March 30, 2015
Special Education
Family Newsletter
  Your connection to
Special Edu
cation services and resources
at
Seattle Public Schools.
Message from the Executive Director

Dear Families and Friends of Special Education Services in Seattle Public Schools,


We are excited about the Special Education Regional Meetings that have been held in the Southeast and Northeast Regions of Seattle Public Schools and are looking forward to the next three regional meetings. Prior to meeting with families, from 6 to 7 p.m., the special ed staff from that region meets from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m.

 

Through improved outreach efforts, attendance of both staff and families is growing at the regional meetings. On March 16th, in the Northeast Region, at Roosevelt High School, about 80 families attended. Families and staff asked great questions and their feedback let us know that they felt heard. These meetings are a step in the direction of developing a shared vision for special education in SPS, which includes staff, families, and community stakeholders. We are learning from these events and will continue to build a structure so that we can implement more of these types of regional meetings in the future.

 

In the month of April we will continue to work closely with our university partners to recruit high qualified staff as an essential part of the District's ongoing efforts to improve services and outcomes of our students with disabilities.

 

We value and thank you for your partnership!

 

Sincerely,
Wyeth Jessee
Executive Director of Special Education Services
Who to Contact
The SPS Special Education Ombudsperson is here to help you:
Margo Siegenthaler at (206) 252-0794
spedombuds@seattleschools.org 
 
If you are concerned about a preschooler with a possible delay in development, call:
Child Find Screening and Referral:
(206) 252-0805  
 
To contact Enrollment Services call: (206) 252-0760
 
General Special Education Questions by Region please contact the Regional Special Education Supervisors listed below:

NE Regional Supervisor:
Sherry Studley at (206) 252-0842 srstudley@seattleschools.org

NW Regional Supervisor:
Heather Brown at (206) 252-0836   habrown@seattleschools.org

Central Regional Supervisor:
Patricia Campbell at (206) 252-0979 pacampbell@seattleschools.org

SE Regional Supervisor:
Beth Thorson at (206) 252--0262 bmthorson@seattleschools.org
 
West Seattle Regional Supervisor:
Spencer Pan at (206) 252-0887 rupan@seattleschools.org
 
Early Childhood Supervisor:
Beth Carter at (206) 252-0665 ercarter@seattleschools.org
 
Private School Supervisor:
Robin Olney at (206) 252-0870 reolney@seattleschools.org
  
Director of Special Education
Michaela Clancy at (206) 252-0807
cmclancy@seattleschools.org
 
Director of School Based Special Education Services
Kari Hanson at (206) 252-2105
klhanson1@seattleschools.org
Upcoming Events

Parent Transition Informatiohn Night

Thurs Apr 2, 6:30 p.m.

Ingraham High School Library

1819 N 135th St, Seattle, WA 98133

Presentations from a panel include representatives from DDA, DVR, ARC of King County, Shoreline Community College, and more.

 

Special Education Regional Meetings

Central Region, Mon. Apr 6, 6 - 7 p.m.

Washington Middle School Library

2101 S. Jackson St.

West Seattle Region, Mon Apr 20, 6 - 7 p.m.,

West Seattle High School Cafeteria
3000 California Ave. SW

Northwest Region, Mon May 11, 6 - 7 p.m.

Ballard High School Library

1418 NW 65th St 

 

April is Autism Awareness Month!

Voices of Autism 

Saturday, April 11, 2015 10-4:30 

Seattle Pacific University

Upper Gwinn Commons

3307 3rd Ave West, Seattle WA 98119

Resource fair, lectures, panel discussion.

Participation is free.

For more information: Click here 

 

Special Education PTSA Meetings

Mon. April 27, 2015, 7 - 9 p.m.

Mon. May 18, 2015, 7 - 9 p.m.

John Stanford Center, Auditorium

Seattle Public Schools, 2445 Third Ave,

Seattle, WA 98134

 

3rd Annual Resource Night for Families of Blind Students

Thursday, April 30, 2015, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Lowell Elementary School

1058 E. Mercer St.

Seattle, WA 98102

Come find out about resources for the blind in Washington state and meet other families.

 

SEAAC Meetings

Tues May 5, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

Tues June 16, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.

John Stanford Center, Room 2776

Seattle Public Schools, 2445 Third Ave, Seattle WA 98134

 

Deaf/Hard of Hearing Community

Gathering

Tues, May 19, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

John Stanford Center, Auditorium

Seattle Public Schools, 2445 Third Ave,

Seattle WA 98134

 

Understanding Learning Disabilities

Tues, May 19, 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Aki Kurose Middle School Library

3928 S. Graham Street

Seattle, WA 98118

Light snack, supervised children's activities, and language support is provided.

