Essential Bulletin for Educators

With appreciation for all you do,

The Pennsylvania BSE and PaTTAN Staff

QUIETING STUDENTS IN EARLY ELEMENTARY

Use silly, fun, and imaginative options for the youngest learners.

The fake-marshmallow trick: In an article for Truth for Teachers, Beth O. recommends telling students to “pop a marshmallow in.” She then puffs up her cheeks as if they were filled with marshmallows, and the kids do the same. It’s a fun attention-getter, so kids are happy to oblige—losing the ability to talk once they’ve put imaginary marshmallows in their mouths.

CALMING KIDS IN LATER ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL

Taking it up a notch with strategies to settle the most rambunctious grade levels.

Educator and author Harry Wong tweaks this a bit, asking students to participate in a five-step quiet-down ritual; over the course of five seconds, students progress through the steps to full attention:

1. Focus their eyes on the speaker
2. Be quiet
3. Be still
4. Empty their hands
5. Listen

KEEPING HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS COMPOSED

Here is one method to keep teens—developmentally on a whole other level—focused.

Play music: Putting on music during an activity can help keep kids quiet—or dispel disruption once it’s begun to brew. You could always opt for classical—but if you want to combine a calming orchestral vibe with modern hits your students love, Jennie Montaño suggests putting on the Vitamin String Quartet—a group that covers pop and rock songs as string music. A few other teachers recommend “lofi hip hop radio 📚– beats to relax/study to”—a popular 24/7 music stream on YouTube.

From Edutopia - Edutopia: 34 Ways to Quiet a Rambunctious Class

Below are just a few of the ideas offered -

• Ask students to create a Flip introducing themselves, stating their goals for the year, or sharing one thing you and their classmates need to know about them. Then make a Mixtape of their responses to share with the class.
• Take kids on a virtual field trip to kick off the year. You could establish a routine of checking on particular animals (the cameras in Africa on Explore.org are live all year!), find art that represents them on Google Arts & Culture, or visit Catie's Classroom from Super Simple each week.
• Try Along to open up lines of communication and build relationships right from the start of the year.
• Design a class flag or crest together that represents different aspects of the classroom community and/or a classroom "code of honor."
• Especially for middle- and high-school students, music is often linked to their forming identities, so have students share a song that means a lot to them and explain why. Consider giving options for ways to share, so more introverted students don't have to present to the whole class right away.

From Common Sense Education

Morning Meeting Questions for Students in Elementary School

• What do you think about when you want to cheer yourself up?
• What is your least favorite rule at school?
• What is your favorite season?
• Is your room at home messy or clean?
  
• If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go?
  
• What is your least favorite food?
  

Morning Meeting Questions for Students in Middle School

• What is one thing that you wish had never been invented?
• If you could design a new app, what would it do?
• If you wrote a novel, what would the title be?
• What is your favorite movie of all time?
  
• If your friend were assigning an emoji to represent you, what would it be?
  
• Do you think it would be more fun to visit the past or the future?
  

From Centervention

Enter student names, names of options of activities, group names, math equations, etc., and then spin the wheel to pick a random option. You can customize the look, and save and share your wheels with others. There are lots of ways to use the Wheel of Names!

A-P-R Opportunities for the 2023-2024 school year have been carefully crafted to address current topics pertinent to Pennsylvania's special education personnel.

• Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialists: Coffee, Tea and O & Me, October 11 from 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
• Special Education Administrators: Making Small Shifts to Establish Positive Relationships, October 11 from 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
  

• School Psychologists: Panel Discussions and Breakout Room Conversations, October 13 from 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

• Speech and Language: Undergraduate and Graduate Student Network, October 17 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

• Networking for Emotional Support Teachers, October 18 from 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM

• Networking for Special Education Teachers, October 19 from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM

• Paraprofessionals: Supporting Students to Independence, October 19 from 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
  

• Educational Interpreters, October 21- October 22 at the Fall Weekend with the Expert

• Networking for Autistic Support Teachers, October 24 from 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM

• Supervisors of Deaf & Hard of Hearing, October 24 from 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

View the flyer below to find the networking series that best fits your needs and mark your calendars to learn alongside others with similar job responsibilities. All sessions will be posted on the PaTTAN training calendar and open for registration soon, so check back often!

The Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), Bureau of Special Education is pleased to announce paid internships to eligible, out of state graduate students to serve as school psychology interns in Pennsylvania Local Education Agencies (LEAs) for the 2024-2025 school year. Eligible LEAs include approved private schools, charter schools, cyber charter schools, intermediate units, and school districts.

Interested in learning more? Register for the overview webinar scheduled for Monday, October 2, from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM. The session will be recorded and made available on the APR Repository.

Do you have three or less years in your current role? Are you a school psychologist, special education administrator, special education teacher, teacher of the deaf, or teacher of the visually impaired?

Consider joining the APR Mentoring Project to be matched with an experienced colleague with a similar position as you. You’ll meet monthly with your mentor, virtually or in-person, for a minimum of 30 minutes. You will have the opportunity to discuss topics, get support, and access resources that are relevant to your needs.

Don’t delay, complete the application today so you can be matched with a mentor.

On August 30, 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Education released a notification of a policy change that effective no later than September 5, 2023, all students entitled to FAPE and all of the rights and procedural safeguards under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Chapter 14 of Title 22 of the Pennsylvania Code may remain enrolled in public school until they turn 22 years of age. This includes students who turned 21 and exited during or after the 2022-2023 school term.

A Plenary session, Impact Panel was a highlight of the event. The session was introduced by David Cantrell, Deputy Director of OSEP. Mr. Julio Vega represented Pennsylvania on this panel, comprised of young adults associated with the Region A Youth Leadership Council (YLC). Julio is a lead youth mentor in HUNE’s (Hispanos Unidos Para Nino’s Excepcionales) HYP (HUNE Youth Program) working directly with schools, the community, and youth. Each panelist shared the impact that the YLC has had on them individually in developing them as leaders, as well as how the YLC was formed, how it works, its impact, and how it can serve as a model for engaging youth with disabilities.

Teams need to reevaluate and adapt their approach to fire drills, ensuring the approaches are inclusive and considerate of all students, especially those with special needs. The Office of Civil Rights takes very seriously the need for all students to participate with fire drills. The blog offers tips for teams to consider for individual students.

From the Sped Law Blog, Author Dr. David Bateman