The Northland Learning Center's focus is to meet the needs of the whole child to ensure that all students have the knowledge, skills, and abilities to learn, live, and work successfully.

Think of the Prior Written Notice (PWN) as one of the most important pieces of documentation you will ever have to write in your professional teaching career. It cannot be understated. This document wraps up a meeting and documents in detail the proposals and discussions. Each of the 5 boxes must contain detailed information. The PWN should not only be written for an annual IEP meeting. We need to get into the practice of concluding any of our meetings we are having with our families with a PWN to capture our discussions and any potential agreed upon or discussed but not agreed upon conclusions. This document supports us when parents/guardians misunderstand and bring in advocates or it goes to MDE for a complaint analysis. When our families want to meet regardless of a formal IEP meeting, complete a Team Meeting Notice and follow up with a PWN.

We have talked about data sheets in the beginning of the year, and I have seen where a superintendent has also provided some guidance on data sheets. Our MARSS folks from our member districts recently had a gathering here to get up to date information and to share what is going well and what still needs to be improved.

I have 3 things I would like case managers to double check before turning in those data sheets to their MARSS folks:

1) Primary Disability Category,

2) Instructional Setting, and

3) Service grid–look at the start date.

If you could check these 3 things in your student settings and in the IEP, it would be greatly appreciated.

December 1 Child Count is in full swing. Tina is working with your MARSS Coordinator to make sure that all Special Education data in SpEd forms and in your district's student system match. We have to make sure it is up to date and correct by December 1. Just remember, if you see an email come to you with Child Count in the heading, please give it your time and attention. You are key in getting this data to match. December 1 Child Count is the largest source of money that comes in for Special Education.

Don’t forget to turn in them to your MARSS coordinator every Special Education Data sheet as soon as it prints. This is our main source of getting that accurate data. Remember what Tina Johnson says every year, “MARSS means MONEY!” Thank you!!

~Jackie Ward & Tina Johnson

1. Use the updated IEP Checklist! If you follow everything on this checklist, your IEP will be COMPLIANT, it will pass yearly indicator reviews, and they will stand up in the complaint process (if it ever comes to that). This was created to make compliance easier. (Link below & on our website).
2. Use the Templates for your Present Levels page and above each goal! Click on "Pick Template" on the upper right on those pages. Fill in the information. Again, this is on the IEP Checklist, but it's new this year and makes compliance easier.
3. Progress Reports: The law requires Progress Reports to be completed as often as general education students receive report cards. Use measurable data! This year's progress reports will be under a microscope to determine the amount of "support" MDE will decide your district needs next year during the monitoring cycle.
4. Send a PWN home for every decision or meeting, no matter how informal that summarizes the decision. This can determine (and has) the outcome of complaints and/or lawsuits.
5. Finally: Finalize every piece of Due Process paperwork.

Hello everyone!

My name is Mel, and I am the Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director, Jackie Ward. I

have been with the NLC for 8 and half years. I started out as a paraprofessional and worked on

visual support for all of our districts, then became the Third-Party Billing Coordinator before

taking on this position I have now. I absolutely love working at the NLC with all the staff and

especially the students we serve!

Just wanted to remind everyone about purchase requests that you may have. Please make sure

that the form is completely filled out before submitting it. (Farm is linked below). Which includes the items in which you are requesting along with the price and quantity, the place where it is to be purchased, the person who is requesting it, as well as the principal or superintendents’ signature of approval.

Once you have all those components feel free to send them to me at mmaki@northlandsped

and please include your business manager in the email as well. Once they have approved, I will

return it to you and your business manager. If you have any questions or concerns at any time,

please feel free to email or call me 218-471-1042.

Have a great school year!

A student may be considered for exit from special education services when:

• A student no longer demonstrates need for specialized instruction from special education

• A parent initiates a request for their student to exit special education services

When considering continued eligibility for special education services, it is critical that due process is followed. Any parent request for termination of special education services should result in a team meeting. During the team meeting, the team will discuss parent concerns and initiate a re-evaluation.

