Wisconsin Personnel Development System (WPDS)

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Parent Leadership Hub Weekly E-Newsletter for July 30,2009

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. Parents in Partnership (PIP) Training in Onalaska
   The Parents In Partnership program (PIP) is a five-part leadership opportunity for parents, foster parents, or other care givers who have children, 6-14 years old. Parents will have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, support networks, and positive parent-professional partnerships. You will meet with parents, educators, state agency personnel, and other statewide leaders over the course of these five sessions. You will also have time to share your own stories, obtain useful information, and strengthen skills that will enable you to communicate more effectively with educational, medical, and human service providers. Topic areas may include IDEA and the special education process, policymaking, citizen participation, and community inclusion of youth with special needs. Participants will share information about resources, collaborative teams, advocacy, and conflict management skills. For information about the Onalaska PIP, contact John Shaw at 608-266-7707. To register, contact Phyllis toll-free at 1-877-844-4925. Registration information also will be posted at http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sped/par_partn.html.
2. Understanding and Overcoming Poverty in Wisconsin
   August 6-7, 2009 in Wausau
   Poverty is growing in Wisconsin, even before the recent economic downturn; not only has the gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" increased, many hard-working Americans are feeling the pinch. This conference seeks to understand poverty by addressing what poverty looks like and to uncover solutions for ending poverty in Wisconsin. Researchers, practitioners, advocates, agents, educators, and the public will convene to explore best practices, to examine how to bridge the divide in our state and communities, and to dialogue about strategies that build upon current efforts and initiatives towards meaningful next steps.
   
   For the conference registration web site go to: http://www.wiscpoverty.org/index.cfm
   For more information: Jean Greenwood • Program Associate at 715-261-6234 or email: jean.greenwood@uwc.edu
3. Reframing Challenging Behavior: The Art and Science of Teaching Social Emotional Skills
   August 8: Child Care Resource & Referral, Janesville
   September 26: American Family Insurance, Madison
   Are you or your staff members struggling with the behaviors of children in your program? This session will provide tips and strategies for working with children who are acting out. Challenge yourself to respectfully look at behaviors, using the child's perspective. Discover what to do when intervention is necessary. Become familiar with how to guide a child and their parents through the process of determining if there is a disability. Learn about the ADA (American with Disabilities Act), the IDEA (Individual with Disabilities Act) and how children must receive services in LRE (Least Restrictive Environments). To register go to: https://web.memberclicks.com/mc/quickForm/viewForm.do?
   orgId=wieca&formId=58987
   
   Scholarships are available through the CCR&R for Janesville area residents to attend. Contact Michael Rule at (608) 741-3615 or rule@co.rock.wi.us for more information.
4. Creative Classroom Environments – Milwaukee
   Sat Aug 22, 2009 9:00 AM
   From Snoring and Boring to Exciting and Inviting: Creative classroom environments. Join in for a daylong training at the Milwaukee Public Library on transforming your early childhood classrooms from snoring and boring to exciting and inviting. Start with "New and Cool: New Books for Children 0 to 5," Milwaukee Public Library Books2Go staff. Then join Lisa Sprinks, Milestones Programs for Children, for "Classroom Environment as Curriculum."  After lunch and a tour of the Central Library Betty Brinn Children's Room, enjoy "Bring Your Classroom to Life," with Nancy Nestler, Multicultural Community Services. To register go to: https://web.memberclicks.com/mc/quickForm/viewForm.do?
   orgId=wieca&formId=54776 For more information: Contact: Judy Mays, Phone: (414) 278-9322, Email: jmays@wecanaeyc.org
5. Quality Behavioral Interventions in Wisconsin
   The 2nd annual conference of the Wisconsin Association for Behavior Analysis
   August 24 & 25, 2009 Monona Terrace Convention Center Madison, WI. This is a two day conference for teachers, professionals, parents, and students interested in contemporary, leading-edge techniques in effective behavioral management. Join others who will gather for workshops, invited presentations, poster sessions, and opportunities to network with nationally recognized.
   http://www.wisaba.org/2009%20Brochure%20in%20toto.pdf
6. Wisconsin Association of Middle Level Educators Conference
   The Wisconsin Association of Middle Level Educators holds its annual conference Oct. 8-9 in Wisconsin Dells, featuring a speech by State Superintendent Tony Evers. First Lady Jessica Doyle will also share comments. For more conference information go to:
   http://www.wamle.org/
7. Puzzled By Brain Injury? – 4th Annual Training on Brain Injury for Professionals
   Enhance your skills to improve the lives of those you work with.            

   Training Dates and Locations
   October 8th	Eau Claire	Chippewa Valley Technical College
   October 26th	LaCrosse	Western Technical College
   November 5th	Appleton	Fox Valley Technical College
   November 6th	Stevens Point	Community Care of Central WI
   November 10th	Madison	Madison Area Technical College
   November 13th	Milwaukee	Milwaukee Area Technical College (Oak Creek Campus)

        
         For more training or registration information please contact:  
   

   Myrt Sieger	Brenda Jackson
   TBI Training Coordinator	Administrative Assistant
   Brain Injury Association of Wisconsin	Brain Injury Association of WI
   608-442-0317 or siegerfam@gmail.com	262-790-9660 or admin@biaw.org

8. October Wisconsin Community on Transition Meeting
   The next statewide Community on Transition meeting will be Oct. 22 from 9 to 12:30 at the Goodman Atwood Community Center, 149 Waubesa St., Madison, WI 53704. This meeting will focus on family involvement in the transition process. Anyone interested in being part of the Community on Transition is invited. More information coming soon on how to register.
   
   All Community on Transition meetings are free and open to anyone interested in improving transition programming and outcomes for students with disabilities. For more information on the Community on transition and resources available from Wisconsin and other member states, register at http://www.sharedwork.org/ and look for the Community on Transition at the bottom of the page.
   

Trainings on the Web

1. Promoting Positive Outcomes for Children with Disabilities
   Webinar on DEC's Recommendations for Curriculum, Assessment & Program Evaluation. This useful webinar gave participants an overview of DEC's paper on Recommendations for Curriculum, Assessment and Program Evaluation for Young Children with Disabilities and its alignment with other recommendations for children with and without disabilities.
   
   Presented by: Beth Rous, Ed.D. and Marilou Hyson, Ph.D. An audio recording and presentation materials are posted below:
   http://www.dec-sped.org/Professionals/Professional_Opportunities

Family Involvement Resources

1. Eligibility Checklists in Spanish
   Checklists for IEP teams to use when they determine a child's eligibility for special education and related services are now available in Spanish.  The checklists for the eleven categories of disability are posted in English and Spanish at http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sped/eligibility.html.
   
   

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.