November 2012 Newsletter - Mid

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Mid-Valley Special Education Cooperative
Newsletter
November, 2012
Notes from the Executive Director
Those of us who work at the Administration Center had three great opportunities last week. We
had the privilege of voting with the students in New Directions in Holly Heinrich’s classroom. It
was very meaningful for us. We participated in a luncheon sponsored by Judy Donner’s class at
the Transition Center. The students provided a great lunch and many family members attended as
well. And, we attended the Transition Center Open House! All of these opportunities were
chances for us to get to know the students a little better and participate in special events.
What I’m saying is: We’re lonely! We know that each of your classes have many special events
and we would love to be invited! Although we have busy calendars, we feel like we are never too
busy to see the students.
Transition Open House (Nicole and Nicole, our Greeters)
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Amanda and CJ, our Tour Guides and Greeters
Check out the new sign on the wall, hand made by Amy Rogers and her dad!
Save the dates for the Sunshine Committee Activities
You should be receiving two important invitations for December. They are for the Cookie
Exchange on December 6th and the Annual Holiday Party on December 13th. I don’t know
about you, but I am very appreciative of the fact that I will only have to make one kind of cookie
this season. With the exchange, everyone will think that I baked every day!!
Program Name Voting
I thought it would be fun to have our program name voting on the same day as the election…But,
the time has come and gone. Please look for a separate survey via survey monkey coming soon!
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Progress Monitoring Cohorts
Natalie and I have really enjoyed working with all of you at the Progress Monitoring sessions.
We feel like we have a great group of educators who are willing to share and learn together.
Don’t forget about your next session. I’ve already seen folks working on their homework!
Cohort One--November 14
Cohort Two--November 29
Cohort Three--December 4
Cohort Four--December 12.
OTs and PTs will have their own training session on Monday, November 19th.
Parent Forum
Our next Parent Forum will be Thursday, November 29 at 9:00 a.m. We are not hosting the
evening event that day. Our speaker will be Karen L. Maloney, M.D., Founder and Medical
Director of Carein’ Connection. She is sponsoring very low cost getaway weekends for families
with their children with disabilities in the Galena area. A flyer will be coming out soon and will
be available for you to distribute during parent-teacher conferences.
Families in Need
Annually, we are grateful to the parishioners of St. John Newman Church who provide holiday
support at Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter to 20 of our Mid-Valley families. We will need
volunteers to deliver the Thanksgiving meal and the Christmas meal/gifts. The Thanksgiving
meals will be delivered to MJC on Friday, November 16. Deliveries can be made anytime on that
day (frozen turkeys) If you are interested in helping to deliver, please contact
[email protected].
Giving Fund
Last year, the staff of Mid-Valley were very generous and also gave donations to support
additional families. We would like to do that again this year. We are finding that many of our
families don’t have the funds for items during the school year and throughout the year. In
addition to holiday assistance, this fund will help the families purchase the lunches when students
are on community outings, purchase the school spirit wear, pay for incidental medical expenses
and other necessary support throughout the school year. These funds will be managed by the
social workers. If you are interested in giving, please send a check to Phaedra McLaughlin, the
secretary at MJC or Sue Caddy. Make your checks payable to the MV Sunshine Fund and mark
in the leger “Giving Fund”. Thanks again for your generosity and kindness for those in need.
FFS Training
The MyServiceTracker training is Tuesday, November 13 from 3:00-4:30 at MJC. Staff who are
new to us in the last two years should attend this training. You should also attend if you have
questions or concerns. Steve Karuna will be our trainer.
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Kiwanis Grant
I am pleased to announce that we have received another grant from the Kiwanis Club of St.
Charles! This time it is for a heavy-duty shredder, scale and recycling bags for the students to use
in one of their job training stations at Shelby. We may even be able to conduct this as a business
for the students! We are not sure when the award will be given, but we are very thankful to the
Kiwanis Club.
Educator of the Year Nominees
This year, we have decided to nominate Melissa Jackson as our Kane County Educator of the
Year. That means that we will be collecting pictures, letters from parents, students and other
memorabilia to assemble during spring break. Start collecting and taking pictures now! We are
also in need of folks who are good scrapbookers!
New Staff in October
New staff who joined us in October are: Ellen Weislo is helping us with Paige’s absence in the
next couple of months. We also send a warm welcome to Judy Robinson, the new assistant in
VIP, GHS, Daniel Gluszek, the new Safe Schools Teacher, and Suzanne Reigler, the new
teaching assistant in New Pathways, Anderson.
Official Transcripts Due November 15
Any transcripts that reflect additional, pre-approved academic credits are due to Sue Caddy or
Karin Alber by November 15.
Open Enrollment for Insurance Due November 30
The portal is open for everyone to make changes to their current benefit plans, sign up for
benefits, and/or enroll in the Flexible Spending Account. Please remember, everyone
MUST go into the portal even if no changes are being made. Every full-time employee
receives a board-paid life insurance policy, and if you do not go into the portal and
confirm the life insurance, your life insurance will be terminated on Jan 1, 2013 so please
be sure to participate, even if no changes are being made to your health/dental benefits.
