Wisconsin Personnel Development System (WPDS)

Parent Leadership Hub Weekly E-Newsletter for March 19, 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

1. The Cutting-Edge Preview Day
   Monday, April 6, 2009 from 10:00am - 12:30pm at Edgewood College, Monroe St. Campus, Madison, 1000 Edgewood Dr.
   Providing College Experience Opportunities for Individuals With Disabilities
   Developing Life-long Learners An Individualized Approach to Inclusion
   Check out this video clip to learn more about the Cutting-Edge
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4p2QF-SS7c

   Contact Information & RSVP: Dr. Dedra Hafner, Ph.D. (608) 712-4694
   dhafner@edgewood.edu or Dr. Courtney Moffatt, Ph.D. (608) 663-2831 cmoffatt@edgewood.edu

2. Job Coaching Training for Credit
   CESA 5 will be presenting a Job Coach Training on June 11-12, 2009, at the Wintergreen Resort & Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells, WI. The two days will provide paraprofessionals, job coaches, high school teachers, transition coordinators, and adult service agency personnel the instruction required to successfully develop, implement, assess, and support community based employment for students with disabilities. The two-day session will be instructed by Laura Owens, PhD, an associate professor at UW-Milwaukee.

   This training is being offered for 1 graduate credit through UW-Milwaukee, as well as 10 hours ESP Level I or Level II (Specialized Studies-Transition) certification through WEAC. Questions about workshop content, graduate credit, or ESP certification? Contact Karen Lietzow at (608) 742-8814, ext. 309, or email lietzowk@cesa5.k12.wi.us Registration questions? Contact Jo Ann Senzig at (608) 742-8814, ext. 272, or email senzigj@cesa5.k12.wi.us. Please consult the brochure at this website for more information and registration info. http://sharedwork.org/documents/coaching.pdf.

3. Annual Parent Leadership Conference
   Building Partnerships for Student Success
   April 29, 2009 at Monona Terrace, Madison, WI.
   Keynote Speaker: Karen Mapp, Harvard Graduate School of Education lecturer and co-author of Beyond the Bake Sale
   Conference flyer is available as a pdf. For more information about the workshops see our draft agenda. For questions, contact Jane Grinde at 608/266-9356 or e-mail Jane.Grinde@dpi.wi.gov

4. Deadline March 27, 2009 for Circles of Life Conference Registration, SibShop and Respite
   Deadline for registration, SibShop and Respite is March 27, 2009 for the 25th annual 2009 Circles of Life Conference on April 30 & May 1, 2009 at the Marriott Madison West, Madison, Wisconsin.  Conference details and registration forms can be found at http://www.wfv.org/circle/details.html. Completed award nominations must be submitted by April 10, 2009. Go to http://www.wfv.org/circle/awards.html for more information.

5. Housing 101: An Introduction to Housing Options for Youth Adults with Disabilities – Rescheduled from February 21st to Saturday, May 9th
   The previous workshop was cancelled due to bad weather.  This workshop will take place on Sat. May 9th at Children's Hospital of WI in Milwaukee from 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. This is a free event, sponsored by the Social Workers at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and the Southeast Regional Center for Children & Youth with Special Health Care Needs. Deadline to register is 4/24/09. For questions or to register, please call 414-266-3188 or e-mail jturkoske@chw.org.

6. YMCA Easter Seals Picnic – April 26, 3009 in Kenosha
   Easter Seals is having a picnic, and you are invited Sunday, April 26, 2009 from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Kenosha YMCA – Callahan Family Branch, 7101 43rd Street, Kenosha, WI .All ages welcome, $7.00 fee per person for lunch. They will grill hot dogs with all of the fixings and serve a potluck of food. Play t-ball at Miracle Field, get a chance to hit a baseball piñata, design your own baseball cards, get a baseball tattoo, match baseball teams to leagues, watch a baseball movie & more! RSVP by April 15th to let us know how many in your party and their ages. Contact Susan Klawien at 414-550-3938 or at susank@eastersealswise.com.

7. 5th Annual Racine County Resource Fair – Waterford, WI
   Saturday, March 28th, 2009 from 9:00 a.m. –12:00 p.m. at Waterford Union High School, 100 Field Drive, Waterford, WI. (Please enter at door number 1) Discover resources and information for students from birth to age 21 who receive special needs services in Racine County and their families. Free admission and childcare activities. Refreshments and door prizes. Sponsored by the school districts and agencies in Racine County servicing children with special needs from 0-21. Please call Kathy Merlo with any questions at 262-514-8200 ext 1051.

   
   

Family Involvement Resources

1. Assisting Families Affected by the Economic Crisis
   Recognizing that Wisconsin and the nation are experiencing very difficult times, the Department of Public Instruction has created an 8-page packet of resources and strategies to help schools assist families impacted by the economic crisis. Concerned neighbors and educators will find helpful links, ideas, and funding sources organized into 16 categories, from Food to Health Issues to Educational Support. The packet, "Resources and Strategies to Assist Families Experiencing Challenges Related to the Economic Recession," is available at http://www.dpi.wi.gov/homeless/index.html. In addition, a new DPI video illustrates one of those strategies in action at Olga Brener Elementary School in Shawano. The video is online at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYkxtumGDAs.
2. American Recovery and Reinvestment Act – IDEA provisions
   DPI has created a website at http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sped/idearecovery.html where continuously updated information on the IDEA provisions of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act will be posted.  Information about the impact of the Act on all areas of education is posted at http://dpi.wi.gov/pb/stimuluspackage.html. The website at http://www.ed.gov includes a press release with basic information.  The State allocations for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 are posted at http://www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/statetables/09arrastatetables.pdf.
3. Guide for Other Health Impairment
   A new document, Special Education Eligibility Criteria and Evaluation for Other Health Impairment (OHI), is now available at http://dpi.wi.gov/sped/doc/ohi-evaluation-guide.doc.  The guide is a working document, and DPI invites comments until May 15, 2009.  A final document will be posted in summer 2009.  Please send comments to Lynn Boreson, WDPI OHI Consultant, P.O. Box 7841, Madison, WI 53707-7841, or via email to lynn.boreson@dpi.wi.gov.
4. Resources for Response to Intervention (RtI)
   Wisconsin’s framework for Response to Intervention/Instruction (RtI) was initially developed with input from stakeholders through the State Superintendent’s Collaborative Council. New information and resources about RtI in Wisconsin is available at http://dpi.wi.gov/rti/.
   

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.