Events & Activities
NEW!
GREAT NEWS for parents of students 14 years of age and older!!!
If your specials needs teenager is high functioning and diploma bound but still doesn’t have age appropriate social and emotional skills, do we have a program for you!
Do you worry at night that when your child graduates from high school, that they won’t be ready for the employment market, college or trade school or independence?
Does your child's school address your their academic needs but neglects to provide them with sufficient levels of support and services to properly address their social skills, independent functioning skills, independent living skills, community engagement skills and community integration skills?
If the answers to these questions are YES, then please read this excerpt from the law:
http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/lawsandregs/sect2001.htm
200.1(fff) Transition Services means a coordinated set of activities for a student with a disability, designed within a results-oriented process, that is focused on improving the academic and functional achievement of the student with a disability to facilitate the student's movement from school to post-school activities, including, but not limited to, post-secondary education, vocational education, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation. The coordinated set of activities must be based on the student's strengths, preferences and interests, and shall include needed activities in the following areas:
(1) instruction;
(2) related services;
(3) community experiences;
(4) the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives; and
(5) when appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and provision of a functional vocational evaluation.
Now that you have read the law, you understand that transition services are your child’s right. The truly unfortunate thing is that the DOE does not really provide a program or a service to address these needs and rights of our high functioning children. Sadly, if your children were NOT diploma bound, the DOE has transition services for them. However, the DOE has NOTHING for the new generation of high academically achieving students with low to moderate social skills, who ARE diploma bound!
BUT, the really good news is, that there now IS an IEP driven program out there for your child’s transitional needs!
Through the collaborative efforts of very talented psychologists, speech pathologist, Occupational Therapist and Physical Therapist, a Transition program has now been developed to teach the skills of independence, community living, and community engagement to your child!
This program will address the following areas of functioning:
1) Independent living
2) Community engagement and interaction (social skills)
3) Health, Safety and Nutrition
4) Movement, mobility and travel/transportation
These skill areas will be addressed through four different modalities, in separate group sessions and then with a combined modality approach for the fifth session.
The specific goals that the group will be working on will be specific to the group participant’s individual needs; however, here is an example of the types of skills that might be worked on depending on the individual needs of the group participants:
TRANSITION GOALS
Communication Skills
1) The student will pause when approaching people, to see if they are in they are engaged in a task or conversation before he engages them.
2) When in contact or conversation with others, the student will recognize the non-verbal and verbal cues of when he is being overbearing or dominating the moment and will temper his discussion or interaction accordingly.
3) The student will be able to learn the strategies for making lists when given verbal instructions.
4) The student will learn how to state his specific needs within the community, i.e.: asking bus driver to alert him of his stop, ordering food items specifically such as, specifying an unseeded roll, “toasted” roll, or “hold” an item.
5) The student will be able to independently an appropriately make phone call inquiries regarding needs such as, employment opportunities, scheduling appointments, phone interview, the rental of an apartment, making purchases, arranging instillation or service, utility inquiries, etc.
6) The student will answer questions about himself and his experiences in a realistic and truthful manner.
7) The student will be able to participate in an interview appropriately, he will listen to the interviewer appropriately, will not dominate the conversation and he will respond accurately and appropriately to what is asked.
8) The student will learn appropriate discretion in giving out personal information about himself, his family and others, to strangers, acquaintances, teachers, friends and classmates.
Independent Living Skills
9) The student will gain an ability to develop realistic time management plans.
10) The student will gain a realistic understanding of the true value of money.
11) The student will gain an understanding of the true limits and access of money.
12) The student will be able to understand the budgetary monitoring and responsibilities required for independent living.
13) The student will learn to develop independently a realistic mock budget.
14) The student will gain a realistic perception of time and time passage.
15) The student will be able to independently develop time management plans and daily schedules to include school, work, leisure time and responsibilities
16) The student will explore adult leisure activities and get an understanding for what activities he enjoys and can feasibly and realistically participate in.
17) The student will learn how to independently and safely make basic meals that he enjoys to eat.