The portal will be open for the month of November. Please plan to complete the process
NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 30, 2012. However, it is always best to do it sooner.
If you are new to the benefit program and have just recently completed the benefit
elections, you will need to enter the portal to confirm your elections. If you don’t, there
is a chance that your elections will be dropped (an unfortunate glitch in the system).
Packets have been either mailed to your homes or are here at the Mid Valley Admin
Offices. If you have any questions, or if you need help with the process, please contact
either Karin Alber at 331-228-5964 or me. My number is 331-228-5973.
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Emergency Days
One never knows when the snow will fly…Remember that you are to follow the emergency
closing procedures for your assigned building. Itinerant staff are to follow the procedures of the
district where they are assigned most often.
Illinois State University Tuition Waivers
We have two ISU tuition waivers that may be used for graduate level credits. You may use them
even if you have not had a student teacher! If you are interested, please contact Melissa Jackson.
Department Budget Meetings Starting Soon
It’s hard to believe, but the budget season is starting already! Sue will be convening her first of
many finance committees this month. Your coordinators will be starting the budget discussions
with each of the departments and programs as well. We are asking for your input about (a) what
purchases you need to continue on an annual basis, (b) what new purchases would seem
appropriate for your program, (c) ideas for necessary professional development, and (d) other
ideas for program improvement. After these discussions, we will review each budget with the
finance committee and make decisions about what is feasible to accomplish in these lean
economic times. Don’t forget that we are also looking for ways to improve efficiency and save
money for our districts as well!
Parent Teacher Conferences
November is also the month for Parent-Teacher Conferences. We hope you have constructive
and productive meetings with your parents and that they feel welcome and a part of your school.
Just a reminder that all staff (including itinerant staff) are to work the same hours as your host
school, even if you have no conferences scheduled at that time.
Sunshine Committee Update
In addition to the two December events and the Giving Fund, the Sunshine Committee is also
looking ahead to March and May for two more special events. In March, we will be bowling
again and this will be a family event. In May, we will be hosting our end-of-the-year celebration
again. And, Mid-Valley Spirit Wear is in the works! More information will be coming soon.
Move Requests
As you know, we are trying to limit the number of equipment moves to one time a month. Our
next move date will be Thursday, November 29. So, that means you should turn in any move
requests to Bonnie Carlson by Monday, November 26 so we can organize the work request. If
you have large furniture, equipment or large boxes to move, please fill out the form and clearly
label the items to be moved. The forms are on the web-site.
November Birthdays!
Happy birthday wishes to: Rebecca Kils, Linda Palmisano, Javier Sanchez, Peggy Frank, Anna
Dembowski, Carolyn Vierckl, Kathleen Stevens, Connie Millser, Janet Tichy, Dade Fox, and
Claudia Kantola. Happy Birthdays to you all!
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Fox Valley Special Recreation Association Foundation Event
NORTHERN NIGHTS, TREES AND LIGHTS
Nov. 16, 2013, 7:00 pm Eagle Brook Country Club, Geneva, IL
Wine Tasting & Hors d’oeuvres
Raffle For Wreaths, Trees & Prize Packages
PLEASE SUPPORT THIS EVENT BY GOING TO WWW.FVSRA.ORG
Go to bottom of page, select NNTL Charity Benefit, Scroll down to view the beautiful
Trees, Wreaths and Prize Packages and then select “buy tickets now” to purchase tickets
to the event or to purchase raffle tickets for the many trees, wreaths and wonderful prize
packages.
Thoughts and Prayers
Pat DelGuice’s mother is ill. Ronda Kiesling’s husband is having surgery. Leigh Ann Huntley’s
dad has been hospitalized, but is home now.
Our Sympathies to…
Linda Koch’s father passed away suddenly over the weekend in his home in Michigan. We can
expect that Linda will be with her family until after Thanksgiving.
Mary Langan’s father-in-law in AZ also passed away this weekend.
Judy Donner’s father-in-law, Arthur P. Donner, WWII Army Air Corps Veteran and
longtime Knights of Columbus Member, formerly of Downers Grove; passed away on
October 9.
Dade Fox’s father passed away last week as well.
Staff News
Susan Grygier (CLASS Western Avenue) had a baby girl, Elle Grace, and everyone is
doing well!
Paige’s son, Lucas, is making good progress at the clinic in Michigan, even if the family
had to move three times to find a suitable living space!!
Phyllis Markovic is returning this week after her long recovery.
Jennifer Brosseau was married in October! Many of the MJC staff were there to
celebrate this special day with her!
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The Hearing Itinerant team, Angie Gregory, Sharon Jenkins, Carolyn Viereckl, Jen Haney,
Claudia Kantola, Yolanda Smith, with the Kuala with Implants, at the Walk for Hearing
Impairment. “Our” group earned $1,600!
Hayden and the Kuala with Implants
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The members of the Hearing Itinerant team have been very busy! On October 18,They
also attended the Lurie Children's Hospital Audiology and Cochlear Implant Meet and
Greet. They got a grand tour of the beautiful new hospital, got to see the audiology clinic
our students use, and even meet Dr. Nancy Young and her implant team. Though it was a
little rainy the inside spaces were warm and sunny!
