Wisconsin Personnel Development System (WPDS)--E-Newsletter 2/5/09

Parent Leadership Hub Weekly E-Newsletter for February 5, 2009

The attached "Parent Leadership Hub" Weekly Email Update is sent to you from WSPEI and WI FACETS. The Parent Leadership Hub supports parents/family members, educators and other community partners to build capacity regarding meaningful family involvement. The Hub serves three primary purposes:
(1) To support parents of children with disabilities between birth and 26 years of age to participate as partners in the professional development activities of each of the other Statewide Initiatives as they design, deliver and support professional development experiences; and
(2) To facilitate opportunities for parents/family members to build leadership skills; and
(3) To provide Content Focused technical assistance concerning family involvement.

Parent/Personnel Development Opportunities

WI FACETS Training of Trainers for Transition and Rehab. Act
Two opportunities for free training-after which participants can receive a $50 stipend for presenting a PowerPoint from the training to 10+ people. If two completed participants co-train, each will receive $50. Two opportunities listed below.
Topics covered
+ Transition from school to life as required in IDEA-2004 and WI statute Chapter 115.
+ Adult services as explained in The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended in 1998.
Also discussed- Section 504, Olmstead decision, and ADA Restoration Act.
+ Tips and practice in presentation skills.
+ Ideas for marketing your workshop.

March 20&21, 2009 Attendance required for both days for completion.
Verona Public Library, Verona(Madison area)
1:00pm-4:45pm	3/20
9:00am-3:45pm	3/21

April 17&18, 2009 Attendance required for both days for completion.
Options For Independence, Green Bay
4:30pm-8:00pm	4/17
9:00sm-4:00pm	4/18

**Space limited to 25 participants per seminar.
To register, contact Sandra McFarland; smcfarland@wifacets.org or 877-374-0511.
For more information, please contact Charlotte Price, MS Ed., Executive Co-Director, WI FACETS, PTIC Information Specialist, WINMILL Program Coordinator, 1-877-374-4677, cprice@wifacets.org

Family Scholarships Available for Health Watch Conference
ABC for Health has scholarships available for up to 9 parents of Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs to attend the 2nd Annual HealthWatch Wisconsin Conference on February 9 & 10, 2009. The scholarship includes waiver of conference registration fees, provision of all conference materials associated with conference registration, and one membership for the remainder of the membership year (ends June 30, 2009). Unfortunately, the limited scholarship funds do not include the coverage of travel expenses, mileage reimbursement, or child care costs. However, in lieu of attendance, we may also have a limited number of conference material packets and free HealthWatch Wisconsin memberships for families available upon request. Please reply by the end of the day Thursday, February 5, 2009 if you have any parents who are interested. Contact Nora Foshager, Education & Outreach Coordinator, ABC for Health, Inc., 32 N. Bassett St., Madison, WI 53703-2606, (608) 261-6939, ext. 204, 1-800-585-4222, ext. 204, nfoshager@safetyweb.org
WI RtI Summit
DPI is collaborating with many organizations including WSPA to host a statewide RtI Summit on March 11 and 12 in Green Bay. We strongly encourage building-level and district-level teams to attend and participate. You can learn more at:
http://wasda.org/public/events/2008/RtISummit.asp
Call for Proposals for 2010 Transition Conference
The 7th Annual Wisconsin Transition Conference will again be held at the Kalahari Waterpark and Resort in Wisconsin Dells on Thursday, February 18th and Friday, February 19th, 2010. The preconference will be held on Wednesday, February 17th with both morning and afternoon sessions. Invited presenters include: Dr. Temple Grandin, Dr. Hewitt “Rusty” Clark, Dr. Mary Morningstar, Dr. Bill East, Dr. David Test, Dr. Patricia Sitlington, Dr. Cinda Johnson and Linea Johnson. Interested in presenting? Submit an electronic presenter proposal at www.wsti.org between March 1 and June 30, 2009. An on-line scholarship application to help parents and school age youth attend the conference will be available early next fall. If you have any questions, please contact Linda Maitrejean at lindam@cesa11.k12.wi.us