Re-evaluation

An educational re-evaluation provides an opportunity to “tell the student’s story” using a variety of assessment and data sources. After the re-evaluation is completed, the team will discuss the student’s re-evaluation results, and will determine whether or not the student continues to demonstrate need for special education services.

If the team agrees that the student no longer demonstrates a need for special education services, they can proceed with the process of exiting a student from services.

Revocation of Consent

Revocation of consent occurs when a parent withdraws consent for special education services for their child. This should always be a last resort. After the team meeting, if the parent refuses a re-evaluation and continues to insist their child be exited from special education services, then the Revocation of Consent process comes into play.

If you receive a parent request for termination of special education services that requires Revocation of Consent, please reach out to your Coordinator/Assistant Director for assistance.

It is important to note that the decision to remove a student from special education services should be based on the student's educational needs and performance. The goal is to ensure that the student’s educational needs are being met, whether or not they have an IEP. It is essential to work collaboratively as a special education team to make an informed decision that serves the best interests of the student.

If your school has received a request for records from another school, (or they are dropped after 15 days not attending), please inform your MARSS person. The way to do this is to update the student's set up, save, and send the new Special Education Data Sheet to them.

In Student Set Up:

• Enter the correct Exit Date and Exit Reason.
• Unclick the "Active" box at the top left of the page.

• Go the Special Education Data Sheet (top right)
• Review the information on the Data Sheet to be sure it is correct.
• Download the Data Sheet and email it to your MARSS person.

*If you have the "Hide inactive students" box checked on the left side of your SpEd Dashboard, the student will no longer be visible on your list. You can uncheck that box if you ever need to reactivate them.

~Amanda Slattery: Information obtained from Crisis Prevention Institute Article - Top 10 De-escalation Tips for Educators

I tell every group Hannah and I train, if you take nothing else away from our session please remember that Behavior Influences Behavior. Students behavior is going to influence how you respond, and how you respond influences student’s continued behavior.

Your response to student behavior plays a critical role in determining what happens next. The following tips will provide you with strategies to respond to student behavior in a safe and effective manner.

1. Be Empathetic and Non-Judgmental

When a student says or does something you perceive as weird or irrational, avoid judging or discrediting their feelings. Whether or not you think those feelings are justified, they are indeed real feelings to that person. Remember, people's perceptions are their reality. Pay attention to them. Empathic listening is done by:

• Giving them your undivided attention.

• Listening carefully to their feelings and the facts they’re providing.

• Using positive nonverbal messages, such as eye contact and head nodding.

• Restating and paraphrasing what they said: use their words and ask questions to clarify.

2. Respect Personal Space

If the space allows, stand between 1-3 feet away from the person exhibiting escalated

behaviors. This personal space tends to decrease anxiety and can help prevent them from lashing out or harming themselves or others. If you must enter someone’s personal space, explain your actions so the person feels less confused and frightened.

3. Allow Time for Decisions

When a student is upset, they may not be able to think clearly. Give them time to think through and process what you’ve said. Just as you don’t want to feel rushed, your students don’t either. Avoid rising anxiety and stress for both of you by giving students that time.

4. Use Nonthreatening Nonverbals

When behavior begins escalating, nonverbals become key communicators to diffusing the situation. Be mindful of your gestures, facial expressions, movements, and tone of voice. The more a student escalates into distress, the less they can process your choice of words. When we speak to somebody we care about and respect, our tone and body language become relaxed, receptive, and nonthreatening. There is a special degree of patience and attention we show to those people. And those same qualities are exactly what a person in crisis needs to see so that they can safely de-escalate.

5. Set Limits

When a student is defensive, disruptive, or belligerent, they need limits that are clear, simple, and enforceable. Setting limits as a form of intervention is effective when limits are clearly stated, expectations are reasonable, and the limits given are enforceable—not punishable.

6. Focus On Feelings

As an educator, you understand how important facts are. But when dealing with escalating behaviors, how a student feels is often the heart of the matter. Not all people—and especially young people—can accurately describe their feelings toward what is happening to them. Offering supportive responses lets the student know you understand what is happening and helps them filter through their emotions in a more rational manner.

