ERCO August Updates

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2007 - "Pittsburgh Autism & Curriculum/Social Skills Training"

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Social Skills & Curriculum
September 19 - 20, 2007
Pittsburgh, PA

Conference Webpage - Click Here

Printable Conference Information - Click Here

Registration Form - Click Here

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2007

Curricular Adaptations with Patrick Schwarz, Ph.D.

Considering the specific learning and support needs for students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in the inclusive classroom, participants of this workshop will learn processes to adaptively personalize and improve the quality of educational settings. Included will be how to provide rationales for curricular adaptations, differentiated instruction and universal design in the general classroom, how to set up an IEP-at-a-glance tool for supporting students, how to orchestrate a planning process so student needs are creatively met in a quality fashion and ideas for differentiation and universal design.

Setepmber 20, 2007

Social Skills Training with Jed Baker, Ph.D.

Specific, user-friendly strategies and techniques for providing relevant social skills instruction to children and teens with ASD will be shared at this workshop. Enjoyable socialization methods are emphasized so individuals may experience success and desire to build skills. Social deficits affect life at home, school and eventually in the workplace. Conference participants will learn both highly beneficial strategies that can be used across a variety of settings and routines; and practical and effective solutions to assist 'typical' peers, family members and professionals to become more understanding, accepting and engaging of those with social difficulties.

PRICES

Professional 2 Days: $205.00
Professional 1 Day: $140 .00
Parent 2 Days: $160.00
Parent 1 Day: $95.00

HOTEL ACCOMODATIONS

Holiday Inn: Pittsburgh-Central

401 Holiday Drive | Pittsburgh, PA | (412) 922-8100

NOTE: There is a limited block of rooms reserved for our group at $85 plus tax per night. Call the hotel and make your reservations soon!

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 29, 2007 - "Strategies for At-Risk Students Workshop"

The Ashland University Strategies for At-Risk Students Workshop will be taught again in September and again in December...

Attached please find advertisements to post/share for both of these professional development opportunities...

Click Here to download advtertisement

There have been several community school participants at these workshops...and the feedback has been very positive...

TUESDAY, AUGUST 28, 2007 - "OCSAA REGISITRATION DEADLINE APPROACHES"

Don't miss our one time statewide registration meeting to enroll in sports for the 2007-2008 school year.

www.charterschoolsports.org

Roger "Chip" Germany, Jr.
Ohio Charter School Athletic Association
PO Box 24025
Columbus, OH 43224
(614) 214-1020
e-mail: charterschoolsports@yahoo.com
website: www.charterschoolsports.org

THURSDAY, AUGUST 23, 2007 - "Addressing the Bullying Student"

How to Stop Bullying and Social Aggression

Balance Educational Services
Bullying Prevention
Education Law
Behavior Management

As the school year begins,

Does your staff know how to stop a bully from bullying?

To maintain a safe educational environment, all staff* must respond to all bullying behavior consistently and respectfully.

Staff members need to be familiar with all types of bullying:

Physical
Verbal
Cyber
Relational a.k.a. Social Aggression

Staff members must stop bullying behavior using four key points:

Stop the Behavior
Identify the Behavior
Reminder of School Culture
Future Expectation

Staff must maintain professional, respectful behavior:

Role model the respectful behavior you want expressed by the student
Never bully the bully
Respond to all bullying -- if you ignore bullying, you condone bullying
Document the incident according to policy

* All staff include administrators, teachers, counselors, para-educators, janitors, bus drivers, nurses, supervisors, and all other adults who work in your school.

Phone: 1-866-768-4803
Email: info@BalanceEducation.net
Website: www.BalanceEducation.net

TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2007 - "Board Member Training Announcement"

ANNOUNCING BOARD MEMBER TRAINING

Charter School Specialists is pleased to provide the following community school board training:

WHEN: Saturday, August 25, 2007 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm

WHERE: The Jenkins Room • Reed Memorial Library • 167 E. Main Street • Ravenna, OH 44266

PRESENTER: Amy Borman, Attorney with Eastman and Smith serving Charter Schools and Sponsors in Columbus, Toledo and Findlay

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

New Board Members
Current Board Members
School Administrators

TOPICS INCLUDE:

Ethics and conflicts
Open meetings
Public records and governance
Case study examples
Question/answer session

COST: Training costs provided by Charter School Specialists

Box lunch $6.25 from Subway (includes drink) to be paid upon sign in.

