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Parent Leadership Hub Weekly
E-Newsletter


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Parent Leadership Hub Weekly E-Newsletter for July 08, 2010

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. WI FACETS Fall Regional Conference – UW-River Falls
    Free WI FACETS Western WI Autism Advocacy & Consulting Center, Regional Special Education Conference for Parents and Professionals.
    September 11, 2010 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at UW-River Falls, UW-Riverview Ballroom, 500 Wild Rose Avenue, Lunch and materials provided.
    Topics: Great Futures for Our Children as Parents Lead the Way
    Keynote Presentations & Breakout Sessions: Effective Communication; Discipline, Suspension, Expulsion and Seclusion & Restraint Updates; Supporting Young Children with Challenging Behaviors; IEP – The Process & Product; Family Involvement; Transition – Creating the Vision; Mediation and Facilitated IEPs.
    To Register: contact Sandra McFarland at 1-877-374-0511 or smcfarland@wifacets.org
  2. Care in the Community Conference in Wauwatosa
    Positive Connections
    Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010 at the Radisson Hotel, Wauwatosa, WI
    The purpose of this conference is to provide families and providers who care for children and youth with special health care needs with the information and tools they need. For more information, visit www.maxishare.com/conferences. Sponsored by: The Southeast Regional Center for Children With Special Health Care Needs.

Family Involvement Resources

  1. Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC)
    The Wisconsin Education Association Council offers information to parents on parent involvement including free downloads. Visit the parents and community page at http://www.weac.org/Home.aspx
  2. National Community Education Association (NCEA)
    The National Community Education Association looks at how community education can strengthen communities by providing national and regional training conferences and workshops, peer support, networking, and collaboration with other community organizations. This website will also connect you with the Wisconsin affiliate. Go to http://www.ncea.com/ for more information.
  3. America's Promise Alliance
    The top priority of America's Promise Alliance is to ensure that all young people graduate from high school ready for college, work and life. This organization promotes five promises to America's youth including caring adults, safe places, a healthy start, effective education, and opportunities to help others through service. Go to http://www.americaspromise.org/
  4. Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY)
    Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) is a parent involvement, school readiness program that helps parents prepare their three, four, and five year old children for success in school and beyond. From this site parents can access materials especially developed for parents, research, and links to other useful resources. Visit http://www.hippyusa.org/ for more information.
  5. National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE)
    The mission of the National Coalition for Parent Involvement in Education (NCPIE) is to advocate for the involvement of parents and families in their children's education, and to foster relationships between home, school, and community to enhance the education of our entire nation's young people. Newsletters, action briefs, and partnership information represent only a sampling of what is available on this site. Go to http://www.ncpie.org/ for more information.
  6. Anti-bullying policy
    WI Act 309 of 2009 requires school districts to adopt anti-bullying policies by August 15, 2010. In compliance with the act, the DPI has developed a model anti-bullying policy to assist districts. It is available at: http://dpi.wi.gov/sspw/doc/modelbullyingpolicy.doc  Questions may be directed to Joan Lerman, joan.lerman@dpi.wi.gov or 608-266-2829.
  7. Special Education for Students in Private Schools
    Provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) relating to parentally-placed private school children with disabilities include Child Find, equitable distribution of funds and service plans that are unique for these students. The Department of Public Instruction (DPI), Special Education Team, has developed a number of technical assistance materials to help schools carry out these provisions. Please see the Special Education webpage at http://dpi.wi.gov/sped/sbprivschools.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.