LPS Student Services Newsletter

Welcome to the start of what promises to be a fantastic school year! The LPS Student Services Department is thrilled to have your children with us and excited about all the learning, growth, and fun ahead. This newsletter will be sent throughout the year to keep you informed about resources to help you and your children and upcoming activities in our departments.

We believe that strong communication between home and school is vital for student success, and we look forward to working closely with you to create a positive and enriching environment for all of our learners!

Please feel free to reach out the coordinator or specialist that best meets your needs:

Jasmine Washington (504 and At-Risk Coordinator) jwashington@lpsfrisco.com

Lynda Delsol (Student Services Specialist) ldelsol@lpsfrisco.com

Jenny Conley (Dyslexia Coordinator and Therapist) jconley@lpsfrisco.com

Ann Henkels (Dyslexia Therapist) ahenkels@lpsfrisco.com

Lensie Walker (Special Ed Coordinator) lwalker@lpsfrisco.com

Lori Callaway (GT, ESL, and AP Coordinator) lcallaway@lpsfrisco.com

Danelle Standifer (Transition Specialist) dstandifer@lpsfrisco.com

Karri Luna (Social Worker) kluna@lpsfrisco.com

Christie Goheen (Social Worker) cgoheen@lpsfrisco.com

Kyla Moore (Speech Language Pathologist) kmoore@lpsfrisco.com

Kathy Allen (Speech Language Pathology Assistant) kallen@lpsfrisco.com

Amy McDaniel (Diagnostician) amcdaniel@lpsfrisco.com

Reva Soyemi (Math Instructional Coach) rsoyemi@lpsfrisco.com

Paula Ross (Coordinator of Learning and Leading) pross@lpsfrisco.com

504- meet the team and learn about section 504

Dyslexia- parent information

Special Education- IEP's and webinar event

Transition- information and resources for parents of students with disabilities

ESL- parent information, TEA resources, websites to check out

GT- referral form, program guide, spelling bee

Social Workers- Mental health matters

Math- over view of math at LPS

Click here to learn more about section 504 and to meet our team.

Thank you, parents, for joining us for the Dyslexia Parent Education Night at Curriculum Night last week. For more information about the Dyslexia Program at LPS, please see the attached slideshow. LPS Dyslexia Parent Education. October is Dyslexia Awareness Month, so stay tuned for more details as we shine the light on some of our most brilliant learners!

What is an Individualized Education Program (IEP)?

SPEDTex has a resource that provides a brief overview of the major sections of an IEP and can serve as a checklist for families as they participate in their child’s Admission, Review, and Dismissal committee meeting. Read it here.

Special Education Updates with Kristin McGuire

Join us for a free statewide webinar on September 18, 2024, at 12:15 p.m. (CT). Kristin McGuire, Deputy Associate Commissioner of Special Populations Policy, Integration, and Technical Assistance at the Texas Education Agency will be joining us to discuss recent special education updates and to address various questions often asked by parents of students with disabilities attending public schools. Register here.

Check out the information linked here for resources to assist parents with children who have disabilities.

Thank you, parents, for attending the ESL information nights at both the elementary and secondary campuses. If you were not able to attend the presentations are linked below.

Elementary ESL Information Night

Secondary ESL Information Night

TEA has a webpage dedicated to supporting parents and families of emergent bilingual students. Click here to check out the variety of resources and information.

Check out the resources below that were highlighted in recent TEA Parent and Families Newsletters

The nomination window to refer students in grades 1st-11th for the gifted/talented program is open until September 27th. To learn more about the GT program at LPS our program guide can be found here.

The referral form to nominate students for consideration in the gifted/talented program can be found here.

Are you an individual parent looking to connect with other parents of gifted children in Texas? You are invited to join the Texas Gifted Education Family Network Group on Facebook. To learn more, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/texasgiftedsupport.

Calling all 4th-8th graders that love words and spelling!

It's the time of year to start sharpening your spelling skills to prepare for the qualifying rounds to participate in the LPS Spelling Bee. Be on the lookout for an email with details about when the qualifying grade level bees will take place. In the meantime students can begin practicing the word lists that are attached.

Students who are enrolled in an AP course will have their exam fee added to My School Bucks. Please watch for the invoice to be posted to your account. Exam fees need to be paid by October 31st.

September is National Suicide Prevention Month.

It is easy to misread depression as normal adolescent turmoil; however, depression, which is among the most common of mental illnesses, appears to be occurring at a much earlier age. Treatment is available for depression. It is a leading risk factor for suicidality.

Our school community wants to assist parents/guardians in the following ways:

• To help our students understand that depression is a treatable illness.
• To explain that suicide is a preventable tragedy that often occurs as a result of untreated depression.
• To help students know to whom in the school they can turn for help.

As guardians you can inform your student how to:

• ACKNOWLEDGE – Listen to your friend/classmate; don’t ignore threats.
• CARE – Let your friend know that you care and that they need the help of an adult.
• TELL – Tell a trusted adult if you have a concern for yourself or a friend.

Parents can watch for warning signs. Below are some signs of concern that can help you, as a guardian, know whether your child has the “adolescent blues” or if it’s something more serious.

• Depressed mood (sad, down, grouchy, or irritable) and/or avoiding family and friends
• A decline in grades and/or struggling to complete simple tasks
• Not taking care of physical health or personal cleanliness
• Change in sleeping patterns, weight, and/or appetite
• Feelings of worthlessness and/or hopelessness
• Constant worry about body image
• Drug and/or alcohol abuse
• Thoughts or writing of death, suicide, or wishes to be dead

Moodiness is common in adolescents, but if it lasts more than two weeks, it might be more than “the blues.”

For more information please visit nami.org or texassuicideprevention.org

Elementary Campus

K-5 students are learning math through Eureka Math TEKS Edition.

“The Eureka Math TEKS Edition curriculum was created by Great Minds®, a nonprofit that brought together teachers and experts to craft a program based on the world’s most successful math programs.

Eureka was built around the core principle that students need to know more than just what works when solving a problem—they need to understand why it works.

The curriculum goes beyond facts and formulas, teaching students to think about math conceptually. This helps students become not merely literate, but fluent in mathematics.”

Great MindsⓇ Eureka Math TEKS Edition

Reach out to your child’s K-5 teacher for any additional resources or questions.

Secondary Campus

Some of our 6-12 students are learning math through Building Thinking Classrooms.

“I wanted to build, what I now call, a thinking classroom – a classroom that is not only conducive to thinking but also occasions thinking, a space that is inhabited by thinking individuals as well as individuals thinking collectively, learning together, and constructing knowledge and understanding through activity and discussion."

Peter Liljedahl (Author of Building Thinking Classrooms), Simon Fraser University

Reach out to your child’s 6-12 teacher for any additional resources or questions.

Parent and Student Resources

Students have district access to IXL at school and home. It is “personalized learning. With a comprehensive K-12 curriculum, individualized guidance, and real-time analytics, IXL meets the unique needs of each learner.”

IXL

Reach out to your child’s K-12 teacher for any additional information.

Have a fantastic 2024-2025 school year LPS Parents! For additional information about the Leadership Prep School Math Framework, please check out this document.