Judy Donner’s student teacher, Tyler Rucshmeyer, and George Bush (aka Kevin).
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Dr Joyce Laben!
Congratulations to Joyce Laben who successfully defended her doctoral dissertation this month.
She will officially graduate in December, but we can call her doctor now! In celebration, she also
changed her hair color and looks great!
Illinois Council for Exceptional Children
Members of the Transition Team, Amy Rogers, Kim Payne, Jill Wilder, Anne Waters, Terri
Edwards, Judy Donner, and Tim Stoudt presented at the Illinois Council for Exceptional Children
on November 2. It was an excellent presentation about their fabulous program!
Student and Program News
Amy Rogers is one of the committee members for this years IL Transition Conference which was
held at Pheasant Run, Oct. 24-26. There were 700 participants,109 of them are parents and 88 of
the them are students. Five of our WCC-SAIL students helped at the conference as volunteers.
They were Kenzie Curran, Alex Gilbert, Joe Bratschun, Tyler Scardina and Andres Rodriguez.
Also at the conference there was a table for SAIL and ToTAL Productions where the products
were displayed and put up for sale. We have heard from Gloria Fisher, the CFO of SAIL
Productions that the group made $338. At the conference. In addition, the ToTAL students made
$68. From the sale of their dog treats.
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Gloria, Amanda, and Jason at the Transition Conference.
Herman the Lizard
Greg has a private word with Herman the Lizard. Myra Stinson (MJC) wrote a grant to obtain the
funds for Herman and his home!
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MJC Library
Tigger (Mark Wallin), Winnie the Pooh (Renee Mollenhauer), and Eyore (Andrew) visited the
new library at MJC. A special thanks to Renee for taking on this project and making it such a
special place.
Hail to the Chief!
Gloria Fisher was elected the President of the Adapt Club at Elgin Community College. It is a
club that sponsors activities and events to bring students with disabilities together with their
typical peers.
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Anthony Cutrara,of New Pathways (Deb Sall), in doing a weekly read-aloud to the
students in the mult-needs room. He is responsible for reading a story and sharing the
pictures with the students every Thursday!
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Nick from GHS at Viking Pals Halloween party doing a craft with his peer partner.
Banking
The other exciting related news is that the SAIL and ToTAL students can now walk to that bank
to make deposits and withdrawals to learn necessary skills for their future. Thanks so much to
Sue Caddy who worked with the staff to set up the system.
Olive Garden
In celebration of Disabilities Awareness month, Olive Garden will be providing a lunch to Judy
Donner's class. Emma Miles, Judy's student, has a work opportunity at Olive Garden this school
year.
Get out the Vote!
Students in Holly Heinrich’s Class hosted the voting for MJC (and Admin). At the end
of the day, the results were announced. President Obama won by 9 votes. Photos below!
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Election Judges and Paul Scanlon (Art) at MJC.
Professional Development Opportunities
Mid-Valley Sessions
November 13 iPad after school
November 14 Progress Monitoring
November 19 Progress Monitoring for OT/PTs
November 29, Progress Monitoring
December 4 Progress Monitoring
December 10 iPad after school
December 12 Progress Monitoring
December 14 Psych/SW Network
The following are some other professional development opportunities you may want to explore.
Just let Carla know if you’d like more information.
Assessment in Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Kathleen Post, November 12,
Kishwakee College, Malta, Illinois (near DeKalb)
Champs: Proactive and Positive Approach to Classroom Management, Dr. Randy Sprick,
November 13, Chicago ***Highly Recommended***
Explicit Instruction: Effective and Efficient Teaching, Dr. Anita Archer, November 14, Chicago
***Highly Recommended***
The tough Kid—Practical Behavior Management, Dr. Bill Jenson, November 15, Chicago
***Highly Recommended***
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Just Give Him the Whale—Autism, Dr. Patrick Schwarz, December 4, 8:00-2:30, Eisenhower
Cooperative, Crestwood, IL.
Differentiation Strategies for Mixed-Ability Classrooms, Nancy Weber, December 5, 8:00-2:30,
Eisenhower Cooperative, Crestwood, IL
Activity-Based Instruction for Students with Severe Intellectual Disabilities, Gail Van Tatenhove,
December 6, Tinley Park
Social Work and Psychologists Network (Mid-Valley and Member Districts). Could it be
Executive Function Disorder? December 14, 8:00-10:00, MV Room 4.
Illinois Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders Conference, February 1-2, Lisle
Final Thought
Now and then it's good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy."
--Guillaume Apollinaire,
French writer, poet and critic
So, I’m still working on the happiness project. I will say, clearing the plate of nagging
items really does help. I hope to complete a book of pictures for my mom. The plan was
for Christmas, but the other family members are finding really great pictures, so it may
take a little longer. With the recent passing of my aunt, my mom is now the oldest of
both my father’s side and the last remaining sibling of her side of the family. I know this
project will make her very happy, too. Just don’t go down to my basement!
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Be thankful and happy.