PARENT INFORMATION SESSIONS: 

Your Voice Matters;  SCHOOL RE-OPENING FOR CHILDREN WITH DIFFERENT ABILITIES

Date Recoreded: Thursday , September 10th, 6:30- 9pm 

The Belmont Special Education Parent Advisory Council  (SEPAC) is held its first Parent Information Session (PIS) on September 10th starting at 6:30pm.  This session focused on the school re-opening plans for children with different abilities. It was also be a time for the Department of Student Services (Ken Kramer and Jonathan Libby), the Lexington, Arlington, Belmont, Burlington, Bedford (LABBB) collaborative (Patric Barberi), and our Integrated Pre School (Briana Wall) to answer your questions and listen to your concerns and suggestions.  The feedback you provided will have a direct impact on the training that teachers are having during orientation to better serve your children.   
We know this academic year is not like anything we have ever experienced.  We can only imagine that all students are experiencing a different back to school experience.  We've heard from a number of parents who have more specific questions about their children who have Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and are receiving services from their school.  We are interested in hearing from as many parents as possible so we continue to gather and share feedback with administrators and teachers.   
Kindly submit additional questions using this form (https://forms.gle/ecwfSrcQrWBSXvmo6 ).  

AGENDA FROM THE EVENING:

6:30 pm: Introduction 
6:45 pm: Group 1 - IEP and/or 504 students, BHS, Middle school, Elementary School
7:45 pm: Group 2 - LABBB collaborative and/or Out of District (OOD) student's
8:15 pm: Group 3 – Integrated Pre-school 
8:45 pm:  Belmont SEPAC closing comments and next steps
9:00 pm:  Meeting Ends


We had over 100 attendees to "Your Voice Matters". Although we covered a lot of ground, we unfortunately did not get all questions asked and answered. Because of this, we will be having another Parent Information Session to continue this topic. Please Check back regularly for the upcoming session date.


Couldn't make the live meeting? Watch it here:  

https://www.belmontmedia.org/watch/belmont-sepac-presents


Below is the text version of the Questions and Suggestions from our 9/10/20 Parent Information Session. 

Partners  >  Belmont SEPAC  >  Upcoming Workshops, Events & Presentations

Elementary School 

Questions and Suggestions

Parent Information Session on 9/10/20


Ken/Jonathon Overview:

We want to echo the thank you to Parents for asking and providing feedback.We are equally frustrated with the situation we are in.We as a student services team have all worked hard and are proud of what we have been able to accomplish given the restrictions of DESE as brought on by Covid-19.We want you to know how wonderful our staff is and how creative they have been in creating solutions in this environment.And even though we know what has been done by the staff we also know that it is still not enough to meet all the needs of our students.So we have to keep trying and working together with you the Parents and the team to meet as much needs as we can in this unprecedented time.

Questions

ELM: How are you going to implement PT, OT, and Speech services remotely? My child's services were implemented via email once a week through email and I helped her follow the instructions and complete the assignments. She was able to meet with a couple of her specialists via google meet and I noticed that made a huge difference in her motivation to complete the task as well as her ability to do it well. Is it possible to have her access her full IEP amount of meetings over virtual meetings throughout the week?

Answer:Missed this answer

ELM: How are assessments going to be administered? My child was supposed to be assessed in the spring and now the assessments are delayed.

Answer: We do have a back log of assessments.It is our goal that it be up and running before phase 3.Our past practice has been to re-evaluate in every area for every evaluation.We are now looking to the IEP team to see if it needs to be done.If we can rule out some of the evaluation testing it can reduce the backlog. As parents you have a tremendous amount of information.We plan to utilize parent questionnaires that are an integral part of the evaluation process to ascertain.

ELM:How will IEP services be managed for families that choose remote only school for the whole year?For example, will the special education teachers stay the same for our kids or change?

Answer:They will still receive all the services in their child’s IEP.We do not know if it will be the same service provider.One plan we are considering is looking at remote teachers to match with remote learners.