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED!

To register, call: 253-216-4479 or email: info@multiculturalfamilies.org

Resources for Families
SPS Special Education PTSA
seattlespecialedptsa.org
 
ARC of King County
www.arcofkingcounty.org
 
Open Doors for Multicultural Families
www.multiculturalfamilies.org
 
Sound Options Group (mediation services)
www.soundoptionsgroup.com
 
Developmental Disabilities Administration
www.dshs.wa.gov/dda
 
Behavior Support Team (BeST)
www.SeattleChildrensHome.org
 
Office of the Education Ombuds (OEO)
/www.governor.wa.gov/oeo/
 
OSPI Guidance for Families
www.k12.wa.us/SpecialEd/families

Asian Counseling and Referral Services
www.acrs.org

The Fathers Network
  www.fathersnetwork.org

The Autism Center in Seattle

CHADD, Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
Welcome

Welcome to the Special Education Family Newsletter. Please share the SpEd Newsletter with others, and send comments to spedombuds@seattleschools.org.

 

If someone forwarded the Special Education Family Newsletter to you, sign up here.

 

News
You are invited to come to a Special Education Regional Meeting  

The Special Education Department will be hosting three more Regional Meetings for families and the community to learn about changes that are happening in Special Education in Seattle Public Schools. We want to listen to you and hear your questions. Please join Wyeth Jessee, the Executive Director of Special Education; Michaela Clancy, Director of Special Education; Kari Hanson, Director of School Based Special Education Services; the Regional Supervisor for your area; the Special Education Ombudsperson and more Special Education staff.

 

We welcome you at any of the upcoming Special Education Regional Meetings, regardless of where you live.

 

CENTRAL REGION
Monday, April 6, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Washington Middle School Library
2101 S. Jackson St.

Northeast Special Education Regional Meeting


WEST SEATTLE REGION
Monday, April 20, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
West Seattle High School Cafeteria
3000 California Ave. SW 

 

NORTHWEST REGION
Monday, May 11, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
Ballard High School Library
1418 NW 65th St. 

 

Supervised children's activities and light snack will be provided. Interpreters for the following languages will be available: Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese, and Chinese.

We hope to see you there!

 

Download a printable flyer with translations in Spanish, Somali, Vietnamese and Chinese at http://bit.ly/1NAuvo0  


Questions? contact: Margo Siegenthaler at 206-252-0794,
masiegenthaler@seattleschools.org  

Open Doors' Autism Equal Access/iPad Seattle Project

ipad for autismThe iPad Seattle Porject is a part of the Autism Equal Access Project in collaboration with the City of Seattle Technology Matching Fund Tech Literacy & Access that focuses on training parents from culturally and linguistically diverse families with children with Autsim spectrum disorders (ASD) living in the City of Seattle.

 

Participants get 12 hours of parent training sessions to learn about the iPads, communication apps, and Assistive Technology as well as follow up Play Group sessions.

 

Register now! The start date is April 11th at 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the STAR Center, 2126 26th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144

 

At this time, the project is looking for 3 more participants to complete their group of 10. The qualifications to participate are:

  • ASD (Autism Spectrum Disability) Diagnosis
  • Qualify for free/reduced lunch
  • K-5th grade
  • Attending Seattle Public Schools
  • Culturally, Linguistically and Diverse Family (Includes: Immigrant/refugee/person of color)
  • Commitment to the program

To register or find out more about Open Doors' Autism Equal Access/iPad Seattle Project, contact Jennifer Secker, (206) 484-1691, jens@multiculturalfamilies.org  

3rd Annual Resource night for Families of Blind Students will be held on April 30

Please join the Seattle Public Schools Vision Team as we welcome a variety of blindness-related organizations to SPS.

 

Each organization will have a space set up for families to stop by and learn about what resources are available to students with vision loss within the state of Washington. This is also a great chance to connect with other families of students with blindness!

 

Thursday, April 30, 2015 

5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

Lowell Elementary School cafeteria

1058 E. Mercer St., Seattle, WA 98102

(Free parking will be available in the Diamond Parking Lot at the comer of 11th Ave. E. and Aloha Ave. E. (about a block from the school). Street parking will also be available.

