Announcements

•  Remember, the last day for Goalview access will be December 16. If you have any remaining Goalview questions, contact our Special Education Database Manager, Jason Gilmore, at gilmorej@sfusd.edu.
• Still haven't tried out a demo our new web-based IEP system, SEIS? It's not too late! Log on to www.seis.org and type in bjones as the user name and demotest1 as the password so you can experience a preview of the site before training begins in 2012.

Staff Spotlight:  Miriam Martinez

 

Special Education Services is excited to welcome Miriam Martinez to our team.

Miriam, who joined SFUSD in July 2011, is currently serving as administrative assistant to Jean Robertson, one of our Elementary School Supervisors, as well as SET PD (Special Education Teacher Professional Development). She is also in charge of coordinating Cornerstone on Demand, SFUSD's new professional development system.

Prior to this position, Miriam worked in admissions and enrollment at City College of San Francisco for a year. She also spent three years with San Francisco's Department of Public Health and seven years with Santa Clara County's Department of Public Health.

Miriam is a San Francisco native who attended SFUSD schools, including Hilltop and Mission High School. In her spare time, she enjoys walking and biking around the city, as well as nature. Miriam is also actively involved in her church with the Children's Ministry and teaches Sunday school, which she really enjoys.

Family means a lot to Miriam; she will be celebrating the 21 year anniversary of her marriage this year, which is no small feat! Miriam says the secret to a successful marriage is "communication and tolerance," something we also value in her at in the workplace.

Welcome to the team, Miriam! We are excited to have you on board with us!

For full text of the article, please click here.

CORNERSTONE ON DEMAND 

Have you taken the time to check out Cornerstone on Demand (CSOD)?  This learning management tool can keep a transcript of all your professional development activities.

Explore the site and begin to get familiar with the navigation. Our Knowledge Bank will grow as we move towards creating a robust library of resources. Check out the Power Point presentation "All Kids Can," presented this summer by Jean Robertson and Lisa Miller, Supervisors for Special Education. If you still have not received an email invitation, please email csodhelp@sfusd.edu.

Inclusive Practices Task Force

The San Francisco Inclusion Task Force, an ongoing group of teachers, family and community members, administrators, support and related services staff has been working to develop and enhance inclusive services in and with San Francisco schools since inclusion started in the first 10 schools in 1994, and is very interested now in working with the many SFUSD schools that are new to inclusive service delivery. The SFITF was established by the district as a 'stakeholder' group to assist with development and monitoring of inclusive schools. The SFITF has accomplished numerous tasks in its volunteer history. For example, the ITF:

• Authored the district's first handbook on inclusive education in 1995;
• Assisted with Board of Education LRE policy and teacher contract language on inclusive services in 1996;
• Held topical meetings to problem solve on inclusive issues and disseminate research-based practices from then until now;
• Designed and provided volunteer support to 'new' schools from more experienced inclusive school teams;
• Developed and provided professional development across schools, teams and audiences, from 1994 through the present;
• Partnered with the SFUSD Teacher Leader grant for on-site professional development on differentiation;
• Provided evening and weekend information and training sessions through Support For Families of Children with Disabilities;
• Served as major contributors to the district Core Curriculum for All differentiation and adaptations manual and have provided ongoing and specific recommendations to administration and the Board of Education for improvement and expansion of inclusive services district wide.

SFITF participants welcome all interested teachers, school and district administrators, parents, related services and other staff to our monthly meetings, held at West Portal Elementary School on Lenox Way. The next three meetings are scheduled for

4-5:30 PM on Tuesday, November 15th; Tuesday, December 13th; and Wednesday, January 11th. ITF members are very interested in advising, assisting and problem-solving with any staff and parents, especially those from newly inclusive schools, and would welcome the opportunity to plan our activities for the rest of the 2011-12 school year together. Hope to see you there!

Questions? Contact Ann Halvorsen at ann.halvorsen@csueastbay.edu. 

Compliance Update

IEP teams need to  include the student, when appropriate or when the IEP team will be considering post secondary transition. 

This requirement can be documented in Goalview as follows:

• Ensure the student is invited to the meeting when you create your Meeting Notice
• Indicate in Folder 25: IEP Signature/Consent that the student was present.  A line will be generated on the signature page for the student to sign as participating.

Ensuring students are involved when appropriate is critical especially when designing post secondary transition outcomes.  Be sure to document your efforts to bring your students to the table!

Procedural Handbook Update

Foster Youth Legislation