Hello Friends,
The past three weeks have been surreal to say the least. We went from finalizing our spring break plans to dealing with the reality that school is likely closed for the year and we will provide education via ODE’s “Distance Learning for All” guidance plan. Today, I believe we are starting to get our feet underneath us and I am beginning to see a path forward. Reflecting back on my range on emotions since receiving our final guidance on Tuesday evening, I believe I am in stage 6 of the 7 stages of grief:
- Shock – initial paralysis
- Denial – try to avoid the inevitable
- Anger – frustration
- Bargaining – seeking a way out
- Depression – final realization of the inevitable
- Testing – Seeking realistic solutions
- Acceptance – finding a way forward
With your help and feedback, special program leadership is very close to finalizing our plan for how we will deliver services to students that experience disability during this Covid-19 emergency closure. I understand in some cases, the services delivery will be far from ideal and that this context will not allow us to do what we do best. That said, our commitment to student growth and learning has not changed and we will move forward together and continue to do our best work for students and families. Next week, we plan to take all the best thinking and release our plan for providing special education services. As a result of your participation in the daily affinity group Q and A sessions, we have discussed many aspects of this plan, so there should be no surprises. We understand that this document may be fluid, and we will update it as needed. Moving forward, we will continue our affinity groups and Q and A sessions. It will be you, the special education professionals, that continue to shape our plan. Through your hark work, expertise, and professionalism, we will discover best practices and attempt to scale them up through collaboration and training. As issues arise, we will problem solve together. Additionally, with the release of our plan next week, I will draft a letter to all parents of students that experience disability. We would ask that our special education teams to then forward to parents, perhaps adding your own words to personalize the message.
This whole experience is basically a “stress test” on our district, SPO department, your buildings, and you. Resilience is defined as the process of adapting well in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, or significant sources of stress. Becoming more resilient not only helps us get through difficult circumstances, it also empowers us to grow and even improve. So what are the actions that help us build professional resilience?
Prioritize Relationship – I am so grateful for my special education leadership team, Josh, Colleen, Hayley, Tami, Jen, Amanda, Lorna, Darlene, Krista, Shannon, and Kay Ann. You all are carrying me and the special programs department. I am grateful for our teacher leaders, Carrie, Jill, Sara, Steve, and Tawnya. You all have selflessly stepped up to the challenge. I am grateful to all of our teachers. You have brought me and our families a sense of re-assurance that “you got this”. I am grateful to our school psychologists. Your knowledge, leadership, and calming presence is masterful at this time. I am grateful for our speech pathologists. Your flexibility and commitment to ethical practice is makes this challenge achievable. I am grateful for our classified staff. You are the relational glue for our student and you know them like no other.
Join a group – lean on your building SPED team and affinity groups
Take care of yourself – now more than ever…whatever that means to you
Find a purpose – I believe we can all picture that one student in our minds
Embrace healthy thoughts – let’s find the positive and keep our sense of humor in all the absurdity
Together, I believe we can find ourselves on the other side of this “stress test” with more tools and a clean understanding of our priorities.
Thank you all,
Sean
The Special Edge will act as a clearinghouse for resources and information. Please refer back to this blog when looking for key resources during the Covid-19 school closure.
Recorded Q and A session – this is where you find the recorded WEB Ex Q and A sessions
Oregon Department of Education Guidance Documents – here you can find all the COVID-19 guidance published by ODE
SPED Teacher tools – here you can find student contact templates, tech tips, etc.
All, If you want to see the responses to a question here’s the link:
ALL Groups Q&A (Responses)
IT’S ESY TIME!
Here is the link to our ESY documents (also found on our Portal – under ESY docs and forms).
https://portal.bend.k12.or.us/special-programs/content/esy-extended-school-year
There is also a folder with GRO/EXCEL information and the ESY Timeline/Checklist. Please be sure to read through the GRO/EXCEL process as well as the Timeline.
Parks & Rec has three offerings within GRO/EXCEL. GRO or EXCEL, Extended Adventures and Camp. We will pay for any ONE of these. Please make sure to mark which on the parent consent form as there is a price difference for Camp.
From the Desk of Heidi Hanson:
CURRICULUM ORDERS
It is time to look ahead to the next school year and project your curriculum needs.
I will be adding the order forms to the Staff Portal in the “Accounting Forms” section under Special Programs for the following curriculum:
- Corrective Reading
- Q-Reads
- Quick Reads
- Reading Mastery
- Cars and Stars
- Zoom In
- Phonics for Reading
- Rewards
If you are in need of something other than those curricula, please find the “Equipment/Material Request” in the same section on the Portal and fill that out. Please be sure to include order #’s and/or ISBN #’s. ALL of these orders MUST be returned to me before you leave for your summer break.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.
From the Desks of the Behavior Coaches:
Office Hours:
The Behavior Coaches will be hosting office hours through WebEx on Mondays and Wednesdays from 11:00 – 12:00 PM for the next several weeks. Feel free to drop in for problem solving or with questions. Link
We are starting to put together the following supports for students, staff and parents:
- Adding local mental health resources and contact info to the district website
- Putting together a hub of resources for supporting families and their children with rhythm, regulation and routine in this new distance learning format
- Exploring digital coaching with parents
- Exploring ways to implement, monitor and track behavior goals
We welcome your input and feedback on the above, and both immediate and long-term social, emotional and behavioral support needs.
Resources:
Online Video Conferencing Expectations
Brain Break Visuals
From the desk of Shannon Watters:
Some document links for you.
Special Ed School Reports – These reports will be helpful for planning and accessing
information for your entire caseload.
Scanning using Notes app (iPad/IPhone) – The Notes app has the ability to work as a scanner. This can be helpful in getting documents to the Records Clerks or home to parents.
Using BLSend