VIP
Conference website: http://fcpsnet.fcps.edu/ssse/vip/
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During the 2016-17 school year, Assistive Technology
Services (ATS) will be offering training sessions focused on the use of
high-end Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. Participants will learn basic programming and
maintenance of the devices as well as integration ideas. These sessions are open to both staff members
and parents of students using the specific devices. To register, contact the
ATS Resource Teacher who supports your school. April sessions will include the
following topics:
April 3, 2017, 9 a.m.-noon, Proloquo2Go App -
Rocky Run Modular
April 18, 2017, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., PRC Devices - Rocky Run
Modular
April 19, 2017, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., PRC Devices - Rocky Run Modular
April 21, 2017, 9 a.m.-noon, Words for Life App
- Rocky Run Modular
April 28, 2017, 9 a.m.-noon, Words for Life App
- Rocky Run Modular
Department of Special Services
Jane Lipp, Assistant Superintendent
Irene Meier, Director, Office of Special Education Instruction
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