 

Questions? Contact:

Sara Zachariah, Team Leader for Vision Services, slzachariah@seattleschools.org 

UPDATE: School Assignments for next year  

Families who have questions about their child's school or program placement for next year may talk to their case manager on their child's IEP team or use the Assignment Look Up Tool to identify their child's school placement for the 2015-16 school year. Here is a link to that page: http://bit.ly/1H7COnw     

 

When using the Assignment Look Up Tool, you will need to provide: 

  • Your child's SPS Student ID#
  • Your child's Date of Birth

If you do not know your child's Student ID#, you may call Enrollment Services for assistance at 206-252-0760

 

Families who submitted a choice application during Open Enrollment will receive an assignment letter around the end of April. This letter will inform you of which school your student is assigned to for the 2015-16 school year, and if your student is on a waiting list for any school or program for the 2015-16 school year. There will also be a Waitlist Link available on our website in mid-April that will show the waitlist status (what # your student is on the waitlist): http://enrollment.www.seattleschools.org/  

Does your child struggle with keeping up in school?... Come to a workshop on "Understanding Learning Disabilities" on May 19

For this workshop, Seattle Public Schools is partnering with Open Doors for Multicultural Families. This workshop will be beneficial to parents whose children have a hard time with listening/paying attention, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, math, social skills, or have been diagnosed with a Specific Learning Disability. Examples of Learning Disabilities include ADHD, Dyslexia, etc.

 

You will learn:

  • What are Learning Disabilities?
  • Signs of Learning Disabilities
  • What kind of support is available at school?
  • What can parents do at home? 

Speaker: Sherry Studley, Special Education Services Supervisor, Seattle Public Schools

 

Monday, May 19, 2015

6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Aki Kurose Middle School Library

3928 S. Graham St

Seattle, WA 98118

 

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED by May 12, 2015!

To register contact Open Doors for Multicultural Families at: 253-216-4479 or info@multiculturalfamilies.org

 

For language support, contact:

Spanish: (253) 495-4392 (Yissel O.)

Somali: (253) 245-7304 (Hodan M.)

Korean: (253) 407-9501 (Min C.)

Japanese: (425) 753-6122 (Miho O.)

Russian: (206) 973-9974 (Olga L.)

SpEd in the Schools
Parent Teacher Partnership at Thurgood Marshall
Fadumo and Meredith

Fadumo Hirsi is pleased with the experience her son, Mohamed, is having in his developmental preschool program at Thurgood Marshall School. And she is thrilled about her relationship with her son's teacher, Meredith Fourre. Fadumo hopes others will have the same kind of positive experience.

 

Like all parents, Fadumo loves her child infinitely and would do anything for him. Yet an added factor that is a reality for herself and her son is that he has challenges that are diagnosed to be on the autism spectrum. She has said that many people from her culture (like many other cultures), have a taboo around acknowledging children with special needs openly. This can make it difficult to find resources that can offer support. Fadumo has found great support from advocates from Open Doors as well as her child's classroom at Thurgood Marshall. Read more. 

Ingraham High School uses theater games to teach social skills

 

Student actors: Emilia Cavalero, Connor MacFarlane, Raechel Cox, Sam Hansen, Alison Contreras, Delaney Cummings, Tony Munoz, and Eli Walsh. Not pictured: Camille Robinson and Tyler Bennett.
  

Ingraham High School is the home of the low incidence CBT (Community Based Training) SpEd program. Four years ago, Ms. Linda Smith began teaching a drama class to provide her students with the opportunity to learn social skills by using theater games. Soon afterwards, Ms. Smith found that reading short plays was an excellent literacy tool, which eventually led to writing group plays.

 

When Ingraham developed plans to become an international school, Ms. Smith, who was an active member of the International School Design Team, began introducing international themes in her drama class, and the students began writing one-hour plays about Japan, Spain, and this year, India, which they performed before a school audience the last day of the semester. Read more. 


To read about other examples of Seattle Public Schools' special ed programs using drama, read: Unified Drama brings together every voice and all abilities  

Seattle Public Schools Special Education PTSA
The Special Education PTSA is a great advocacy organization for families whose children are in special education. You are invited to come to their monthly meetings. The meetings coming up this year are:

Monday, April 27, 2015
Monday, May 18, 2015

All meetings are from 7 to 9 p.m., at the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence, 2445 3rd Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98134. Second Floor, Room 2700. 
We hope to see you there!
To learn more about SpEd PTSA and helpful resources go to: http://seattlespecialedptsa.org
SPS Special Education Advisory and Advocacy Council (SEAAC)
The next SEAAC meetings will be on:
May 5, 2015, from 4:30-6:30 p.m., at the John Stanford Center, in Room 2776
June 16, 2015, from 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., at the John Stanford Center in Room 2776.
The Special Education Family Newsletter is for you!
The Seattle Public Schools Special Education Department uses this newsletter to provide important information for families with children who receive special education services in Seattle Public Schools. Please send your questions and ideas for information and articles to: spedombuds@seattleschools.org   
Seattle Public Schools | Every Student. Every Classroom. Every Day.
2445 3rd Ave. S. Seattle, WA 98134 | (206) 252-0000