The Director's Pen

We have had 3 valuable presentations for our parent community this school year. The most recent was a presentation of visual schedules presented by 3 of our speech and language pathologists. You can find the recording on this page, along with the January presentation on stress and anxiety.

In addition, on May 4th @ 10 a.m., Lauren Bielski, our SEPAG chair will be hosting a virtual "coffee hour" to informally come together and chat. She will be sending out log in information in the future! Hold the date!

Lastly, in preparation for next school year, I am seeking a parent representative from each school, the preschool, and a parent whose student is in an out of district setting to serve as a building liaison of families of students with disabilities. My vision includes accessing input from a greater representation of our families in an effort from moving from "good" to "great" in our services for students. I anticipate that this SEPAG leadership committee will meet periodically throughout the year to provide input to the Director, and assist with the planning for SEPAG. Please fill out this brief survey if you are interested!

Friday, March 26th is International #SELday. Throughout the district, our school counselors coordinated activities to support staff and student in recognizing the importance of self care. The theme of the day is building bonds and re-imagining communities. At home too, please remind each other of the importance of caring for ourselves and caring for others!

April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance month. To learn about autism from the role of a parent or educator, you may wish to browse the resources available through Autism Speaks. Click here for the home page, where you can choose from a menu of resources.

ESS has created a parent video and student video in preparation for the greater return of students to in person learning. The student video is appropriate for all ages, and regardless of if ESS is a service in your school. Teachers may watch it with their class, or you can watch it with your child at home! Trial the breathing techniques for mindful breaks, and integrate the strategies to help your child with the transition of combined cohorts. There are some good reminders such as packing a second mask in the backpack and labeling water bottles!

The parent video is great as well, and although general enough for all schools, it does reference RFIS and RH in particular as some of the speakers are assigned as clinicians in those schools.

A conference appropriate for parents, educators, and students. It falls on a school day, but perhaps this is something our families may be interested in as its intent is focused on mental health.

The District's website has been updated (click here) to include the dates for the summer Extended School Year program, as well as a special program this summer, for students with an IEP who are not otherwise in need of extended school year (ESY program). Students will have the opportunity to come in for one 2-hour weekly session for 5 weeks to work on learning aspects such as math, language arts, multi sensory reading, and in some instances, speech skills. This is a new program to help provide continuity and structure after a year-long Pandemic. Parents are encouraged to complete this survey to assist the District with scheduling students for this summer learning opportunity.

Email: dhamblin@frsd.k12.nj.us
Website: https://www.frsd.k12.nj.us/
Phone: (908) 284-7682
Twitter: @DAHamblin