Archive for Uncategorized

Dear Dr. Perlmutter:  On behalf of the Special Needs Advocacy Group in the Cheltenham School District, I would like to offer some observations about the February 16 meeting of the Educational Affairs Committee.  Several of our members attended this meeting to hear Doris Galante’s presentation on special education.  We were interested in the District’s plans for educating our children, especially in light of the shocking difference in PSSA scores between special needs and typical students.  All of us have children whose lives are directly impacted by how the District administers special education services, and all of us have personal experiences within the system.  SNAG represents many parents with similar experiences.When parents were given the opportunity to speak after Ms. Galante’s presentation, our questions and comments appeared to be met with defensiveness or disinterest.  It seemed to us that parental input was not welcome, but rather a nuisance that was holding up the progress of the late meeting. We realize that Board members put in long, full days before the Board meetings and that many are already very familiar with the issues discussed at public meetings.  But frankly we were surprised and disappointed to see some Board members talking extensively amongst themselves during parts of Ms. Galante’s presentation and otherwise making it look like they were not really paying attention to what she was saying.  In addition, instead of valuing parents’ real-life experiences and questions about the presentation, the Educational Affairs Committee appeared to dismiss the comments and repeatedly chastised parents for trying to speak.  Parents finally gave up when it was clear that their input wasn’t valued.Although we were dismayed by the Board response on February 16, we trust and hope that the Board is, in fact, interested in hearing directly from parents and students about their experiences with special education. SNAG has a good working relationship with Ms. Galante and we would like to establish a productive dialogue between the School Board and parents about special education issues as well.   As you know, special education is a vital component of our school program not only because of the real children whose lives are affected by the special education program but also for legal and financial reasons.  We hope that we will be able to find a way to work together for the benefit of Cheltenham’s children. Sincerely, David Flaks, Special Needs Advocacy Group in the Cheltenham School District (SNAG) Cc: Tina Viletto, School Board President

Challenger baseball invites special needs kids, aged 7 to 18, to play baseball in a supportive environment.  Games are played on Woodland Field 1 (formerly called CAA field) in Cheltenham.  For more information, contact Joel Fishbein at jfishbein@lawsgr.com.

Doris Galante, Director of Special Education, presented to the Ed Affirs Committee of the School Board about Special Ed in Cheltenham Township on February 16, 2010.  Her Powerpoint is presented here.  edu_affairs_feb_161.ppt . 

Educationally-Based Occupational Therapy

Teresa Caroll from PTS (Pediatric Theraputic Services) presented on what school-based OT services are, who is eligible, and models of service delivery.  PTS is the service provider for the School District of Cheltenham Township for OT services. To see the presentation, click here — educationally_related_ot__chelt_parents1.ppt.

Sponsored by the School District of Cheltenham Township and the Special Needs Advocacy Group

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On October 21, The Special Needs Advocacy Group in the Cheltenham School District presented An insider’s guide to special education: What you need to know.

The presentation by Attorney Michael Basch and Certified Parent Advocate Tanya Regli can be found here.

In conjunction with the 19th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the U.S. Department of Labor has re-named and re-launched DisabilityInfo.gov as Disability.gov. Available at http://www.disability.gov, the site offers comprehensive information about programs and services to better serve more than 50 million Americans with disabilities, their family members, veterans, employers, educators, caregivers and anyone interested in disability-related information.

Dear SNAG community:
The Special Needs Advocacy Group would like to hear from you!  We’re collecting stories about the best experiences your family has had with special education in the Cheltenham School District.  We’re especially interested in teachers, educational teams, other professionals, paraeducators and administrators who have made a positive difference for your child and family.  All submissions will remain anonymous.  Please do not include your child’s name in your submission.  We’ll be posting excerpts on our web site and sharing your feedback with Doris Martin, the Director of Special Education.

Please forward your stories to David Flaks at Davidflaks@aol.com.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Here are the submissions of other families:

Cheltenham Elementary:  I want to “sing” the praises of a member of our Cheltenham family, Mr. Harmer.  Last night our family was at Cheltenham Elementary for the 4th Grade concert.  My son (Dx. Autism, ADHD, Anxiety) is in the Learning Support Class at Cheltenham.  Well, Mr Harmer put on a show like none I’ve seen before.  Each 4th grade class had one song where he showcased their talents with instruments.  He put my son on the drum.  He LOVED it.  He was so proud of himself.  We were so proud of him.  Now THAT’s INCLUSION!  When the show ended ALL three of my kids wanted to say “Hi” to Mr. Harmer.  They were so excited to be with him.  What a kind and gentle man.  Mr. Harmer knew something about each of my children.  Even though he sees them at 3 different schools.  WOW!  We are truly blessed here in Cheltenham school district to have Mr. Harmer.  I thought you ALL should know.

 Elkins Park School: Our child has had the most amazing fifth-grade year at Elkins Park School on the “C” team.  All the teachers really understand inclusion – they are able to set high standards while also being kind and supportive. They treat each student as an individual.  Ms. Rothenbach and Ms. Susanin work exceptionally well as a team and should be a model for co-teaching throughout the School District.  In addition, we would like to recognize the following individuals for their part in making this a great school year: Ms. Cohen-Johnson, Mr. Chadwin, Ms. Baines, Ms. Friedman, Mr. Harmer, Ms. Sommovilla, Ms. Elefant, Ms. Donohue and Mrs. Nejman. 

Wyncote Elementary:Catherine Feskanin, the speech therapist at Wyncote Elementary, helped my son tremendously over a period of 3 years. He has a severe communication delay and she was able to help us not only understand how to break language down for him, but come up with simple, visual ways to communicate better with him. These strategies were carried through to his teachers as well as to our work at home with him. We all started to back up our conversations and instructions with him with visuals that helped him understand what we were trying to teach or say.  Ms. Feskanin always took the time to explain what, why and how our son was working on the next step, whether it be formulating questions or expressing abstract ideas on literature.  We are truly grateful for her work with all our children and her capacity to not only guide the children but also the adults around them.

Cheltenham High School:I have been very pleased with the support of Ms. Wanda Anderson at CHS. She helped make my son’s transition in February as smooth as possible. She was always available when there were concerns and met with us and CHS staff members when necessary. She addressed questions about my son’s IEP, academic progress and emotional support that arose periodically.  Next , I want to express my appreciation to my son’s case manager, Chris Rappaport. Again, here is another staff member who was concerned for my son’s academic and emotional progress. She always addressed my concerns as well. She was also his math support teacher and did her best to help him experience success. A team of teachers I want to mention is Mr. Steven Janke and Ms. Britteny Agger. My son was in their western civ. class and almost always experienced success. Their methodologies work-bottom line!! He is fortunate to be rostered in their history class next year.  Finally, thanks to Ms. Doris Martin and Ms. Wendy Emerson who met with me personally this spring to discuss a serious concern I had concerning my son’s IEP and academic progress.  I am hoping to continue a positive working relationship with the folks at CHS and the special education administrators.

Inspirational and uplifting, this song should be shared with anyone who needs a reminder of what a ’special parent’ endures every day … click the link below, turn up the volume, listen, and reflect …

The Life That’s Chosen Me

Samantha (Sam) Levy, behavior analyst from the MCIU, gave an excellent presentation on the role of the behavior analyst in the school – including “what is an FBA”, development and implementation of behavior plans, and the home to school connection regarding challenging behaviors. Her presentation is attached here.