18) The student will be able to develop a simple, economical, weekly menu and will be able to develop a grocery list to fulfill it.
19) The student will learn where important facilities and municipalities are located in the community he lives in and he will learn how to get there and contact them (i.e.; Hospital, doctors office, dentist, police department, post office, bank, grocery stores, Mall etc)
20) The student will learn a realistic understanding of his health needs (routine medical and dental appointments and urgent care needs), and will recognize what is a serious health related concern that needs addressing by a health care professional and what isn’t (i.e.; bruises and scratches can be cared for at home, gashes and broken bones cannot).
Vocational Skills
21) The student will learn a realistic understanding of his current employment qualifications and employability.
22) The student will learn a realistic understanding of the requirements and precursor education, experience and training needed to attain his future employment goals.
23) The student will learn how to appropriately receive constructive criticism and/or correction.
Social Emotional
24) The student will be able to recognize and assume responsibility for his actions, regardless of his intents and apologize and rectify the problem.
25) The student will learn to utilize the various supports available to him and will seek assistance unprompted.
26) The student will decrease the animated and/or exaggerated way in which he acts and reacts in social situations.
27) The student will learn the appropriate volume to use when speaking and laughing.
28) The student will learn how to be an active, but silent listener.
29) The student will recognize, by the reaction of others when he behaves inappropriately
30) The student will not dominate conversation or interrupt with tangential off topic stories.
31) The student will learn how to have a conversation and not just retell stories.
32) The student will understand that being silly or odd is not an appropriate form of social interaction.
33) The student will learn to tell an authority figure when he is being picked on or made fun of.
34) The student will not allow peers to “dare” him or coax him into doing dangerous or inappropriate things just to be accepted.
35) The student will recognize the difference between a “friend” and a friendly acquaintance.
36) The student will recognize the non-verbal cues of when people do not wish to engage in conversation or interact with him.
Mobility and Transportation Goals
37) The student will learn how to get home from school by three different methods (i.e. two different bus routes and the train).
38) The student will learn the proper way to politely but expediently, disengage from contact with an unknown person who approaches him.
39) The student will be able to successfully and independently use resources like MTA Trip Planner, Access NYC,
311, map quest, and bus maps to plan out local trips to school, employment, library, store, mall, grocery store, doctor’s, dentist, bank library or medical facilities, movie theater, bowling and other places of leisure activities, etc.
40) The student will be able to plan trips and local excursions, including time calculations for departure and arrival and the cost of transportation.
41) The student will be able to safely and independently travel to work, school, vocational program, bank, store, medical and dental appointments, stores, library and throughput the community.
42) The student will be able to learn age appropriate safety awareness skills and social/safety judgment skills.
43) The student will gain a realistic understanding and estimation of his true size, (with outerwear and back pack, and without), as well as recognizing the true spaces that he is ambulating in and around.
44) The student will recognize when he is in a high traffic area when ambulating and accordingly not stop suddenly or veer to the left or right without looking first.
45) The student will be aware of others ambulating around him and will accordingly, not “cut them off” or crash into them and recognize the personal space of others.
46) The student will be aware when he is bumping into people and he will pause and apologize.
47) The student will decrease self-stimulatory body and hand movements to a normalized appearance when standing still or speaking.
48) The student will assume a more normalized gate when walking, running and jogging.
HEALTH, SAFETY AND HYGIENE
49) The student will gain a basic understanding of first aide and safety
49) The student will learn to identify a superficial injury versus a moderate injury versus a serious injury
50) The student will learn how to calmly address and care for each of the above mentioned concerns (self-care, a doctors visit, and ER visit)
51) The student will learn to identify when he is not feeling well and what the inappropriate course of action is (self care, doctor’s visit, ER visit)
52) The student will learn the proper way to politely be expediently disengage from contact with an unknown person who approaches him.
If you are interested in your child participating in this IEP driven program, please mail a copy of your child’s most recent IEP, their most recent evaluations and progress reports and most recent school report cards, with an accompanying cover letter detailing your primary transitional concerns for your child and contact information, to the following address:
Families Helping Families
Attention Transition Program
112 Petrus Avenue
Staten Island New York 10312
After a review of the requested information, you will be contacted to arrange an interview for your child with the program facilitators.