ELM:Are there additional accommodations that we can request for during remote school?For example my daughter has a language based learning disability and will benefit from technology that can support her independence (from her parents): computer programs that can read instructions to her, dictation software, access to audio books/materials, etc.These are things that were not needed in person at school but will be needed in the remote model.

Answer:Some students may have additional technology or an extra set of books at home etc.Use your IEP team starting with the liaison to work out what needs to be done.

ELM:Can 504 plans be done remotely to update accommodations?

Answer:Yes – per directives from dept of health.Manage what is safest for all.All upcoming 504 and IEP meetings will be done remotely.We plan to have the full team remotely at a time that works for everyone.

ELM:How will Belmont manage compensatory services in the IEP?

Answer:Ken will be sending out to the Student Services list serves the guidelines from DESE on compensatory services.In a nutshell it is exactly what we have been talking about.Liaison reaching out to parents.Trying our best to determine levels of regression.The IEP team determines what else might be needed for the student; then determines what additional services are needed than what is in the current IEP.

ELM:Will Belmont be providing in home support for remote instruction or tutoring for students who are not independently able to access curriculum online?

Answer:Missed this one.

ELM:We have been asking for an IEP meeting throughout the summer to discuss the IEP plan that we did not accept in the spring but the administration will not schedule a time. They originally said it could not happen until there was a school start date. Now we have one and they still will not schedule it.

Answer:Missed this one

ELM:How will evaluations work this year? How do we ensure they are not delayed any further?

Answer:As stated in an earlier question, we have a significant back log.When we are doing evaluations, we are gathering information to see if they require services.If the student needs an in person evaluation.They will come in with safety protocols, plexi glass shields, etc.Evaluations did come to a halt last spring.But we are working with contractors to catch up with the back log.However, it has been difficult to find competent outstide contrators to help.We will work a combination of solutions to stay on top of and reduce the back log.

Elm: Do we know the criteria for students who would qualify for phased 2?

Would that be two days a week, itinerant, full time?

Answer:Principals have a list of students who would benefit from in person, we also have to juggle staff to be in person.We don’t have the numbers yet, because of so many moving factors to address.Logistical criteria is needed for us to make sure accommodations and services can be made for students.

ELM:How can related services be better than suggested activities sent home last year? (OT, PT)

Answer: These services are the most challenging service to provide in a remote environment. We will be doing OT and PT services live on camera.It will actually be done remotely to the best possible.If it doesn’t work you need to work with liaison, teacher, etc. to see what else can be done

ELM: If your child is supposed to have an aide, how can they help virtually?

Answer:Professional aide may be using google chat. will be working with the child and the aide that only the child can see.

ELM: When will we hear about which kids are "high needs" and will be allowed back in-person?

Answer:All High Needs have been notified.It is a very small group in district.The majority of students who meet this need are non communicative.DESE criteria will explain how we determined this.65 students were identified for in person schooling and not all were on an IEP some were ELL students.

ELM: When will we hear about the schedule for high-needs kids on IEPs? Will it be a normal (full?) school day? Will it mirror remote learning? Hybrid learning?

Answer:In person services will be on T and Th.It will be a Case by Case bases for Middle and High school.The larger contingency is elementary.Pre-school will run as they normally run.In service doesn’t mean that all of their services will be in person.Other services may be provided remotely.

ELM:Will services such as physical therapy be synchronous this fall? in person or remote? outside? It has been 6 months since my son has been evaluated. It is hard to say what his needs are. (And you should consider an accreditation program for the parents that trained in these specialties for 6months.)

Answer:The first part of the question - service delivery for remote will be synchronous with the PT teacher.We are trying to figure out a way to provide in person services; but we need to start with the synchronous services first.We don’t know what you mean by the accreditation program???

NOTE:This is where we stopped on 9/10/20 in answering questions.

ELM:I found the bridge slide unhelpful at last night's school committee meeting. So phase 1.5 my child starts attending school 2hrs per week and at phase 2 nothing changes because his "hybrid" schedule began in phase 1.5? So once he starts entering the school in 1.5 could we also start receiving intervention? Or at phase 2 do we add hours? Then at phase 3 do we change his schedule again. Will we be brought in just for intervention or in phase 3 can we "attend" school in person those independent mornings for a morning of support? Sorry for so many questions but it seems impossible to know what to ask until after you give us some baseline information.

