Director's Pen

Mrs. Hayes will be filling Mrs. Roosa's role who will begin her journey into retirement this month. Although she requests to leave without any "fuss", Mrs. Roosa is certainly going to be missed. She has been a true leader among the special education teaching staff and has made a valuable impact on many little learners! She has begun to connect with Mrs. Hayes, who asked that we share the following message with our parent community:

I am so excited to have the opportunity to rejoin the special education department in the Flemington-Raritan schools! As an alumna of the district, I was so fortunate to spend the beginning years of my teaching career at RFIS in 2007 after a year teaching on the island of Maui. I loved teaching in our Multiple Disabilities, Autism, and Project Success programs, along with providing in-class support and mentorship to various students. Additionally, I enjoy teaching our future special educators as an adjunct professor at The College of New Jersey. After a short relocation to Ohio for my husband’s work, our family of five was able to move back and settle in Hunterdon County. We love our outdoor adventures, quality time together with our extended family, and trips to Disney World!

I am so thankful to be back home, and to continue teaching here at FRSD! I will be starting at Copper Hill, effective April 20, 2020. Until we can meet in person, you may see me virtually! See my picture below...

Generated with support from school counselors and district nurses, I encourage our families to review the resources found in this link for emergency crisis contacts for students exhibiting anxiety and/or stress, as well as many community supports for those struggling with every day resources for their families.

IEP Goals and Objectives reporting during the virtual time period will follow the same reporting periods as when report cards are issued. Considering the extended school closure, when educators are reporting on goals and objectives, a comment may be included under the marking code of "SC". For example, the teacher may need to indicate instances where there is insufficient evidence to report on progress toward a specific goal/objective due to extended school closure.

Please note that to the greatest extent possible, our educators are continually planning, implementing and assessing learning. We appreciate the positive letters, photos, and emails from our families! Please communicate with your child's teacher(s), service provider(s) and case manager of any concerns that you may have about your child's educational program. Communication between home and school is very important to us!

In light of the current school closure related to COVID-19 and the present state of emergency, teachers and educational specialists have been providing some instruction and services through electronic or virtual means. This instruction/service is provided to individuals and/or groups of students, typically the same grouping of students as if we were in school, where other students are able to participate in the instruction and engage with their peers. This format of instruction has provided social connection and authenticity during the challenge of being separated from one another.

In light of the nature of virtual instruction, including the possibility that the parents/guardians of other students may see/hear the instruction, if you do not want your student to participate in this instruction, please immediately notify the educational provider and case manager. *Please also note that recording of instruction by students and parents/guardians, without prior written approval of the school district, is strictly prohibited.

We certainly hope, considering our current school closure and the relative isolation of our students, that your student may participate in synchronous instruction and benefit from a virtual connection with his/her teachers and our school staff.

Effective School Solutions (ESS) will be the guest of honor at this month's SEPAG meeting.

As requested by our families, the presenter, Ms. Christine Mohle, will speak on the topic of: The Language of Behaviors: Understanding Challenging Behaviors.

*If the students are continuing with virtual instruction at this time, the presentation will be postponed until further notice.

New Jersey Coalition for Inclusive Education (NJCIE) is committed to giving parents a variety of tools to support students both in and outside of the classroom.

Currently, they are providing live webinars. For example, today, April 1st, they have a lunch and learn about Google Classroom at 1:00 p.m. and on Friday April 3rd they have a Q&A session at 1:00 p.m. If interested in either of these, please register online for this free training.

Additionally, NJCIE shares different suggestions for visual schedules, social stories and providing strategies for dealing with difficult behaviors at home. Check out their website for a variety of different resources: https://www.njcie.org/online

Every April, FRSD along with Autism Speaks, POAC and Autism NJ celebrate World Autism Month, beginning with the United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2. While we are attending school virtually, our district is committed to "Light it up Blue" on April 2nd and we may carry out some virtual awareness activities with our staff and students. Visit autismspeaks.org FAQs page for some ideas to spread awareness virtually!

Email: dhamblin@frsd.k12.nj.us
Website: https://www.frsd.k12.nj.us/
Location: 100 Everitts Road, Ringoes, NJ, USA
Phone: 908-284-7680