Sincerely,
Andrea Anna Lella
PARENTS OF SPECIAL NEEDS CHILDREN
HAVE YOUR VOICES HEARD!!!
DEPARTMENT of EDUCATION IS SENDING TOP SPECIAL EDUCATION OFFICIALS TO STATEN ISLAND TO HEAR YOUR CONCERNS!!!
WHAT: A City Wide Council for Special Education Meeting
WHEN: THIS Wednesday evening, October 21, 2009 @ 6:30 PM
WHERE: Marsh Avenue Expeditionary Learning School, Marsh Avenue and Essex Drive, (behind PS 58 and the SI Mall)
WHY: To hear YOUR concerns and comments regarding your child's special education services!
Please come to this meeting and tell the DOE's highest special ed officials what is working and what is not.
Let them know how to better meet your child's needs!
If you are having any type of problem, like busing, placement, a lack of timely services, inadequate program choices, etc, come have your voice heard!
The second and fourth Tuesday of every month at 10:00am at 264 Watchogue Road, SI.
The next meeting date is Tuesday, June 23. Parent Support groups do not meet during the months of July and August. The next meeting will be Sept. 8, 2009. Please call the Grace Office at 718-983-3800 to register. See attached flyer for dates.
SWIMMING - Resumes in September. Saturdays 2:30pm-3:30pm and Mondays 5:30pm-6:30pm. Please call Julie Larsen at 718-983-3800 to register.
OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH
Special Olympics
Who: Special needs children of all functioning levels ages 6-16
What: A
Where: Miller Field, New Dorp, Staten Island New York
When: 4/25, 5/2, 5/9, 5/16, 5/30, 6/6, 6/13
Why: To support our children’s need for recreation!
Please note that during the skills training sessions, all children will be assessed and placed on teams according to functioning level, age and size. All coaches, assistant coaches and shadows will be trained by Special Olympics.
To register:
First go to the League website, which is at www.siysl.org, then click on the link for TOPSocccer Registration on the left of the home page, then on the next screen click on the orange bar that says login and register here. On the next page, enter your e-mail address and a password, and that will take you to the standard SIYSL registration form. After you have completed the information on that form and saved it, the site will take you to our questionnaire on the next screen page, and you enter the rest of the information there.
Please use a valid email address; this is an e-mail based system whose features will allow us to quickly organize the athletes into appropriate practice groups and teams, once everybody is registered. It will also allow me to advise all of you promptly of any cancellations or postponements due to weather conditions, as we had to do so often in the fall.
For more information, contact Coach Rooney at:
CRooneycmr@aol.com
NEW!
“Families Helping Families” Presents:
A FREE Eight Week Special Education Workshop Series
Conducted by Andrea Lella
Learn everything you ever wanted to know about helping your special needs child but didn’t know where to ask!
Topics to be addressed:
Special Ed Law - Learn the Law and how to access the services available, so you can be the best advocate for your child.
Your Rights- They're your child’s rights! Learn how to protect them!
Educate yourself- Allow us to translate the acronym ridden and mystical world of the DOE and IEP development into straight talk.
Parenting Tips - Learn strategies to implement in your home that will support your child’s learning, independence and behavioral development. Discover the path to your child's success!
WHEN: Mondays from 10:00 AM to
3/2/, 3/9, 3/16, 3/23, 3/30, 4/11, 4/20, 4/27, 5/11 (make up date for canceled 5/4 date)
EXTENDED 4 MORE WEEKS!!!
WHEN: Thursdays from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
5/21, 5/28, 6/11 & 6/18
(JUNE 18TH EVEN CANCELED!!!)
WHERE: SIDDSO, “
(Building with blue awning).