Answer:

ELM:What supports will be in place for students awaiting IEP evaluation?

Answer:

ELM:What supports will be in place for students awaiting IEP evaluation?

Answer:

ELM: What abouts students who refuse to participate in online learning?

Answer:

ELM: Will the kids bring water bottles and snacks?. Can they snack outside?

Answer:

ELM: Will they need to be able to change their own masks?

Answer:

ELM: How does the district plan to provide dedicated aide support (as indicated in an IEP) while my child is remote?

Answer:

ELM: If my child is selected to return during phase 2, will that be as a hybrid model or full-time in-person?

Answer:

ELM - forgive me if I already asked this, I can't remember if I submitted questions already! I am particularly interested in finding out what additional accommodations can be provided during remote learning for students with reading disabilities. Several issues came to light in the spring that I believe technology can help solve - IF we get access to the technology. These are 1 - needing a parent to scribe for them in order to document answers in situations that normally a teacher could have simple done it verbally in private while other kids wrote it down. Can dictation software be provided? 2 - reading instructions in Google Classroom and in documents can be a challenge even when the child knows how to do the work, while other programs can read the instructions out loud (like Dreambox and Lexia) - can there be a text-to-speech program provided for students? The challenge for young kids with reading disabilities is that every single thing they're supposed to learn turns into a reading lesson first, when they need to be engaged and excited through other mean in order to engage in the rest of the curriculum. These are just 2 examples for 1 disability, I'm sure other parents would have other requests.

Answer:

ELM (but relevant to all ages) How will IEP services be provided for families that choose remote only? Will kids stay with their special ed teachers they start the year with?

Answer:

ELM - Can we, during remote only school, decline a particular part of the IEP services if it is not functioning in the virtual setting? As an example, 1 part of my daughter's IEP is speech, particularly articulation. She is down to 1 last sound to work on and it is very hard to do virtually - I know this because she has continued with her private speech therapist all summer. This therapist works on many language items that the school did not deem important enough to make it into her IEP... which means the 1 and only thing her school-based speech therapist would work on is the 1 thing that is very hard to do remotely. Is it possible to "pause" one item in the IEP like that for now, and then return to it when kids are all back in school? In this case it isn't something that would make her classroom work harder in the meantime and would likely just frustrate her.

Answer:

ELM:I want to know what efforts will be made to catch our IEP students up?My daughter received a fraction of her services in the spring and one month of ESY.Our students are further behind than the general population.Will there be an additional effort to support our students?

Answer:

ELM:For student needs IEP evaluation, when will we expect to get the test?How will this procedure be like?Thanks.

Answer:

Suggestions

ELM: It would be very helpful for the links for meetings and assignments from specialists to be sent through the same platform as the regular classroom assignments so everything can be in one place for these students. It is difficult to manage when everyone is using different platforms.

Middle School

Questions and Suggestions

Parent Information Session on 9/10/20

MID: My daughter is 13 years old and does not understand the concept of remote learning.How am I supposed to help her with that when I have a 1st grader at Winn Brook that needs my help with his remote learning?

Answer:We have asked liaisons to reach out to all parents and having at least an email exchange or phone call to ask how it went in the spring.Let your Liaison know the challenges so accommodations can be made for your child to the best of everyone’s ability.We want it as successful as possible for the Fall.

MID: I suspect that my child will need some tutoring or additional support with her homework. Are there high school students who could help? I've already looked for tutors through my existing network of people, but everyone seems to be booked.

Answer:Ask your liaison to see if it is possible.We want to know progress and assess students regression levels, does this level of aggression warrant additional services on top of what your IEP says.They are required to reach out to you within the 1st few weeks of school.We recognize that every student whether SPED students or regular student have experienced regression.Your liaison is your first contact to help you start the process of assessing this and your child’s needs.If you don’t know your liaison ask Ken or Jonathan and we will connect you to your liaison.