7. Ignore Challenging Questions

Engaging a student who verbally challenges you often results in a power struggle. When a student challenges your authority, redirect their attention to the issue at hand. Managing a power struggle is critical to your mental wellbeing, as well as that of the individuals you’re conversing with. Supportive responses include: “That must be scary.” “I know how hard that must have been for you.” “How did that make you feel?” When a student challenges your authority, redirect their attention to the issue at hand.

8. Avoid Overreacting

While you cannot control a student’s behavior, you can control how you respond to them.

Remaining calm, rational, and professional will have a direct effect on whether the situation escalates or diffuses. Remember, a dysregulated adult will never regulate a dysregulated child.

Strategies to help you remain calm include:

• Taking several deep breaths before responding.

• Remember that distress behavior is often rooted in fear and anxiety.

• Take a moment to calm yourself by reiterating what the individual is saying.

Be thoughtful in deciding which rules are negotiable and which are not. For example, if a student doesn’t want to work on an assignment at a particular time, are you able to offer them the choice to do it another time, or provide them with another task? Options and flexibility can help you avoid unnecessary confrontations.

10. Allow Silence for Reflection

It may seem counterintuitive to let moments of silence occur while working with a student, but sometimes it’s the best choice. This gives both you and the student a chance to reflect on what’s happening, and how to best proceed.

If you have any CPI-related questions, please reach out to me or Hannah anytime!

~Dean of Students: Jeff Zupetz

Most importantly KNOW YOUR STUDENTS, building a relationship with your student is one of the most important things you can do, give it time, don’t expect BIG changes right away. Be genuine and talk to them. Those kids want to know that you care about them, they won’t trust you or believe you until you prove it.

Also recognize these are hints, not one size fits all, going to work for everyone. In some cases specific students do need more than what you/we can give, but you still need to try strategies and honestly document results. Even when it doesn’t work. Don’t allow that to be your excuse.

Eloping/hallways, etc.

1. -annoy them until they don't want to do it anymore, hound them back to class.

2. -Runners, most cases it's a game, ignore.

3. -Cryers, looking for attention especially with an audience

(take away the audience, less is more. Walk away, many times the student will follow you because they are seeking attention. (Keep eyes on them but from a far).

Backtalkers- disrespectful, etc.

1. Give them an unexpected response. I sometimes will just say “Oh Thank you”, when students have tried to hurt my feelings.YOU can always turn it around into a positive. It gets super annoying for them when you do.

2. Don't take it personal, if you do and give them a reaction it will absolutely continue.

3. Rephrase in a question form, or just simply look at the child and say "are you okay".

4. Don't respond, just look at them, and say are you done? Or say, "is there anything else?".

5. Less is more, don't over talk or engage.

6. If you can get your students to think doing something is their idea, then you have buy in.

Bullying

Especially verbal (I try taking the power away from the words.) encourage a student being called names and honestly coach them how to respond or not respond. For example, first check for the validity of the insult” If a student is telling another that they “eat planets” and the person being bullied is taking it very personally. Have a real conversation with them and say “dude, is that even possible, and encourage that student to take that power back by not giving a response, but by owning it and say yeah they are delicious” etc. When students call me bald and ugly, again, it's just responding with “ I know I am, but in a world of so much beauty, at least I can stand out”. Make it your superpower, and encourage others with that, if and where you can, definitely talk to the “instigator and of course hold them accountable” but so much of what we have to do is just not give power by how we respond.

Disruptive Behavior:

Once again, it comes down to how you respond, don’t show agitation, you will give the student what they want and expect. I’m sure they have had it all their life at this time, and it's how they get attention for what they are doing. (Sometimes, I’ll turn it into a game, depending on the cognitive level of the student and the severity of what's happening. Like if a student decides to flip chairs, go ahead and get to the chairs first and put them on the ground, DON’T THROW THEM yourself. I get that no one wants to get hit or bitten, but again fall back to your CPI training for that. Avoid it if you can and feed the bite.