Trainings Available on the Web

Web Course- Career Development for People with Disabilities
TRN, Inc. will offer the popular Web Course: Career Development for Youth and Adults with Disabilities on March 17 - 30, 2009. Career Development is a 2-week, 20-hour web training on developing career goals through innovative vocational assessment,
career development skills, and vocational profiling for youth and adults with disabilities. Topics will include principles of self- determination, the discovery process, and situational assessment. We will also discuss entry jobs versus dream jobs, self-employment, career exploration strategies, self-presentation, and other approaches.

Registration is $149 US. Participants can log on at any time during course access and participate in the training. Successful completers receive a certificate. The course will be taught by Rob Hoffman, a well-known consultant who has taught extensively on the employment of people with disabilities. Registration is limited, and previous courses have all filled to capacity. To learn more about the training and to register, go to: https://trn-store.com/drupal/node/918
Solutions to the Dropout Crisis Webcast
Tuesday, February 10, 2009 from 3:30 – 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time
http://www.dropoutprevention.org/webcast/
Engaging Families in the Pathway to College presented by Anne T. Henderson, Senior Consultant, Community Involvement Program Annenberg Institute for School Reform

* What does a family-school partnership look like in high school?
* How can schools and teachers encourage parents to become educational advocates for their children?

Supplementary materials are now available online at www.dropoutprevention.org/webcast for this radio webcast. All necessary information about participating fully in this professional development opportunity is found on the Web site at www.dropoutprevention.org/webcast

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact the National Dropout Prevention Center atndpc@clemson.edu or 864-656-2580. Participation in this radio webcast is free and no registration is required. The program will be archived in its entirety on the Web site.
Response to Intervention (RTI) Webinars
What is Response to Intervention (RTI)?- webinar
Presented by Dr. Daryl Mellard. This webinar described basic concepts of RTI and how it can be implemented in schools. Dr. Mellard shared examples to illustrate how teams can be organized within schools to implement RTI.
http://www.rti4success.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view
&id=1051&Itemid=2

Planning for the Implementation of RTI- webinar
Presented by Dr. Edward Shapiro. This webinar provided state educational agencies with a description of the process the Monitoring the Progress of Pennsylvania’s Pupils (MP3) project used to diagnose schools’ readiness to implement RTI and assess their professional development needs. In addition, this webinar discussed the professional development provided by MP3 to the schools and described the project's initial findings.
http://www.rti4success.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view
&id=1053&Itemid=2

English Language Learners (ELLs) and RTI- webinar
Presented by Dr. Janette Klingner. The purpose of this webinar was to discuss the educational needs of English Language Learners (ELLs) and how those needs can best be met in an RTI framework. The webinar also highlighted examples from schools who are successfully meeting the needs of English Language Learners.
http://www.rti4success.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view
&id=1052&Itemid=2
WKCE-CRT Webcast
Information on accommodations for students with disabilities using the WKCE-CRT Assessment Guidelines and Accommodations Matrix. Participants will learn the purpose for accommodations in statewide testing, information on valid testing accommodations, and IEP accommodation decisions.
http://media2.wi.gov/DPI/Viewer/?peid=816cd75a-4c97-4aaf-8cf5-
e2e72001e1d6
Wisconsin Web Academy Provides Online Courses
State Superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster reminds students, parents, and school districts that the Wisconsin Web Academy (WWA) provides additional educational opportunities through online courses available to students throughout Wisconsin. The WWA is the state-led, supplemental online education program made possible through state legislation adopted last April. The law requires the Department of Public Instruction to provide equitable access to high-quality online education by offering online courses to school districts, cooperative educational service agencies, charter schools, and private schools located in Wisconsin. The DPI has partnered with the Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) 9 to operate the WWA. The WWA operates as a supplemental online course provider, which means that students taking courses through the academy remain enrolled in their home districts and receive credit for their WWA courses through their home district. Students wishing to enroll in a course that is not provided by their home school district and who may have looked at open enrollment to attend another district to satisfy their needs, can instead consider taking the course through WWA. Students interested in taking courses through WWA can enroll year round through their local school districts and the Wisconsin Web Academy-Wisconsin Virtual School. Districts interested in offering courses through WWA should contact Dawn Nordine at CESA 9, (715) 453-2141, ext. 231.