MID: Last year we had modified homework requirements based on our child's ability to complete her work. This fall she will have a new teacher who will not be able to assess her abilities very well with the limitations of remote teaching and learning. I'm concerned about how to navigate issues of workload and expectations.

Answer:Every year Teacher to Teacher conversations occur with each other as students move from grade levels, classrooms, etc.If you are concerned that this has not occurred work with your liaison to ensure it happens.

MID: I'm not sure how I will keep my ADHD child on task, at home, for an entire structured day, plus homework, while also having my own Zoom meetings and getting my work done. I've tried to organize a Pod through BASEC but our child's friends are very self-directed and don't need the additional support.

Answer:Refer back to the Liaison.Brainstorm and work with the Liaison.It is difficult with a remote environment. Accommodations may have to be made to a person with ADHD to accommodate this need.

MID – How do you plan to keep ADHD student’s attentions when they can run you tube and access other websites on their chromebooks?

Answer:

MID: Our daughter has joined the school just before school closing. She doesn’t know much about school systems. And also she is ELL student. We both parents are working during day. We can’t support her online class. When can she start in person class?What additional help can we get for her and our family?

Answer:Talk to your Liaison if your child is on an IEP.If they are not on an IEP reach out to Lindsey Learner?? Who is in charge of the ELL program.

MID: Can my 6th grade daughter with a 504 get some textbooks to go along with her laptop?

Answer:If it is in a 504 and IEP then it will be accommodated.Reach out to the school guidance counselor to get this accommodation.

MID: Can my son get some text books and handouts to go along with the laptop to help decrease the screen time?He has an IEP and in 8th grade.

Answer:If it is in a 504 and IEP then it will be accommodated.Reach out to the school guidance counselor to get this accommodation.

MID: How are 504s going to be addressed, especially for students with attentional and executive functioning issues. Often, teachers can accommodate for the students' attentional issues within the classroom, but what is the plan when it is virtual? How can students receive the support they need when it is hard for them to focus and stay organized?

Answer:Student who have 504’s need accommodations.Your classroom teacher can address this issue.If it is not working then talk with the teacher and guidance counselor to see if they need more.

Suggestions

Liasons are like the case managers.We may need to think differnently for ADHD kids in a remote environment

High School

Questions and Suggestions

Parent Information Session on 9/10/20

HS:Our rising 9th grader has several types of accommodations and we didn't see anything from Special Ed about how these will be met virtually.What should we expect, or should we start nagging the SpEd teacher or contact his teachers directly since schedules are out?

Answer:The HS teachers will be reaching out to you, if they haven’t already.The goal is to mirror the regular class schedule as much as possible.If your child has an IEP need that requires a different schedule, it can be adjusted to accommodate IEP needs.Your Liaison can work with you and modify schedules if it makes sense to make that accommodation.Caveat DESE has asked us to be writing IEP’s as if we are physically present.They realize that they may not be exactly as is in the IEP.

HS:How do you do extended time for tests for a 504 or IEP in a remote model?

Answer: If or when additional time is needed students make arrangements with that teacher for 504 students.For IEP students they get it in the Learning Center time.

HS:Some special education teachers have limitations on their ability to perform their jobs given personal circumstances such as having young children at home. Given this, what backup plans, specifically, have you made to ensure that children with IEPs will have the required support from their special education teachers?

Answer:All of our staff will be able to perform their functions during contractual school hours.All of the staff will be performing all of their job functions.If your teacher or liaison cannot work the time needed to complete your child’s IEP needs; then we (Ken or Jonathon) can always be contacted for assistance.

HS:Will all students with IEPs be attending in-person schooling as part of Phase 2? If not, which students will be attending in person?

Answer:Phase 2 criteria has not been set.It will be released to the public as soon as we have it.

HS:My son's IEP specifies Learning Center time daily. How will this requirement be met, given the anticipated schedule for remote schooling?

