Susan Baum talk: "Tools for Optimizing Success in Twice-Exceptional Students" 2/5
CSE collaboration with LMSD results in books purchased for LMSD school libraries
IN THE PDE
Governor Rendell's allocation for special education in the 2006-2007 budget
IN THE COMMUNITY
Anthony Rostain "New Insights and Strategies for Children with ADHD" 1/30 Delaware Valley Friends School
Nina Wall Cote, PA Autism Affairs Director speaks in Upper Dublin 2/8
Michael Fogel talk "Visual and Art Therapy Techniques for Children and
Teens with Asperger's Syndrome" 2/13
Resource Fair, Woodlynde School 2/13
ADHD Conference 1/27 West Chester University
Education Law Center Newsletter describes plan to phase out helpline, which will move to PP&A
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CSE NEWS
Event:Tools for Optimizing Success in Twice-Exceptional Students
When:Monday, February 5th, 7:30 p.m.
Where:Bala Cynwyd Middle School, Room #100
Description: An increasing number of gifted students also experience learning disabilities, attention deficits or social and emotional issues. Simply addressing these difficulties without consideration of their advanced abilities is rarely effective. Come learn the ten commandments adopted by Dr. Susan Baum to address the intellectual, physical and emotional environments for optimizing success in twice exceptional students.
About the Speaker:Dr. Susan Baum is co-director of the International Center for Talent Development and Director of Professional Development at Bridges Academy, a school for twice exceptional students. She is Professor Emeritus from The College of New Rochelle and is widely published in the areas of twice exceptional students, primary-aged gifted students, and social and emotional factors affecting gifted students. She also consults extensively in schools world wide. Dr. Baum served on the Board of Directors of the National Association for Gifted Students and is the past president and founder of the Association for the Education of Gifted Underachieving Students (AEGUS).
For more information: Please contact Ramaa Nathan (
) of The Gifted Committee of The Committee For Special Education for more information.
Topic:Books purchased for LMSD Libraries with CSE Funds
More information:Last year, CSE submitted a book list about issues concerning students with special needs to Pupil Services so that school librarians could choose what was most needed and CSE would help fund those purchases. In December, Pupil Services returned their choices. Accordingly, CSE has alloted $990.00 to purchase a series called Let's Talk About ...Epilepsy, Asthma, Allergies, Deafness, Down Syndrome, Dyslexia, Feeling Confused, Feeling Worried, Feeling Lonely, Needing Extra Help, Being A Good Friend.CSE is delighted to work collaboratively with the district to help all children in our district.
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IN THE PDE (Pennsylvania Department of Education)
***************************************************** Special Education Funding Increase:
See http://www.pdenewsroom.state.pa.us/newsroom/lib/newsroom/basic_special_ed_-_2006-02-07.pdf
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Event: Dr. Anthony Rostain's talk on new issues and strategies for students with ADHD
When: Tuesday, January 30th, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Delaware Valley Friends School, 19 E. Central Ave., Paoli, PA, 19301
Description: Worried about your child managing their ADHD in college? Questions about ADHD medication? Looking for new insights and strategies for students with ADHD? Come to this talk to find out more.
For more information: Contact Gabrielle Pittman at
or (610) 640-4150, ext. 2152. For information about Dr. Anthony Rostain, click on this link http://www.med.upenn.edu/add/rostainshtml .
Event:An Evening with Nina Wall Cote, Autism Affairs Director for Pennsylvania
Time:Thursday, February 8th, 7 p.m.
Place:Maple Glen Elementary Library, 1580 Fort Washington Ave., Maple Glen, PA, (Montco)
Information about the Speaker:Nina Wall Côté, M.S.S., L.S.W., Pennsylvania's Autism Affairs Director (Office of Secretary Richman, DPW), Co-chair of the PA State Autism Task Force, and life-long autism advocate will appear for an evening of dialogue concerning the Primary Initiatives for Autism statewide. At long last, PA is now poised to have a permanent Bureau of Autism, in conjunction with a State Office dedicated to those with Developmental Disabilities. This will be discussed, along with any topics of interest.
Event:Talk by Michael Fogel, "Visual and Art Therapy Techniques for Children and Teens with Asperger's Syndrome," sponsored by Ascend PA.
Time:Tuesday 2/13, 7:30 p.m.
Place:Grace Chapel, Darby & Eagle Roads, Havertown, PA
Cost:FREE for members; $5 for nonmembers Act 48 credits available. Please call for information.
Description:
Speaker: Michael Fogel, M.A.A.T.R. Michael Fogel is a board certified art psychotherapist and a licensed professional counselor. He specializes in the treatment of children ages 3-19 at the Center for Psychological Services in Ardmore and Paoli. In addition to providing individual child art therapy, he created and conducts "The Art of Friendship," a social skills program for children with neurologically-based social impairments, for which he won the 2006 "Innovation in Art Therapy Award" from the Delaware Valley Art Therapy Association.