Phone Workshops

Bullying & Harassment
February 12, 2009
This workshop covers the definition of disability harassment and the common types of bullying. Strategies are covered for how to talk with your child about bullying and methods for how you child to react. Also discussed are the federal laws that apply to disability harassment, the role of the school to respond/prevent harassment, and how to use the IEP to react to bullying behavior.

Sponsor:	WI FACETS
Presenter:	WI FACETS TBA
Time:	7-8 p.m.
Location:	Telephone – Toll-free call to participate
Information:	877-374-0511; smcfarland@wifacets.org

Family Involvement Resources

Tools Kits Available Through OSEP
Tool Kits available through the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Ideas That Work. Web site (http://OSEPIdeasThatWork.org). The Web site contains a table of contents that lists all Tool Kit resources and links to each of the items listed. Users will find a description of each resource, including its citation and target audience. The Web site contains the master list of Tool Kit documents and will be updated as new products become available.

These Tool Kits are an example of the Department of Education’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that states, local school districts, schools, and families have the most current and relevant information about practices that will improve and enhance educational opportunities for students with disabilities throughout the nation.
Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students with Disabilities
Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students with Disabilities- Parent Materials
Tool Kit on Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
Federal Grant Opportunity on Mental Health
Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems; Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for Fiscal Year (FY) 2009. Applications due 2/23/09.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-364.htm
GAIN-SS Screener
The GAIN-SS is an evidence-based, electronic, screening tool that identifies needs for further assessment in the areas of mental health, substance abuse and anger management. It is available at no cost for pupil services professionals. To learn more go to: http://www.wifamilyties.org/gainss/public/
Depression and Bipolar Supports Alliance
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance has launched a new Spanish language website that is available at http://www.dbsalianza.org/
Autism Spectrum Disorder Survey
Norah Louise Johnson RN MSN CPNP PhD candidate PhD Nursing student at Marquette University is studying the Parenting stress and the health of parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The study involves parents completing 4 questionnaires that assess their stress level, family functioning and Health Related Quality of Life. The results of the study would be used to spread the word about parents' need for support. In order to recruit a large sample of parents for this important study, they are seeking opportunities to notify as many parents as possible about this voluntary opportunity to participate. http://www.mommyruns.com
Disabilityinfo.gov
DisabilityInfo.gov has been updated to include information on important disability and emergency preparedness contacts and resources in your state. This new information includes local Red Cross chapters; disability services agencies, FEMA regional offices and your state's department of Homeland Security & Emergency Management or department of Emergency Services. To find your state's emergency preparedness contacts go to this link http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-
public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=192, click on the "Find State and Local Resources" map, and then choose your state from the map or from the list of states and territories. General resources on emergency preparedness can be found at
http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-
public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=213
New Booklet Explaining Emergency Preparations Available for People Using Wheelchairs
The United Spinal Association has a new booklet available, titled "Fire Safety for Wheelchair Users at Work and at Home." The booklet provides information not only about getting out of a building caught on fire, but also about "new building codes, protocols and procedures..." in New York. The content of this booklet emphasizes ensuring that the evacuation of people using wheelchairs is everyone's responsibility, not just of individuals using wheelchairs. The free booklet is available at http://www.unitedspinal.org/pdf/WheelchairFireSafety.pdf.

DISCLAIMER
Inclusion of information in this e-mail does not constitute an endorsement by the Wisconsin Statewide Parent-Educator Initiative, Wisconsin FACETS, the Department of Public Instruction, the U.S. Department of Education, or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.