Answer:Students will get the kind of support they need.It may look different in a remote environment.Classes may be a little shorter.9 mods may not happen.Learning Center may be delivered 4 mods on one day, 4 mods on another day.Logistically it may have some limitations to accommodate schedules, learning center, and individual students needs.

HS:Hello, my request and question is about the possibility of organizing SAT only for BHS 12th graders.They are abandoned in their college applications especially because many opportunities of SAT-taking have been cancelled.SAT tests can be organized easily while the school is closed and the risks are low.Many schools around have organized these tests for their students.Thank you.

Answer:

MID & HS:How do I know what Phase my child is in when Hybrid starts?My child has a complex IEP and should be in the hybrid in Phase 1 but I have not heard anything?

Answer:

Suggestions

HS:Is it possible to use BASEC Branch at the High School in a more formal capacity to support our kids? The program provides individualized support, executive function coaching and tutoring - it seems like a natural fit. What is BHS/ BPS plan for using this community resource?

Answer:Superintendent Phelan has been in close contact with all after school programs to see how we can utilize and leverage this community service.

LABBB Collaborative

Questions and Suggestions

Parent Information Session on 9/10/20

Overview from Patriac:

LABBB stands for Lexington, Arlington, Belmont, Bedford, and Burlington.LABBB operates in 16 public school buildings within these towns and also Middlesex community college. It is comprised of 300 students and is a diverse population.When placing students in a LABBB classroom we do not look at the disability.We consider ….????

Questions

LABBB:What metrics will LABBB need to see to move towards more hours and or full time in person services? Do you have a time line?

Answer:

LABBB:What health metrics is LABBB plan for four hours in person x five days per week based upon?

Answer: Sept 15th start date all LABBB programs.As we were talking and ordering our PPE for classrooms.We had to think this out to use for PPE to service the students.LABBB summer extension program at Lexington High school.40 students 30 per week 30 staff as well.Know the guidelines and getting there and setting up the classrooms etc. right PPE for studtents.Transportation etc.guidelines for that as well.We learned what worked and what didn’t work.Great feedback.Streaming into classroom for remote students.Mask concerns.Tents for mask breaks.Etc..Over time students didn’t have a problem.4 hour time during the summer program.Decided to build in success 4 hours a day 5 days a week to start.We don’t serve by disabilityDifferent classrooms have different ability needs.In classroom, staff is all on board for in person.If we wanted to increase the hours and how would we do that.Success was good, not cases.So we will monitor month by month and add hours month by month if success continues.Good to have the summer data.

LABBB: (Bedford) What additional support will be provided to a student who is first time attending a new campus and students/staff are new to him? And he is not familiar with the building as well.

Answer:Most of our students start during the summer program.Confident that our students will be accepted.Best Buddies have already reached out to us to feel comfortable in the school. Confident that we have that handled

OOD:How will the transportation work for out of district students that are out of LABBB Districs?

Answer:Guidelines for transportation on the van.Set the guidelines MAFTE?Every vendor should follow the guidelines for Mass.LABBB vans are hired b our saff.LABBB has 7 vendors that we contract with and

LABBB:When would Phase 1 end and what would Phase 2 look like?

Answer:That is a Belmont question not what we are doing

LABBB:Will we be notified ahead of time of any supplies needed for the start of the school year?

Answer:Yes, coordinators will be available and emails will be sent out to parents.

LABBB:How many students will be in each classroom?

Answer:6 to 12 students per classroom.It depends on how that environment, the needs of each classroom, etc.

LABBB:In the Phase 1 period will the curriculum for the classrooms be grade specific, or will the emphasis be on ensuring special services?

Answer:Again no phases.All of our coordinators will be talking about what the regression is and how do we need to accommodate student regressions.

LABBB: Will the staff be taking temperature checks daily for students?

Answer:Students made it a bit difficult because students were excited to see each other.We did talk about how students come off the vans.Changed times to manage the flow of students and manage the safety protocols at the same time.

LABBB: What precautions would be taken to maintain social distancing between the kids?

Answer:

LABBB: Will Independent Living Skills (cooking, shopping, health, trips) be taught?

