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Parent Leadership Hub Weekly
E-Newsletter


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Parent Leadership Hub Weekly E-Newsletter for December 31, 2009

This week's update is provided by WSPEI and WI FACETS to share statewide information regarding parent leadership and family involvement. Please visit the Parent Leadership Hub web page of the SPDG website at http://www.wispdg.org/pl.html for the current and archived weekly updates and to find information on these topics:

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.

Please, direct any questions to the PL Hub Co-Facilitators:
Mary Skadahl, WSPEI Statewide Project Director at 715-829-8932 or marys@cesa12.k12.wi.us
Dawn Wians, WI FACETS SPDG Coordinator at 608-827-5234 or dwians@wifacets.org

Deadline for submitting contributions to each week's issue is Tuesday noon. For time sensitive training advertisements, the information should be sent a minimum of two weeks prior to the event date; ideally a month ahead of time. Material appropriate for the weekly newsletter include web links to sources of family involvement/parent leadership resources and advertisements for statewide trainings for parents, youth or parent/educator audiences (we don’t post research articles, reports or news opinion articles). Your submittal may not be in the final copy if it was in a previous weekly email, the event date has passed or the web link doesn’t work. Please, send submittals to phyllis@banbury.com

NOTE: Note: If you would like to receive this weekly update or if you would like to have your name removed from the distribution list, please contact Mary Skadahl or Dawn Wians.

'Just in Time Information' Now Available  

A new online repository of information is available for parents, youth and professionals who are searching for articles previously posted to the PL Hub Weekly E-Newsletters since October 2008. This repository of information will help the reader locate valuable information by topic, 'just in time'. Currently, there are web pages for 'Transition to Adult Life' and 'Family Involvement'. Future web pages will include 'Early Childhood' and 'School-Age Years'.

For our reader's convenience, all archived issues of the E-Newsletter will eventually be re-posted on the 'Just in Time Information' page of the PL Hub website. We hope this format will help our readers quickly access the resources they need, when they need them, and that it will be visited frequently. Additions are always welcome! To submit suggested resources and training products, simply follow the instructions and criteria provided in the introduction to each of the PL Hub Weekly Updates.

To visit the new 'Just in Time Information' web page go to: http://www.wispdg.org/pl/resources.html

 

Parent/Personnel Development Opportunities

  1. Call for Parents in Partnership and YiPPE Proposals 2010-2011
    With a new year upon us, it is time to begin planning for PIP and YiPPE trainings for the 2010-2011 year. The Call for Parents in Partnership (PIP) proposals and the Call for Youth in Partnership with Parents for Empowerment (YiPPE) proposals are on the WSPEI website at http://www.dpi.wi.gov/sped/par_partn.html . Proposals must be submitted by March 17, 2010 to: WSPEI, Attn: Martha DeYoung, P.O. Box 564, Portage, WI 53901. For more information call 608/742-8814 ext. 25 or e-mail deyoungm@cesa5.k12.wi.us

    PIP is a four or five part leadership opportunity for parents, foster parents, or other care givers who have children with special needs, 6-14 years old. Parents who participate have the opportunity to develop leadership skills, support networks, and positive parent-professional partnerships. These proposals can be submitted from communities or parent groups that would like to host a Parents in Partnership training. A limited number of PIP trainings will be provided. Groups making a request must be able to identify 12 or more parents who have not attended a PIP and are willing to commit 4 to 5 weekends during the school year to the training. Please see the website for details

    YiPPE is the only known program in the country to simultaneously train youth with disabilities in transition ages 15-20 along with their parents. Up to 25 youth and their parents attend 5 weekend sessions throughout a school year to learn about effective self-advocacy, communication strategies, futures planning, and available resources for students in transition. For the 2010-2011 school year YiPPE is seeking proposals from school districts, communities, parent groups or agencies that would like to host a YiPPE program. A limited number of YiPPE programs will be provided. Groups making a request must be able to Identify 15-25 youth along with their parents who have not attended a YiPPE or a Transition Parents in Partnership in the past and are willing to commit to all 5 weekends during the school year to the training. The group must also provide a commitment of funding sources to cover the cost for the youth part of the program. Please see the website for details.
  2. REACh Family Training Dates
    Here are the dates for family involvement workshops offered by the REACh centers in January and February. Registration information can be found at www.reachwi.com. 
     