Topic: "Visual and Art Therapy Techniques for Children and Teens with Asperger's Syndrome" Fogel will describe a social skills training model integrating visual communication, group-art activities, and Michelle Garcia-Winner's "Social Thinking" approach. Attendees will learn the foundational concepts behind art-based social skills lessons and practical ways to apply them. Additionally, attendees will participate in a sample experiential (and fun) group art-based social skills exercise to get a personal understanding of the benefits and uses of art activities with children with AS.
For more information: http://www.ascendgroup.org/events_speaker.html
Where: Woodlynde School (445 Upper Gulph Rd., Strafford, PA, 19087-5498)
Description:Woodlynde Schoolis committed to informing families of resources available to assist their child in achieving academic and social success. For the last two years Woodlynde has been proud to host a Resource Fair for parents and teachers of children who learn differently. In addition to hearing presentations from a wide variety of professionals, attendees will have the opportunity to talk directly to professionals in an informal environment. This year the Resource Fair will be held on Tuesday, February 13, 2007 from 4:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Woodlynde School.
Subject: Education Law Center Newsletter - The Education Advocate
ELC IN 2007: What’s changing and what’s not
New years often bring with them change, renewal, and opportunity. This is true for those of us at the Education Law Center in 2007.
As a friend of ELC, you know that we help families across the Commonwealth in many ways -- through our work to ensure fair funding for public schools, our advocacy for children with disabilities, and our efforts on behalf of English language learners and other at-risk children. You also know that, as a nonprofit organization, we depend on grants and contributions to support our work. So it’s important that we let you know about some upcoming changes in our funding and activities.
We recently learned that most of the support that we receive from Pennsylvania Protection & Advocacy (PP&A) for our telephone Helpline and other direct services to children with disabilities will no longer be coming to us as of October 2007.
Instead, these funds will remain with PP&A, which will be providing these services itself.
Later this year, families of children with disabilities will begin to receive “Helpline” services from PA Protection & Advocacy (PP&A) rather than from ELC. However, ELC will continue to carry out an active program on behalf of children with disabilities as well as other students in PA’s public schools.
This change will mean that, beginning this spring or early summer (we plan to do a gradual transition), many families who would previously have called our Helpline will be served instead by PP&A. We will share more information about the timing and logistics of the transition as they become available.
PP&A decided to make this change not because of any dissatisfaction with our work, but because the federal government has said that it prefers that PP&A provide these direct services in-house. We will work with PP&A staff as they design their new system to ensure that the transition is as seamless as possible.
While this will be a big change for us, we remain committed to serving children with disabilities and their families. We’ll continue to do disability-rights work in many areas, and over time we hope to raise funds to expand our capacity to take on larger-scale, “reform” projects in this area. ELC has built a reputation as a leader in advocating for children with disabilities, and we have every intention of continuing to play that role.
We’ll also keep working on school improvement, school funding, school climate and discipline, rights of English language learners, and other key issues, many of which also impact children with disabilities. In fact, we’re expanding our work in these areas. For example, we recently received exciting news of a multi-year grant from the William Penn Foundation aimed at changing Pennsylvania’s antiquated school funding system, which currently operates in such a way that some school districts spend two to three times as much money per student than others. This is a huge problem for children with disabilities, in that some districts cannot afford to provide the services (including inclusion supports) that these children need – and it is, of course, a tremendous problem for many thousands of other children as well. The new grant will fund the collaborative efforts of ELC, Good Schools Pennsylvania, and the Education Policy and Leadership Center to promote a more adequate and equitable funding system.
Our school funding work will also be supported by a recent grant from the Dream Fund, a national funding collaborative. Pittsburgh’s Maurice Falk Fund played a huge role in bringing these funds to Pennsylvania. We also recently received grants from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Casey Family Program to improve education outcomes for children – including the many children with disabilities – who are in foster care.
These generous grants, and other grants and individual gifts too numerous to mention here (but we’re very grateful!), will enable us to continue to carry out our program in the year and years ahead. We believe that these grants and contributions speak to the respect with which ELC is viewed – respect for our organization and its values, our ability to yield strong results, and our talented, dedicated and spirited staff.
Organizations grow and change, and so it is with us. We will need your ongoing support as we work to influence and shape the policy decisions being made by our civic and political leaders. Your partnerships with us will be critical to our success as we reach out for your thoughts, energy, and financial support.
We will keep you posted as this year’s changes unfold. We also invite you to share your questions and suggestions with us.
We wish you a wonderful new year and look forward to your continued support as we face the exciting challenges ahead.
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