Answer:Yes this is a big part of LABBB curriculum.Community trips are still happening.And we have to make sure Parents are comfortable with us following safety protocols and guidelines.Teachers feedback said it went pretty smooth during spring and summer program.

LABBB: We are worried about the disconnect between in-person in the am, then technology at home in pm?How will this be managed and monitored by SPED staff?

Answer:We learned a lot from the Spring remote learning environment.Teacher training was available and they learned more tools that will be able

LABBB: Can children who won’t currently tolerate a mask be able to ride the bus?

Answer:Yes we will follow the guidelines.We know that students cannot wear masks and we will accommodate that student for school.

LABBB: What metrics will be used to decide if a longer day is possible?

Answer:Month by Month decision to see if we need to add in more days.All our students are high needs and will be starting at the same time.The LABBB staff says 4 hour days is a good start.But we plan to increase hours as we look at this on a month to month basis.

LABBB: You’ve said some classes will be hybrid. Have parents already been informed if that’s the case?How do you determine Hybrid classes versus non-Hybrid classes?What is the criteria?

Answer:2 classrooms out of 35 classrooms that will be different; because of our work program.Not all could work at the same time.So we did do more of a hybrid schedule.

LABBB:What was the criteria of what HS students could attend the Lexington HS summer program?

Answer:

Suggestions

LABBB & OOD:. I would suggest having hand sanitizer in each van and have the van drivers ask them to use the hand sanitizer upon entering and exiting the van.I would also post the Safety Van Rules in each Van for the protection of the Students and Bus Drivers.Visual ones will need to be developed for younger students.

Sent this to Janet and will follow-up on this

Other or General

Questions and Suggestions 

Parent Information Session on 9/10/20

Oth:At one of the school committee meetings it was said the school district had not reached out to the SEPAC for input but had worked with other parent groups. Has this since happened?

Answer:The Belmont Student Services team (Ken Kramer and Jonathon Libby) did reach out to the Belmont SEPAC and we created this session to address SPED Parents concerns.If there are other parent groups out there that operate on behalf of students with different abilities in Belmont, please let them know that the Belmont SEPAC would appreciate creating a unified partnership and would welcome them into our organization.

Oth: How are you promoting this meeting? I stumbled upon it in a dyslexia forum for Belmont on Facebook. I am not sure special education families even know this is happening. Historical SEPAC events were distributed by both Briana Wall/Wellington Preschool or Wellington Elementary.

Answer: The rules for distribution through all the school list serves require the Belmont SEPAC to go through the Superintendent’s office.Once the communication is approved the Superintendent’s office sends this communication out to the Principals of each school for distribution to their respective school list serve.We have noticed that some Principals send our communication out right away and some do not send our communication out at all.The Belmont SEPAC has notified the administration and we do hope to set up education sessions with all Principals in the district to explain our role and importance to their school population.In addition to sending it out to all school list serves, we also reach out to the BEA, local Newspapers, our website, our face book page, and we also maintain our own distribution list.We highly recommend SPED parents get on our distribution list to ensure they are notified in the event our communication does not make it out to all the list serves.Just email us: belmontsepac@gmail.com

Oth: Are all ages of children required to wear masks the entire day? (Especially asking for those children who may be in a Program for Speech?

Answer:Mask breaks will be built in the day for children.We have clear masks for Speech and Language.If it is difficult for students to be able to receive their services other options have been purchased and will be available for Speech Therapist to assist the individual needs.For example, Articulation Therapy may be difficult. The district has purchased plexi- glass screens, face shields, and clear masks.The staff and kids may have to explore the options and decide what might be best for each individual need.

Oth: What are the typical hours Special ed teachers will be able to "zoom" with students when we are in the start of "remote" learning. Wondering because I am guessing this is going to be very difficult for parents working not at home.

Answer:Staff are working their contract hours.Get with your liaison and SPED teachers to work out a time to manage these issues.In the Spring we did not know how to make it all work.The BEA has been working with the school committee and working collaboratively to make the remote school day more like a regular school day.