From personal experiences I find that how you react makes a difference, if you empower a student by giving a huge reaction. Guess what? They are going to keep doing that, because you are giving them a reaction. It's like feeding a fire with gasoline. What did you expect?

1. Distract

2. Change the topic

3. Make them think it's their idea.

4. Offer breaks, with a person tough, student shouldn’t be roaming unsupervised.

Where:

• The Northland Learning Center, Phoenix Room

• ~OR~

• Join Zoom Meeting
  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84354394700
  Meeting ID: 843 5439 4700
  

When:

• November 6, 2024, 3:30-4:30 pm (an early release day for most of our districts)

Who:

• Parents/Guardians of students with disabilities

• Special Education Teachers

• General Education Teachers

• Administrators

• Current or Former Students with disabilities who are interested (age 14+)

• Community Members with an interest in local special education topics

Why:

• Focused Topic for this Meeting:

• To learn more about the NLC’s services and functions.

• To determine your level of interest in being a part of your local SEAC: all levels of interest welcome!

• Become a member of the Council

• Discuss special education topics of interest to you

• Receive email notifications on what is going on with SEAC

*SEAC is a group that provides input on special education issues to its local school district. Its purpose is to advise and advocate on local special education topics. The NLC SEAC will work to build collaborative relationships between the Special Education Team, which includes parents, general education teachers, special education professionals, and the community. The NLC SEAC will offer advice to the NLC Board to improve outcomes for students with disabilities across the districts of the NLC.

**Membership applications will be available at the meeting or by emailing hhelander@northlandsped.org to request.

**Please Share this with Parents in your School/District!

A homemade seasoning flavors these grilled pork chops for a spicy, smoky flavor. These family-favorite chops are always requested at barbecues. I like to serve them with loaded baked potatoes and a garden salad.

Prep Time:10 mins

Cook Time:25 mins

Additional Time:20 mins

Total Time:55 mins

Servings:4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon seasoned salt (such as LAWRY'S)

• 1 tablespoon garlic powder

• 1 tablespoon onion powder

• 1 tablespoon ground paprika

• 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

• 4 bone-in pork chops (1/2- to 3/4-inch thick)

Directions

• Preheat an outdoor grill for indirect cooking over medium heat and lightly oil the grate.

• Mix seasoned salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and liquid smoke together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.

• Rinse pork chops. Sprinkle wet chops on both sides with spice mixture. Massage spices into meat, then let stand for 10 minutes.

• Cook chops on the preheated grill over indirect heat until no longer pink inside, about 12 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C). Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

I generally cook for a crowd daily (1 husband, 4 sons), and I try to keep it low carb. They can carb it up on sides. I also don't actually measure or time anything, so here are my best estimates:

Prep Time:10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 packs sausage links (original flavor)

• 1 small can tomato paste

• 1 cup water

• 1/2 stick of butter

• 1 green pepper

• 1 onion

• 2 small zucchinis

• water

• 1 tsp basil

• 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (dry)

• 1 tsp black pepper

• Dash Cayenne pepper (to taste)

• 1 dozen eggs

• Parmesan cheese optional

Directions

• Put all sausage links in very large pan with water (to cover bottom) over medium heat, cover.

• Chop all veggies (child pinky/thumb size?), set aside.

• When links are cooked but not browned, drain water and set links aside to cool slightly.

• Put all veggies, butter, & basil in same pan over medium heat, cover.

• In a separate bowl, mix tomato paste, remaining seasonings, & water (enough to thin, but thicker than tomato sauce) until smooth. Set aside.

• Cut links into thirds, add back into pan with veggies when they are almost cooked through. Stir thoroughly and regularly until slightly browned.

• Add sauce, stir.

• Once sauce is hot, create 12 divots (one at a time) for each egg. Carefully crack the egg trying not to break the yolk, starting at outer edges of pan working toward middle (hottest part). Cover until tops of eggs are opaque.

• Sprinkle parmesan and more basil on top & serve hot.