Non-St. Aloysius Orphanage sponsored schools can attend for a $40.00 fee per person excluding lunch

REGISTRATION: Email the following information to Carla Skaggs at cskaggs@charterschoolspec.com or phone 614-837-8945 by 4 p.m. Thursday, August 23rd to ensure your lunch will be ordered

Name of registrant and title
School board(s) served
Email address
Phone contact
Specify if you need a vegetarian lunch

We look forward to hearing from you! Thank you for your service to our schools.

MONDAY. AUGUST 20, 2007 - REMINDER "OH and MI Autism/Asperger Trainings "

DETROIT, MICHIGAN
Asperger Syndrome and Behavior Solutions for Autism
October 31, 2007 - November 1, 2007

October 31, 2007

"Asperger Syndrome: Beyond the Basics"
Teresa Bolick, Ph.D.

Children and adolescents with Asperger Syndrome (AS) can intrigue and confound us- often simultaneously. Designed for participants with a basic knowledge of AS, this workshop will present a framework that allows us to build upon strengths in order to minimize challenges in the real world. Participants will learn accommodations, modifications, and direct teaching strategies that optimize availability for learning and enhance social cognition, communication, and emotional competence. The workshopwill emphasize practical strategies that can be used across school, home, and community settings.

November 1, 2007

"Behavior Solutions for Autism Spectrum Disorders"
Maria Wheeler, M.Ed.

Increase understanding of the characteristics of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) that impact behavior and can foster communication breakdowns and feelings of being overwhelmed. Learn how to address both the social and sensory needs of an individual. Topics will include: effective behavior interventions, visual supports for maximizing communication and minimizing confusion, and preventing and dealing with shutdowns and meltdowns. This presentation is appropriate for educators, therapists, caregivers and parents of children/teens with ASD.

Location: Doubletree Hotel Dearborn
5801 Southfield Expressway
Detroit, MI 48228
(313) 336-3340

Professional 2 Days:
$195 through September 17
$205 from September 18 to November 1

Professional 1 Day:
$130 through September 17
$140 from September 18 to November 1

Parent 2 Days:
$160 through November 1

Parent 1 Day:
$95 through November 1

1.2 SB-CEUs are available for Michigan educators who attend both days.

Visit our Detroit web page

Printer-friendly conference information

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CLEVELAND, OHIO
The Autism Spectrum: Social Skills and Students with Asperger Syndrome
November 15-16, 2007

November 15

"Social Skills Training and Frustration Management"
Jed Baker, Ph.D.

November 16

"Strategies for Students with Asperger Syndrome"
Diane Adreon, Ph.D.

This workshop will focus on specific strategies to increase the likelihood of providing a successful experience for students with Asperger Syndrome (AS) in school. Workshop participants will (a) gain an understanding of the challenges of students with AS in the school setting; (b) learn specific strategies to reduce the likelihood of problematic behavior by pro-actively engineering a supportive environment, and (c) learn practical strategies to address common academic, social, organizational, and behavioral issues.

Location: Holiday Inn Westlake / Cleveland West
1100 Crocker Rd.
Westlake, OH 44145
(440) 871-6000

Professional 2 Days:
$195 through September 24
$205 from September 25 to November 16

Professional 1 Day:
$130 through September 24
$140 from September 25 to November 16

Parent 2 Days:
$160 through November 16

Parent 1 Day:
$95 through November 16

Visit our Cleveland web page

Printer-friendly conference information

THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2007 - "Legistlative Alert"

National Alliance seeks Ohio Alliance, Ohio charter schools support

During August, federal legislators take a recess from their work in DC to head home and visit with constituents. This is a great opportunity for supporters to touch base with their DC representatives. This year’s recess comes at a crucial time, with charter interests at stake in several pending bills.