    Fundamentals of Family Involvement: Jan 6, Southeast/Central Region
    Jan 29, Northwest/North Region
    Feb 1, Northwest/North Region
    Feb 3, Northwest/North Region    		 Strengthening Family Involvement Series:
     Feb 11, Northeast/Central Region
    Feb 16, Northeast/Central Region
    Feb 23, Southeast/Central Region
    Feb 26, Northwest/North Region
  3. The 1st Annual Knowing Autism Conference
    February 12, 2010 at University Center, University of Wisconsin – River Falls from 7:30 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. (lunch included). Early Bird Registration by Jan 8, 2010
    Overview of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Identification and Evidence-Based Interventions: This presentation will be a comprehensive overview of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and where we are in terms of research support, both for identification and treatment of ASD. Download a brochure at http://www.wwaacc.org/images/ConferenceBrochure.pdf or a registration form for more information at http://www.wwaacc.org/images/ConferenceRegForm.pdf
  4. Save the Date: CREATE Conference (Formerly the Summer Institute on Disproportionality)
    April 28 in Green Bay, Wisconsin, general audience participants are invited to attend the annual conference on disproportionality and culturally responsive educational policies, procedures, and practices. For more information, please visit http://www.createwisconsin.net/events/2010CREATEConf.cfm.

Trainings on the Web

  1. Online Training In Suicide Prevention
    The goal of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is to understand and prevent suicide. AAS hosts three conferences on an annual basis and administers trainings for those in suicide prevention, including school personnel, clinicians and crisis center employees. Online training in suicide prevention is available. Publications include books, a bimonthly peer-reviewed journal, quarterly newsletters for members and survivors, fact sheets, brochures and a directory of support groups. For more information, see the AAS website at http://www.suicidology.org/web/guest/home.

Family Involvement Resources

  1. Teen Brain/Drug Free Website
    The following link is from The Partnership for a Drug Free America.  It is a treasure trove of information regarding teen brain development, and is easily navigable.  http://www.drugfree.org/teenbrain/index.html
  2. Disability Scholarships Website
    Scholarships for people with disabilities come from foundations, organizations, schools, or a broad range of other committed providers. The following disability grants and scholarships are open to all college students with disabilities, including students with learning disabilities.
    http://www.disaboom.com/scholarships/all-general-disability-scholarships
  3. Braille Readers are Leaders Annual Contest
    The goal of this contest is to promote the joy of reading for pleasure, to promote pride in Braille as a viable literacy medium equal to print, and to demonstrate the importance of independent reading in the development of Braille literacy skills. Blind/visually impaired Braille reading students who are enrolled in an educational program for students from grades kindergarten through twelfth grade are eligible to compete in the contest. All contest material must be received by January 22, 2010. For more information go to http://www.nfb.org/nfb/Braille_Readers_Are_Leaders_Overview.asp
  4. New Resources from the Consortium for Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Education
    Preparing for Special Education Mediation and Resolution Sessions: A Guide for Families and Advocates is a new booklet aimed at helping families and advocates take advantage of the dispute resolution options in IDEA.
    Communication Tips for Building Strong Relationships (English & Spanish) is new from The PEAL Center. Visit CADRE at http://www.directionservice.org/cadre/index.cfm
  5. New Video on YouTube
    ¡Adelante! a Public TV program, highlights the Wisconsin Family Assistance Center for Education, Training, and Support. Also known as FACETS, the organization has an autism program that helps Latino families. This is the link http://www.youtube.com/user/MPTV1036#p/u/4/6jDIvc5y-3s to watch the video about the Latino Autism Group. The segment was produced by Channel 10—Milwaukee and the ¡Adelante! program. The video is in Spanish (12 minutes) and it contains subtitles in English.
  6. New IEP Video on SchoolTube
    Through simulations of a successful and unsuccessful IEP meeting, this video walks parents and educators through some of the important tips to remember when working together. Produced by the Burlington, WI School District, the link for the video is http://www.schooltube.com/video/62669/An-IEP-Map-Navigating-Your-Way-through-the-Maze. The video is also linked to the DPI website page on Creating Agreement.
  7. Wisconsin Response to Intervention (RtI) Center
    The Wisconsin RtI Center has been created in a collaborative effort between DPI and the 12 CESAs. The Center and DPI are working with the National Center on Response to Intervention, State Implementation and Scaling-up of Evidence-based Practices Center, Great Lakes West Comprehensive Center, and Learning Points Associates on scaling up RtI in Wisconsin. The Center was created to support the capacity-building efforts of Wisconsin schools to increase student academic and behavioral success through RtI systems change processes. The Center will provide resources for the three essential elements of RtI: High Quality Instruction, Collaboration, and Continuous Student Progress Review. The Center will create collaborative relationships with other state initiatives, and help school districts align their current initiatives for successful implementation. For more information, contact Kathy Ryder, Director of the Wisconsin RtI Center, ryderk@cesa5.k12.wi.us or  715-720-2156.

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.