PALS Meeting Minutes
December 18, 2024 9:30 a.m.
Virtual Meeting using Zoom
Open Forum
Open Forum is an opportunity for participants to come together and discuss a variety of topics, offer resources, and ask questions related to special education.
Communication Between Staff in School and School Staff and Home
Ultimately, it is important for families to continue to advocate for themselves by initiating the level of communication they expect, even if that level is written in an IEP. Families with 504 Plans can be especially vulnerable to a lack of communication.
We are told there is a point person within the school for our student's IEP or 504 Plan; whether that be a special education teacher or counselor. That individual is tasked with make sure the teachers your student interacts with while at school have a copy of the SDI (specially designed instruction) section of the IEP or accomodations/modifications found in the 504 Plan. We assume that communication happens but when it doesn't it often derails the purpose of the plans, leaving students and families feeling like although they have taken one step forward, they took two steps backward.
So what can you do? Advocate for your student.
Take it upon yourself to contact your child's new teacher(s) at the beginning of the school year / semester / quarter.
Introduce your child by providing them some insight; likes, dislikes, tendencies, strong interests or lack of interest. Keep it managable. You want to make sure they will read it.
Send them a copy of what should already be in their classrooms whether that is the SDI section of their IEP or their 504 Plan.
Ask them to read it and let them know you are available if they have questions.
Include a note on one your child is doing well with and something that needs reinforcement.
Let them know you are available to talk, ask them how they prefer to be contacted. If it's a platform like Schoology or PowerSchool and you're not sure how it works, let them know and ask for assistance. They may be able to explain how to use the the system themselves or put you in touch with someone who can. You never know, they may decide plain email is easiest.
Let them know you are cheering for your child and them to have a great school year.
Involve your child by having them prepare their own introduction whether they write it themselves or dictate it to you.
Ask to stop by a classroom with your child outside of a general open house or other schoolwide event. Meeting a teacher face-to-face and seeing a classroom one-on-one can help lessen anxiety in a child and also give the teacher a chance to meet your child without the hussle and bussle. Keep it brief; this is a great time to drop those introductions off for a teacher to read later.
Do the same for the school nurse, counselor, administrators, or resource officers if you know your child is likely to interact with them or has an interest in their job.
Don't be afraid to speak up.
If your child's IEP or 504 Plan has a specific plan for home to school communication, make sure it happens. If it isn't, initiate the contact.
Even if there isn't a specific plan, if you feel as if there is a lack of communication between school and home, initiate contact.
Inquire about something specific; "How are things going with Math pull out?" "Jane seems more exhausted when she gets home from school. Is there something different going on within the school day?" "Jack seems to require one-on-one assistance with homework. Have you noticed that this is needed for classwork too?"
If ever you feel you're questions are being brushed off, keep asking. For instance, the last question about homework vs schoolwork, if the response is no, ask what strategies are being used in the classroom. Those strategies might be the difference.
Take a look at a few of the other times we have discussed school to home communication:
Other resources on the topic of school to home communication.
PALS December Family Meet-Up
Dana Walker arranged for participants to meet a therapy dog for PALS third Family Meet-up. Held at the Sharpsburg Community Library, parents, kids, and sibs came together to meet Lewis the Therapy Dog and his handler/family Amanda. Read more here.
PALS January Family Meet-up
We are excited to join River Academy of Excellence on Saturday, January 11, 2024 from 10:00am–12:00pm for Breakfast at River Academy! Please join us and enjoy MYO (Make Your Own) Pancake Stack, Winter Crafts, and Tour this amazing school! Bring your kids, sibs, and friends for a great morning of fun! This is a great opportunity to meet other families in your community and learn more about River Academy of Excellence, River Therapies, and PALS. This is a free event!
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Next Meeting: January 29, 2025 9:30 a.m. Virtual Meeting using Zoom.
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