August-Getting Ready for School
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Transcript of August-Getting Ready for School
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/august-getting-ready-for-school 1/16
© TACA 2000-2009
Getting Ready for School
Nancy Cook
TACA, Santa Rosa
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/august-getting-ready-for-school 2/16
© TACA 2000-2009
Having a successful yeartakes planning:
• Communication between schooland home is essential, especially
for students with special needs
• Exchanging information easily is
what will make it successful forschool and home
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/august-getting-ready-for-school 3/16
© TACA 2000-2009
The first week:
• Even after an IEP, there is a periodof adjustment for all staff/students
• Often teachers don’t even receive
the students Cum folder until the 2nd or 3rd week of school or even later
• A Communication Book and “Who I
Am” letter will help staff get to know
your child and make their transitionfrom summer to school year easier.
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
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© TACA 2000-2009
Who is this child?
• A letter to my teacher: “15 things
about me” (see handout)
– Great way to introduce your child
– Asks and answers questions about your
child – Gives the teacher insight into who they
are and what makes them tick
– Makes suggestion to help “get to know”your child’s traits/needs/challenges
– Allows you to suggest ways to short-circuit negative behaviors at school
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
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© TACA 2000-2009
Communication BookBenefits of having a Communication
Book “form”•Communication with home
•Keeps the guess work out of what the
parents’ concerns are •Stop issues before habits form
•Better way to teach/help your child
•Better classroom management•Exchange of ideas/ “team” building
•Keeps everyone on the same page
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© TACA 2000-2009
Benefits of having a CommunicationBook “form” cont.
• Goals/objectives are easier to write andkeep track of
• No surprises at IEP meetings
• Good for record keeping (ie: behavior
changes can be tracked back to asupplement change, a new student cameto class, etc…)
• Helps teachers cue in on child’s dailyactivities they might not otherwise notice(ie: Johnny spends all of his recess eatingsnack to avoid socialization outside)
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/august-getting-ready-for-school 7/16 © TACA 2000-2009
Help the teachers buy intoit: They love it, they just don’t know
it yet!
• Increased communication with home
• Takes the guess work out of what theparents’ concerns are
• Teachers can share their concernsimmediately
• Stop issues before habits form• Better way to teach/help your child
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/august-getting-ready-for-school 8/16 © TACA 2000-2009
Help the teachers buy intoit: They love it, they just don’t know
it yet! cont…
• Goals/objectives are easier to write andkeep track of
• No surprises at IEP meetings
• Exchange of ideas/ “team” building
• Minimizes “after school conferences”
• Always keep communication positive orconstructive
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
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Make it as easy as possibleon the teacher.
Remember, you want them on yourside!
• Contact them as soon as you can and
show them the form/ask for their input• The form must be short/concise
• Must not take more than 1-2 min to
complete• Must not micromanage staff
• Allows for comments but doesn’t
demand them
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
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Possible negatives forteacher
• Takes too much time to fill out
• Way for parent to bitch/complain
• Feel like you are checking up on them
• Too intrusive in classroom management
• They can’t change the program without
you knowing
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
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How to make it successfulfor parents
• Addresses issues on a daily basis• Explains “what happened” in a simple
sentence or two
• Celebrates success/pinpoints challenges
• Shows how to make school moresuccessful
• Helps parents feel “connected”
• Ends “daily after -school” chats
• Teacher invests more in your child’s
progress or lack thereof
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
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Consider your child’s
areas of challenge when
developing your form:What are your main concerns?
• Sensory/OT
• Speech/Language
• Physical/health
• Self-regulation/tantrums
• Social skills/engaging with others
• Attention/focus
• Dietary/allergies
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
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Brainstorm the form
• Consider your child’s areas of challenge
(you can include IEP goals)
• Divide challenges into “categories”
• Address each “category” as completely as
possible• Grading behaviors:
– Ask for a simple “1-5” scores on behaviors
(1=totally asd………..5=neurotypical) – Ask to circle yes/no (ie: Did Jane play with any
other students today? Yes No)
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Brainstorm the form cont.
• Leave room for comments or elaborationif needed (teacher’s choice)
• Consider an area for parents to fill outbefore school:
– “Morning Routine” (this helps teachers take
the communication book more seriously –
they know you’re invested too!)
– also gives them an idea what happened in
the morning before school
• Remember you set the pace, if you forgetto fill it in, so will they
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
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When to start using it
• Immediately after you have talked tothe teacher and explained it
*ask them for changes/revisions
*give them two weeks to maketheir changes but keep usingyour original form so the habit isformed by staff
• After the first quarter, revisit the formand ask for suggested changes,things that aren’t working
8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School
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Thank you for listening
Time for questions:
Let’s brainstorm
your child’s form