Since the beginning of 2007, the National Alliance has actively been supporting the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), including amending the Charter Schools Program (details available at http://www.publiccharters.org/section/issues/federallegislation). Recently, HR 2904, “The Charter Schools Program Enhancement Act of 2007,” was introduced with bi-partisan support in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill directly incorporates many of the Alliance’s recommendations which will hopefully be included in the next iteration of NCLB. However, because of the limited time left in the year and the increasing number of important issues left to debate, NCLB might drop on the list of Congressional priorities. Members of Congress must hear from their constituents that reauthorizing NCLB is important or it may not happen.

The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has requested your support through the Ohio Alliance. The organization encourages charter schools and their supporters to touch base with their Congressional offices and stress the importance of strengthening federal support for quality public charter schools through reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act and support for the “Charter Schools Program Enhancement Act of 2007.”

This request comes with the understanding that this is a busy time … but constituent contacts can make a major difference in legislators’ votes. This call to action involves rallying supporters from throughout Ohio to contact their representatives – by letter, e-mail or phone call – to solicit their support for charter schools.

Many of your students’ parents may be interested in being a part of this advocacy initiative. Please feel free to invite them to participate.

To the extent possible, the National Alliance would like to track these Congressional contacts. The Ohio Alliance is pleased to support this effort by summarizing contacts made by Ohio charter school supporters and forwarding the information on to the National Alliance. We ask that you email us at cwest@oapcs.org to share your efforts by reporting what Congressional offices you contact, what you learn (e.g., who you spoke to, what they indicated in terms of the legislator’s intent to support charter schools, any requests for additional information, etc.). In the case of parents, it would be difficult to determine their individual actions, but it would be helpful to know how many schools invite parents to participate.

Please use the information provided in the attached document to facilitate your contacts and to share with parents and other supporters. Thank you in advance for your assistance and support!

August Recess Congressional Contact Request

Ohio Alliance for Public Charter Schools s 21 E. State St., Suite 940 s Columbus, OH 43215 s 614-744-2266

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2007 - "Eluminate Training"

Dear Sponsors and Community Schools,

The Ohio Department of Education is presenting an Elluminate training session entitled, “Minor Labor Law and Issues”

This training session is designed to provide an overview of the basic minor labor laws and legal issues facing today’s CBI instructor and school administrator. If you are considering or currently have CBI programming in your school, or are just interested in labor issues that affect your students, then this training may prove invaluable. This training will be presented by Jeff Akers, CBI Consultant and Michelle Stapleton, CTAE Community School Consultant at the Ohio Department of Education.

This one hour presentation is scheduled for August 29th, 2007 at 2:00 PM and will be followed by a question/answer session. Topics that will be covered include:

Child labor laws
Employment relationships
Minimum wages, overtime, and unemployment compensation
Related employment law
Technical assistance contacts

We hope that you will encourage your administrators and instructors to attend. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have about this session at Michelle.Stapleton@ode.state.oh.us or 614-466-5576. Each computer terminal you will be using is equivalent to one seat, but several people may observe and participate at that terminal. The password and directions for logging on will be sent in an attachment to this invitation.

Dr. Michelle L. Stapleton
Consultant, Career-Technical and Adult Education

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Elluminate Directions - “Minor Labor Law and Issues”

You have been invited to attend an online Elluminate meeting by Michelle L. Stapleton and Jeff Akers at the Ohio Department of Education, Career-Technical and Adult Education. The meeting is scheduled for the following date and time:

Date: August 29, 2007
Time: 2:00 PM (you may sign on up to 60 minutes earlier)
Login: Your first and last name
Password: cttraining (lowercase sensitive)

To join the session click on the following meeting Link: http://elluminate.fcesc.org:8080/join_meeting.html?meetingId=1184160447255

If this is the first time you will be using Elluminate, you may be prompted to download some software which may take anywhere from 2 to 20 minutes depending upon your Internet connection speed. You can pre-configure your system with the required software by going to the support page located at: http://elluminate.fcesc.org:8080/support.help

Along with your computer you will need a microphone and speakers to be able to talk and hear while you are in the session. If you do not have access to a microphone you can utilize the sound from your computer and type any questions as you watch the program.

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DOCUMENT DOWNLOADS

MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2007 - "Alternate Assessment Changes"

District Contacts and Task Force Members:

Due to changes in staffing and organizational structure this year, SERRC has had to make changes to the personnel and training support/format regarding Alternate Assessment.

