Director's Pen

Our case managers are in the process of reaching out to families of students they case manage. They will be doing so by phone or email. If you do not hear from your child's case manager, please do not hesitate to reach out to the Special Services Department who can help coordinate contact with the appropriate staff member! (908)284-7680

You can also take a look at the Child Study Team page (linked here) on the District website especially if you have a new case manager and would like to associate a name with a face.

Back to School Night visitations are scheduled to begin this week! Back to School Night visits focus on meeting your child(ren)'s teachers and a general schedule and curricular overview.

Since the evening is not focused on discussion around individual students, related service providers and case managers (i.e. Teacher of the Deaf, Occupational Therapist and Physical Therapists) may not be present at Back to School nights. Simply reach out directly to the provider to schedule a time to speak if you have a question about your child's program and/or services. The following staff are contracted personnel who serve multiple buildings in District:

Kathleen DeStefano, PT: kathleen.destefano@frsd.us

Amy McKenna, OT: amy.mckenna@frsd.us

Jennifer Becht, TOD: jbecht@mlschools.org

Ms. Lisa Pollack (sepag@frsd.us) and Mrs. Lauren Loftus (lmloftus79@gmail.com) will be co-chairs for SEPAG this year. We have our first parent night on November 15th from 6-7 pm. *This workshop is focused on Stress and Worry in children, and will be held at the JPCASE School in the Media Center. There will be refreshments. Please RSVP so we can play for refreshments! Please also note, this invitation has been extended to neighboring school district SEPAG groups.

In addition to reaching out to them for support and collaboration, please also reach out should you have any suggestions for the upcoming school year's SEPAG parent workshops. Click here for the link to the informational flyer.

SPAN also provides a new monthly newsletter...see message below.

Greetings in the New School Year!

We are proud to launch our new monthly newsletter. To download and/or access the live links, click here: September Newsletter.

¡Saludos en este nuevo año escolar!

Estamos orgullosos de lanzar nuestro nuevo boletín mensual. Para descargar y/o acceder a los enlaces en vivo, haga clic aquí: September Newsletter.

...is offering an adaptive basketball clinic and are also looking for student mentor leaders. Check out the attachment for more information.

Solutions features important topics related to children's mental health and tips for parents and caregivers.

English Version
Spanish Version

The need and program length for Extended School Year will be discussed at your child's annual review meeting. Qualifying criteria includes, but is not limited to, the following:

1. Regression and recoupment - Is the child likely to lose critical skills or fail to recover these skills within a reasonable amount of time, more significantly than their typical peers?
2. Emerging skills/breakthrough opportunities - Will a lengthy summer break cause significant problems for a child who is learning an instrumental skill or one that requires continued learning?
3. Interfering behavior - Does the child's behavior interfere with his or her ability to benefit from special education and requires practice in social, emotional or behavioral regulation?
4. Nature and/or severity of disability

The Flemington-Raritan School District will be providing an Extended School Year Program (ESY) during the Summer of 2024. The program (tentatively) will run from July 1st - August 1st, Monday-Thursday from 8:30-10:30 a.m. or 10:30-12:30 p.m. *There may be instances where a student's program requires an 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. program. Dates/times will be solidified in Winter 2024.

Thursday, July 4 and Friday, July 5th there will be no ESY services.

For students who require ESY per their IEP, transportation will be provided to and from Copper Hill School, where the program will take place.

There will not be a summer supplemental program in School Year 2024 offered through Special Services. District summer programs will be announced at a later time.

Structured Literacy

Effectively July 1, 2023, the Special Services Department welcomes Stacey Harris, District Wilson teacher. She is joining our Wilson team with certifications as a Reading Specialist and Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner. She will be providing Wilson services to students across the district along with leading professional development and consultation in the area of literacy.

In addition to our six District staff who are level one, Wilson certified, we have three additional staff members who will participate in the practicum experience this year in order to earn their certification in June 2024. We are excited to continue to expand our District's Structured Literacy program and services.

Bus Monitor Training

On Wednesday, September 6th, our District transportation aides participated in a training to raise awareness of students with disabilities, safety protocols and the different equipment utilized on vans and buses. Thank you to Wendy VanDine (Special Services Transportation Aide Coordinator) for leading this training to ensure students arrive safely to and from school.

Community-Based Instruction (CBI) and RFIS' Classroom Kitchen

Over the summer, a kitchen, washer, and dryer were installed in the 5th/6th life skills classroom. This space supports learners with goals and objectives related to community-based instruction and specifically, daily living skills. The kitchen serves as an instrumental piece for experiential learning. These spaces are not just for cooking; they're immersive laboratories for communication skills. Students utilize the kitchen to prepare for the weekly RFIS Huskies Coffee Cart where staff can purchase coffee, bagels and baked goods.

Email: danielle.hamblin@frsd.us
Website: https://www.frsd.k12.nj.us/domain/13
Location: 100 Everitts Road, Ringoes, NJ, USA
Phone: 908-284-7680
Twitter: @DAHamblin