Oth: For families with twins in the same grade, if one twin is identified to return in phase 2, can their twin sibling return in the same phase?

Answer: Sorry I missed this answer??

Oth: If a student has been recommended by the district for an IEP for social emotional reasons, but an IEP is not in place yet and testing has not been completed, may the student still be eligible to attend in phase 2?

Answer: This question was not read, it was an additional question added.

Oth:If a student has an ICAP or 504 plan, are they eligible for return to school under phase 2?

Answer: This question was not read, it was an additional question added.

Oth:What is the criteria to determine which students will return to school under phase 2? When will families be notified?

Answer: This question was not read, it was an additional question added.

Oth:How will a one-on-one aide be able to communicate with only the kid on and IEP duringremote learning?

Answer:

Suggestions

Oth: The BASEC after school program and I am sure other after school programs can provide resources for working parents and the school.Is there a plan to utilize these community programs?

Answer:Sorry I missed this comment???

Oth: Assist Parents in creating small group pods for kids to engage in socialization. They could meet at parks, or neighbors back yards for social distancing.

Answer: This question was not read, it was an additional question added.

Oth: Suggestion In talking with other parents we suggest that the SEPAC keep this Q&A open and let Parents submit their questions and suggestions throughout Phase 1.

Answer: This question was not read, it was an additional question added.

Integrated Pre School

Questions and Suggestions 

Parent Information Session on 9/10/20

Briana Overview:

We are starting in person for Pre-school, Sept 16th for all students enrolled in the Integrated pre-school.All services will be in person unless parents have chosen remote services.Parents who opted out of in person pre-school will have students in a remote classroom led by Ali Skelly.These remote students will be receiving more intense services than in the spring.Everyone has been notified.Therapeutic services will be shared for both in person and remote students.Classroom numbers are under 10 and will be no more than 12.We have hired another to keep classroom numbers low.

Questions

PK & ELM:Will young children be required to wear masks?If yes how will you keep them on them?

Answer:We recognize that at this age they may not be able tolerate.Others may be able to Mask breaks and rewards systems and social stories while in the classroom

PK & ELM:Will speech therapists be wearing a clear mask so the kids can look at their mouths/tounge so that they can learn speech patterns better?

Answer: in addition to the Pre school staff have the clear masks for all staff.And for all speech therapy and speech evaluations.

Pre-k:Can kiddos who can't tolerate a mask (sensory issues, eat the mask, or refuse/ meltdown) wear a face shield in the meantime while their time tolerance of mask wearing increases?

Answer:Yes we can explore this.District says we must wear masks; however, will explore face shields as needed for individual kids.

Pre-K:What would remote pre-k look like?

Answer: Missed this answer

Pre-k:Will children be able to walk-in for just related services and not necessarily attend the integrated program at this time?

Answer: Missed this answer

Pre-K:Did the remote teacher assignments go out?

Answer:Yes – Ali Skelly will be the remote room school teacher this school year.

Pre-K:How will regression for remote students be managed?

Answer:Missed this answer

Suggestions

SAVE THE DATE:

NEXT PIS TOPIC: "Your Voice Matters;  SCHOOL RE-OPENING FOR CHILDREN WITH DIFFERENT ABILITIES"  

DATE: TBD 

Belmont SEPAC Appreciation Awards

The Belmont SEPAC trys to host an annual Appreciation Awards dinner each year to recognize teachers, staff, aides, bus drivers, and any other support person that has assisted children with different abilities (ie: on an I.E.P.) with their education.  As those who have attended in previous years can attest, this is a memorable and meaningful celebration for the nominees and the nominators, as well as family, friends and colleagues. 

(Please note: Awards Ceremonies for this school year are not available.  Please check back next year.)

Submission options:

Presentations

Belmont SEPAC hosts monthly educational Parent Information Sessions during the school year, starting in September.  For the current school year's list of presentations, see our Calendar. 

Most all of the presentations were videotaped by the Belmont Media Center.  To view past presentations click here.  If you would like PDF's of the slides, click here to email Belmont SEPAC.