News from the Caroline County Public Schools –

 Parent Teacher Resource Center

OCTOBER IS Bullying Prevention MONTH

Join CCPS in Making Each School a Bully-Free Zone

​ – See the  BullyingPrevention (2)   featuring all the schools ways to address and prevent bullying!​

Special Education Series @ disAbility Resource Center

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Caroline County Public Schools – Parent Teacher Resource Center, in conjunction with the Special Education Department is hosting an event for Disability History and Awareness Month on Monday, October 23, 2017

Our guest speaker will be nationally recognized motivational speaker, Rohan Murphy.  Rohan, who lost his legs at birth, started to wrestle his freshman year of high school. After a successful high school wrestling career he went on to wrestle at Penn State University and earned three varsity letters during his tenure. In addition to wrestling, Rohan is also an accomplished powerlifter, competing in competitions all over the world representing the USA.  Rohan Murphy lived his whole life motivating people by his actions; he is now motivating the youth of America by his words. Rohan’s life story is a gripping tale of adversity, dedication, and living life with a purpose.

​On Monday, October 23, 2017, Rohan will be in Caroline County for three presentations, speaking to all of our 4^th and 5^th grade students, middle school students and high school students.
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​Low-income veterans  Free Wills for Veterans Clinic sponsored by Legal Aid Works on November 9th.   has all the details, but

be sure the veteran calls for eligibility screening​, ​​NO walk-ins that day.

Planning and organizing for the the 2018 Virginia Victory Games is underway!  We now have our confirmed date for the 2018 Virginia Victory Games,and i am happy to report we are off to an amazing start with planning and organizing! We will be holding our annual event on March 3, 2018.

​ ​​Attached ​ is ​a registration packet​.​ ​S​ubmit your application​now in one of three ways:

1.  by Fax: to (804) – 562 – 5228
2. by email: to  Karisbrook@aol.com (you can always reply back to me as well and i can forward it)
3. or by mail to: P.O. Box 37130, N. chesterfield, Va 23234
   Mary Setzer​, Donations and recruiting coordinatorVirginia Victory Games(804) – 539 – 7063 ​ marys@virginiavictorygames.org  ​Apply NOW ​to save your spot!

All Parents:

• • IFSP
    The Individual and Family Support Program (IFSP) is designed to assist individuals on the waiting list for the Developmental Disability Waiver Program to access short-term resources, supports, and services. The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) operates the IFSP Program. To be eligible for this program an individual must be on the DD Waiver Waitlist. The deadline to apply for the $1000 has been extended. Click on this link for general info and this link for specific info re: application process. 
  • SSI/SSDI
    The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides various benefits to certain eligible individuals who experience significant disabilities – including children and adolescents. These benefit programs provide monthly cash payments and in some cases health insurance such as Medicaid and/or Medicare. Here are a couple of links to explore to learn more about what’s available.Center on Transition Innovations and the SSI Starter Kit
  • The Positive Vibe Café provides hands-on training in food services to individuals with developmental disabilities.
    

​(This fabulous restaurant also has great food!!)​

• The session will be Monday-Friday October 23-November 17, 2017 from 2:30-4:30, with three in-house internships to be scheduled upon acceptance into the program. If you would like to recommend a candidate or have questions please call or e-mail Caito Hankinson, Training Program Director at (804) 921-1629 orpvctrain@aol.com. The program lasts four weeks and culminates with a graduation ceremony. Each graduate is prepared for job seeking, interviewing and working in the food service industry.
• Metacognition: How Thinking About Thinking Can Help Kids: A powerful skill for building resilience
  This is an interesting article posted on Child Mind by Rae Jacobson

Boosting Your Child’s Executive Functioning Skills
Many kids with learning and attention issues struggle with executive functioning. But the good news is that you can build these skills with a variety of strategies, games and activities. Join Bob Cunningham, M.Ed., in-house advisor to Understood.org, to learn about the key skills involved in executive function and how you can boost your child’s executive functioning skills. This was a live chat that they have archived so it can be viewed at your convenience.

• LEAD – K​   ​The LEAD-K Campaign is concerned with those Deaf and hard of hearing children arriving at school without language. Language deprivation can have irreparable catastrophic consequences on the educational, social and vocational development of Deaf and hard of hearing children. The LEAD-K Campaign aims to end language deprivation through information to families about language milestones and targeted assessments. ReBecca Bennett, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Outreach Coordinator at the disAbility Resource Center shared this information. She can be reached at 540-373-2559 or rbennett@cildrc.org

• Parent Organizer With Educational Resources –POWER  This site provides parents and families with online resources to answer questions about child development, disabilities, community services, Special Education, diploma options in Virginia, and transition to life after high school. It’s constantly being updated and expanded.
• Virginia Family Special Education Connection –vafamilysped.org​ ​This site is designed to provide families with critical and practical information regarding special education services in Virginia. This is another terrific resource; focused on IEPs and special education services.

