Special Ed

Put Your Oxygen Mask On First – Simple Parenting Tools for Complex Little Kids

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As parents, we are of no use to our kids if we’re overwhelmed. It’s crucial that we keep in touch with our own physical, mental and emotional pulse so we can provide the nurturing structure and guidance our children need. School psychologist David P. Sylvestro, MA, CSP, will discuss ways we can keep ourselves “steady and ready”— making sure our oxygen masks are properly on— by knowing how to recognize when our own stress levels may be interfering with our parenting goals and what to do when that happens. Dave facilitates individual and group counseling sessions, parent support groups and Dads-Only groups, provides training and staff development to professionals, and presents at LD conferences worldwide. He served as school psychologist at Eagle Hill Schools for over 35 years and currently holds that position at The Southport School.

Special Ed

How to Talk with Your Child’s Team:Effective Communication During the PPT/504 Process

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Difficult conversations can be unpleasant, confrontational and provoking. A common fear is that an already challenging situation may get worse because of unresolved issues, conflict or loss of trust among interested parties. When it comes to PPT or 504 meetings with parents and school personnel, the stakes are often high: decisions made during these meetings can ultimately determine the educational services your child receives and the direction of his/her future path. In this workshop, Todd Kellogg, LMFT, BCBA, a licensed behavior analyst and family therapist, will discuss the importance of effective communication skills; how you, as parents, can become more emotionally self-aware during difficult conversations; how to avoid falling “heart first” into conflict with school-based teams; and how to forge collaborative relationships with school personnel despite disagreements and competing priorities. This event is free and open to the public.

News

Schools: Out-of-District Tuition Costs To Exceed Budget

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District officials say they’re projected to spend nearly $600,000 more than budgeted this fiscal year on out-of-district tuition—a line item that can refer, in part, to when public schools pay for the education elsewhere of kids with disabilities. New Canaan Public Schools regularly sees 14 to 18 students “out-placed” each year, Assistant Superintendent of Pupil and Family Services Darlene Pianka said at Monday night’s Board of Education meeting. This year, four additional students around whom the district “had issues of concern around safety” have been “placed in therapeutic settings,” Pianka said. “And in addition to those four students, there have been a number of students in the late summer and in the early fall that the district has been in mediation with over unilateral placements that students’ parents have made—some for other than educational purposes, and others just in their requests for placement that the district disagreed with,” Pianka said at the meeting, held in the Wagner Room at New Canaan High School. According to data supplied by the district at the meeting, $2.7 million had been budgeted for out-of-district tuition this year, and that’s about $579,851 short of what the schools now are expecting to spend.