First, Sue Bitsko (SERRC Consultant) will now be the Lead Consultant for Alternate Assessment. Please direct any questions or concerns to Sue at bitsko_s@swoserrc.org or 563-0045 x30.

Second, in light of capacity issues, we have chosen to adopt a "train-the-trainer" model for supporting Alternate Assessment. This means SERRC will no longer provide training to all individual teachers to learn the Alternate Assessment process. Instead, we are asking each district in our region to designate up to 3 people who will fill the role of trainer/supporter of this process within their district. SERRC will train ONLY these 3 designated people who are expected to train their own district personnel in a manner that fits the unique needs of that district. These trainers also will act as the points of contact for teachers/service providers as questions and concerns come up. SERRC will work through the district trainers to answer questions and help problem solve technical assistance-type issues.

In an effort to remain true to this new training model and control registration, Alternate Assessment training registration will no longer be accessible online. SERRC requests that each district contact Terri Densford (densford_t@swoserrc.org or 563-0045 x10) with the names, professional role, and contact information of your 3 designated trainers, and the training date each person would like to attend.

Train-the-trainer dates are as follows:

September 26 8:30-11:00 (updates; intended for those trainers already familiar with the process)
September 26 4:30-7:00 (updates; intended for those trainers already familiar with the process)
October 2 8:30-3:30 (cover-to-cover, learn the process from planning to submission; intended for those trainers NOT familiar with the process, or
who need more in-depth information to be able to train)
October 9 8:30-3:30 (cover-to-cover, learn the process from planning to submission; intended for those trainers NOT familiar with the process, or who need more in-depth information to be able to train)

Thank you for your understanding as we make these changes.

Melanie Horvath, Ph.D.
Educational Consultant SWO SERRC
1301 Bonnell, 3rd Floor Suite
Cincinnati, OH 45215
513-563-0045 x26
horvath_m@swoserrc.org

MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2007 - "Never worry about your child's lunch money again.."

Now there is no need to provide lunch money to your child. Nor is there the need for your child to remember a PIN number or carry a personal lunch card.

For parents everywhere, it’s been a persistent and nagging problem: A child, provided with lunch money, bypasses the lunch line entirely and spends that money at the corner store on candy and soda. Or, worse, has that money stolen by a bully and is forced to go hungry. A parent providing hard cash to a child can do nothing but hope and worry, having no control over what their child does with that money or what happens to it before it is properly spent on a nutritional lunch.

One solution has been PIN numbers or swipe cards, instituted in schools, that access personal accounts into which parents have deposited money for lunches. But kids will be kids. PIN numbers become forgotten, forcing school lunchroom staffers to look them up for the children, causing lunch lines to come to a complete stop. Or, children give the numbers to friends which in the end cause parents, being billed for extra food they know their children didn’t purchase, to burn up the phone lines to the school to get their billings corrected.

As for the swipe cards, these can also be slipped to friends so they can buy lunch, be stolen by bullies or—probably more frequently—become mysteriously lost or turn up destroyed in washing machines.

The solution to these problems is amazingly simple. It’s something the child doesn’t have to memorize or remember to bring—in fact, it will always be in the child’s possession no matter what. It’s something that cannot be stolen by a bully, and cannot be “loaned” to friends. Best of all, it means a parent never has to provide cash—and worry over its destination—again.

This amazingly twenty-first century resolution is biometrics—the use of finger scan reading to access personal accounts set up in advance by parents. Already instituted in numerous school systems across the nation, it is solving a plethora of problems for both school administrators and parents alike.

“The parents have said that it’s really great to simply deposit the money and know it’s there,” says Mike Tubbs, IT Manager at JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, California. “The kids don’t have to take money to school, and parents can simply know their children will be buying lunch every day.” The school utilizes a biometric system developed especially for schools by Food Service Solutions (FSS), and has two point-of-sale readers set up in the school’s cafeteria.

Parents have also been very happy with the fact that their children simply have to swipe their fingers when they come in—it’s extremely easy to use and requires no remembering of numbers or cards.

JSerra’s previous purchasing system, based on a child’s student number, created many problems. For example, a student would provide their number to a friend who would pay the student for the food purchased, and the student would simply pocket the money. Or, other students would purchase with another student’s number.