En Español:
Check out these Spanish-language resources from CTD – Center on Technology and Disability

Tecnología de Asistencia y el IEP
Tecnología de Asistencia: Una Mirada a la Evaluacion
Isabel Necesita la Tecnologí­a de Asistencia
Transiciones – Camino a la Universidad

LD/ADHD:

• Scholarships for students with LD/ADHD
  The Anne Ford and Allegra Ford Thomas Scholarships offer financial assistance to two graduating high school seniors with documented learning disabilities and/or ADHD who are pursuing post-secondary education.

Autism Spectrum Disorders

• Essentials of Individual Positive Behavior Supports for Home, School and Community
  Oct 25 from 9 – 4 at the Best Western Waynesboro
  Participants will be introduced to a variety of a tools that can be used to assess the cause of challenging behavior. The presenter will then introduce evidence-based intervention strategies. Emphasis will be placed on proactive interventions and strategies to teach alternative behavior. This training is by Commonwealth Autism.
• VCU Autism Center for Excellence is offering an 0nline Course:The Parent Playbook 
  This training is a self-paced online course designed to introduce families to information about Autism Spectrum Disorder, including tips specifically for caregivers, information about the DSM-5, characteristics, interventions, and recommended programs and services –  very good for parents and caregivers who have children identified with an ASD within the past year. However, the content is applicable to any parents who are looking for strategies.
• Understanding and Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Individuals with ASD
  Friday, October 13, 2017 at 7:00 pm
  During this FREE workshop, you will learn about the co-occurring mental health conditions often associated with ASD, characteristics of those mental health conditions, and how to access supports and resources. Practical tips on ways to document school and home concerns will also be discussed.

Resources you need to know:

​Caroline County Schools Transition Program  Check out the latest activities our students are participating in.

​Paragon Autism Services: 1st Saturday of each month from 10 to 12 p.m.Paragon’s Lego/Train Club at our Chatham office.  We provide Legos and trains for the children.  Older individuals bring Lego Games and are provided a separate room. The children have fun and the parents exchange information, stories, and comradery.

• 2nd Tuesday of each month from 6 to 8 p.m.  Paragon Autism Services and ASNV co-host a Support Group in our Princess Ann St. office   Every other month a topic which has been requested by the group is presented by a local professional.  February has free discussion on the agenda and March has a presentation scheduled for transition services.
• 3rd Wednesday of each month from 5-7 p.m  Paragon’s Special Needs Night at KD’z Kidz World where we rent the entire facility and limit attendance to 50 children to ensure safety.  It proves to be a fun evening for both children and their parents!!!!
• 4th Thursday of each month from 12 to 1 p.m.  Rappahannock Area Autism Council Lunch and Learn held at the dRC.  This event is a unique opportunity for parents and caregivers of individuals with Autism to ask questions and seek information from local service providers.

• Autism Society-Central Virginia (AS-CV)
  Whether you’re new or have been involved in the ASD community for a while the AS-CV is the #1 resource for you and your family. They offer a wealth of information and resources, as well as, social, support and sibling opportunities. Becky Boswell, Bradford Hulcher, Tammy Burns and the rest of the team are committed, knowledgeable and passionate about helping you and your family. Be sure to check out their ‘meetings and events’ page.
• Community Services Board (CSB)
  The Rappahannock Area Community Services Board (RACSB) provides prevention, treatment, employment and support services for Caroline citizens and families with mental health, substance use and intellectual disabilities. They work collaboratively with schools, law enforcement, and social services. They can also assist you with case management, counseling, crisis services, and general parenting education.
• Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired (DBVI)
  The department offers a wide array of specialized services, supports, resources and programs for Virginia residents of all ages who are experiencing significant visual disabilities. The DBVI is committed to providing quality services to assist Virginia’s citizens who are blind, deafblind or vision impaired in achieving their maximum level of employment, education, and personal independence.
• Department of Social Services (DSS)
  and the CSB work very closely together to serve you, your child and your family. They help to ensure that thousands of Virginia’s most vulnerable citizens have access to the best services and benefits available to them, such as: Financial Assistance, Medicaid Waivers, Health Financial Assistance, Family & Individual Services, Services for Children, and Services for Adults.
• disAbility Resource Center – 409 Progress St, Fredericksburg, VA 22401  540-373-2559
  A Center for Independent Living working to enable people of all disabilities of all ages to reach their greatest potential of independent living.
• Down Syndrome Association of Greater Richmond (DSAGR)
  DSAGR is a wonderful resource. They strive to improve the quality of life for individuals with Down syndrome and their families by providing access to current and accurate information on Down syndrome and by fostering programs that focus on education, community services, public awareness, medical issues, research, advocacy, legal issues and parenting.
• Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS)
  DARS can assist you with many things. They collaborate with schools in providing Transition Services. They offer Employment Services help people with disabilities get ready for, find, and keep a job. We have a residential training and medical rehabilitation center known as Wilson Workforce and Rehabilitation Center, and they process disability claims for benefits under the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income Disability Programs.

For more information on any topics addressed in this email, please contact the Parent Resource Center.