For Additional Information and to Pre-Register for entire course or select weeks, email:
FamiliesHelpingFamilies@MSN.com
(Course syllabus to be announced)
This FREE Eight Week Educational Workshop series will include instruction on the following topics; Advocacy, The Law, Impartial Hearings, Your Rights as a Public AND Private school parent, Compliance & Implementation, Your Rights to Reject an IEP, Sate Education Complaints, IEP development, understanding evaluations, goal development, available testing accommodations, Functional behavioral Assessments (FBA), Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIP), Behavioral Modification Plan (BMP), available services & programs, modified promotional criteria, transition, homework strategies, behavioral techniques, parenting tips and much, much more!
HELPFUL HINT; FEEL FREE TO BRING YOUR CHILD'S IEP, EVALUATIONS, STANDARDIZED TESTS ETC.
NEW!
A large number of children, teen, and family events and classes offered for free by the Greenbelt Recreation Center for the months of April, May, and June have now been added to the calender. These events include:
- Adaptive Tennis and Wheelchair Power
Soccer (Sundays) - Teen Fitness (Mondays and Fridays)
- Teen Improv Workshops (Tuesdays and Wednesdays)
- Teen Volleyball (Thursdays)
- Family Fitness Hike, Family Intro to Chess, Kids Drums, Teen Tennis, Kids Ceramics, and Family Wiffleball (all on Saturdays)
PAST EVENTS!
COME PLAY FOOTBALL WITH US!!!!
December 14
January 4, 11, 18
- The Challenger Football Program will be meeting on Sunday, 12/14/08 , 11 AM @ Victory Sports Arena, on Wild Ave (Victory Blvd & West Shore Expwy behind the NY Sports Club) Indoor facility!!! The new indoor facility is very comfortable for players and fans!!!
For more information please call Rick Clark (718)667-0241 or go to www.leaguelineup.com/sipwfl
November 9–
November 10
November 11
November 16
November 19 -
· Free Lecture about what is new in the field of neurology. Back by popular demand, Drs. DeFina & Neubrander will speak on all the new and interesting things going on in the field of neurology. Free Dinner. You must RSVP. SEE ATTACHED FLYER.
November 22 & 23 –
November 23
· The Park at Dark. Explore the dark corners of Blue Heron Park. 718-967-3542.
December 1 –
·
- Northfield Bank Foundation.
December 4 –
Special Olympics
Who: Special needs children of all functioning levels ages 6-16
What: A
Where: Miller Field, New Dorp, Staten
When: SKILLS CLINICS TO BE HELD ON: September 27th & October 4th from
GAMES TO BE PLAYED ON: October 18th & 25th and November 1st, 8th, & 15th from 2:30 to 4:30 PM
Why: To support our children’s need for recreation!Please note that during the skills training sessions, all children will be assessed and placed on teams according to functioning level, age and size. All coaches, assistant coaches and shadows will be trained by Special Olympics and all assistant coaches and 1:1 shadows will be disabilities trained by Families Helping Families.
Documents required:
Special Olympics medical/consent
Please mail completed forms to Head Coach Rooney at:
Chris RooneyCoach Rooney can be contacted at:
or 718-816-9847
For any questions regarding your child special needs please contact us at:
FamiliesHelpingFamilies@msn.com
FamiliesHelpingFamilies@msn.com
.
More Information (MS Word File)
Free Recreation Program for Special Needs Children Ages 6-9
Program runs from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM on Saturdays, September through June.
Sports activities will be followed by snack time, a bathroom break, and swimming!
Activities to include:
Cooperative play, taking turns, running races scooter board, races, sport skills: throwing, kicking, bouncing, running, jumping, etc.
Learned through various activities such as:
Day ends with 30 minutes in the pool.
Documents required:
Special Olympics medical/consent
Elizabeth Connelly pool medical
Psycho-ed or psycho-social evaluation - with adaptive behavior scores and IQ.
Children must be ambulatory and bathroom trained.
Interested parties please contact Ms. Joanne Certo @ 212-870-4870 or after 5:00 PM call 347-623-3003
Medical forms can be sent to the Special Olympics Office at:
SI Special Olympics
930 Willowbrook Rd. Bldg. 12-G
SI NY 10314
More Information (MS Word File)
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Special Olympics Medical Form (PDF file)
This form is required for the
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