Because of its loopholes, the old system made it very difficult for the school to provide accurate accounting to parents, and parents, seeing the odd or additional purchases made on their childrens’ accounts, would be making daily complaints. “Any complaints now are few and far between,” Tubbs says.

Another successful implementation of biometrics is in three schools in the Fairfield School District of Fairfield, Texas. “The majority of parents here think it’s great,” says Crystal Thill, Food Service Director for the district. “They know that their money is going for their child, instead of somebody else using their account.”

“Before we got this system, there were quite a bit of parents calling in saying, ‘my child didn’t purchase that,’” Thill continues. “Of course, we had no way of telling whether their child purchased it or not, and we would have to delete the charge. Now it’s of course a given that their child did purchase items.”

The system has also made a great difference with the younger students at the Fairfield District’s elementary school—they’re not now having to remember a number. “With the PIN numbers, we would have to manually pull them up, which is a lot more time consuming,” Thill says.

Initially there were also worries from parents in both school systems, as would be expected, of the “big brother” aspect—that fingerprints would be stored and provided to law enforcement or other agencies without authorization. But in both cases, once parents were assured that the information would only be locally stored and would under no circumstances be provided beyond the school, and also once they saw the system in action, worries abated.

The fingerprint is not stored as an image—something that other agencies would need for their files. It is stored as mathematical information only. “We explained to parents that the fingerprint is not taken as it would be in law enforcement, where it would be rolled in ink and pressed,” JSerra’s Tubbs says. “It is simply a mathematical ‘map’ of the fingerprint digitally stored, and used only here for purchases. Our computer system is also a local, secure system, not open externally.”

Initially some students had the same worries, but when the system went in and they saw how it worked, they enjoyed its ease. For many it also became a “cool” novelty—“Hey, we’re scanning our fingerprints!”

Students at the Fairfield School District had a similar reaction. In fact, there was quite a length of time between the time students’ prints were scanned and the point at which the system went into use. During this period, students kept excitedly asking, “When are we going to use it?”

Another aspect to the new system is its ease of set-up for parents. Parents can easily set up an account for their children online.

“The old system basically made parents jump through hoops in order to deposit money online,” JSerra’s Tubbs says. “They had to go onto the company’s web site, create an account, then go to the Pay Pal web site, deposit money there, then be returned to the company’s site to finish creating an account.”

“Implementation of this system really simplified what the parents had to do,” Tubbs continues. “It’s pretty easily laid out in a form in which they can go online and create their account in minutes.”

Fairfield School District’s Thill agrees. “Since we’ve put in the system, I’ve had very few parents contact me with issues from it. It’s very simple to use—I tried it myself, using my husband, who works here, as my ‘child’ just so I could see how it worked.”

For parents, fingerprinting is a dream come true—never worry about what happened to that lunch money again!

For more information about school lunch biometric identification systems, call (800) 425-1425; Fax (814) 941-7572; visit the website www.foodserve.com; or write to Food Services Solutions Inc. at 3101 Pleasant Valley Boulevard, Altoona, PA 16602.

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Bruce Boyers is a freelance writer based in Glendale, California

MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2007 - "Teacher Credentials"

Dear Sponsors:

Please see the attached documents regarding Teacher Credential information and communicate with your community schools. This information will be posted to our webpage under Advisory Letters.

Downloadable Files

Thank You,

LeeAuna Taylor, Administrative Assistant
ODE, Office of Community Schools
25 S. Front Street
Mail Stop 405
Columbus, Ohio 43215

MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2007 - "OCSAA New Developments"

Please visit our website at www.charterschoolsports.org for the latest statewide developments.

Thank You !

Roger "Chip" Germany, Jr, Founder/CEO
Ohio Charter School Athletic Association
PO Box 24025
Columbus, OH 43224
(614) 214-1020
e-mail: charterschoolsports@yahoo.com
game schedule/scores/highlights: http://htosports.com?csil

FRIDAY, AUGUST 10, 2007 - "Charter School Athletic Update"

Please visit our newly developed website at www.charterschoolsports.org to register your schools for the upcoming school year. This includes all sports, regional local, and national tournaments.

You may register on-line.