1 0 4 5 D e a r b a u g h A v e S u i t e 2 W a p a k o n e t a 4 5 8 9 5 419-738-3422 Auglaize County Educational Service Center I S S U E 5 8 N O V E M B E R 2 0 1 5 Providing expert educational mentorship, innovative support services and dynamic customer relationships. Digging Up Some Fun! By Katie Dietrich, MD Teacher at New Bremen Elementary Mrs. Dietrich s classroom has been exploring Geology through the Attainment Curriculum and various hands on activities the past month using 2 nd, 4 th, and 6 th grade common core and extended standards. Her classroom discussed how rocks were different and even broke open geodes containing beautiful minerals. The students created a vermicompost and actually have worms as class pets turning organic waste into soil. After learning about various landforms and types of erosion and weathering, students created and painted salt dough maps. Community Helpers Visit the Classroom By Kris Chiles, Preschool Teacher at St. Marys Primary Community Helpers came to the St. Marys Preschool to talk to the students. The Fire Department. talked about fire safety and the students were allowed to go up into the fire truck. The Police Department talked about Halloween safety, how they keep the community safe, and explained when to use 911. The Auglaize County Sheriff s Department and the St. Marys Police Department demonstrated with their K9 unit.
Curriculum Department News By Mary Riepenhoff, Curriculum Director, & Kelli Tebbe, Curriculum Coordinator Resident Educator Program This month, resident educators (RE) 1, 2, 3, and 4 gathered to learn from each other s experiences while receiving support they need to complete requirements of the Resident Educator Program. Ohio Teacher Evaluation Scale (OTES) was a common thread for resident educators in years 1 and 2. From breaking apart the rubric to reflecting on teaching practices to discussing the teaching practices of other educators, the teachers gained better understanding of the teacher evaluation system from the teacher and principal s perspective. become leaders in their districts. Third year teachers were given time to discuss RE tasks and collaborate on ideas. The Learn to Lead Module was the primary focus of RE-4s. This valuable online learning resource provides teachers with resources to reflect on themselves as leaders and explore options to Resident Educator Mentor Training The Resident Educator program provides a coaching opportunity for beginning teachers. Mentors are a required part of the program. Educators from all districts have stepped up to guide resident teachers through their first few critical years. Their job as a coach is to motivate, support, and provide learning opportunities for new teachers to reflect on their teaching practice. To support mentors, online training has been created by Kelli Tebbe. This online delivery is designed to save mentors time while updating them on the 2015-2016 Resident Educator. Master Teacher What will you learn becoming a Master Teacher? Master Teachers are teachers with at least seven years of teaching experience who have completed the application process. Candidates reflect on their teaching practice in order to demonstrate excellence inside and outside of the classroom through consistent leadership and focused collaboration to enhance student learning. A master teacher is continually learning new ways to improve instruction and grow professionally. The ACESC will hold periodic meetings for those needing support through this process. A committee will meet in April to score Master Teacher portfolios. Believe In Ohio Local educators and business professionals attended a Believe in Ohio workshop to learn more about the students as entrepreneur program and competition. Funds are available to support implementation of the program. Last year over 3,000 students participated in the state-wide competition. The goal of the Believe in Ohio program this school year is to reach 6,000 students. We are excited to see the work of the students in the Auglaize-Mercer area who will participate in the Believe in Ohio program! District Book Study Participating in a book study, a local district s staff is exploring strategies to engage students in the classroom using Engaging Students: The Next Level of Working on the Work by Phillip Schlechty. During the course of this year, educators will meet to discuss and engage in collaborative activities, reflect on their teaching practice, and learn new ways to engage students in the classroom; all focused on increasing student expectation and achievement. High School Teachers Data Dive High school teachers examined data from their high school s ACT, Ohio grade card, OGT, and their SLO pre-assessments. Great assessment practices which came from the high school data sessions include: Provide students an I don t know option when writing pre-assessments. This option allows the teacher to know that students did not guess on answers. Another practice which helps the teacher identify specific areas of the curriculum where individual, groups or classes of students have misconceptions or limited knowledge on pre-assessments. If each question is labeled or coded to content standards on all preassessments, the teacher can use the results in lesson design.
SST6 Professional Development Opportunities: Nov. 6 How to Identify & Resolve Ethical Dilemmas Nov. 6 Apps Attack: Apps to Use During Speech Therapy Nov. 12 Ohio Means Jobs & Career Advising Train the Trainer For more information, check out their website at www.sst6.org, and view the Professional Development Calendar or call 419-738-9224. ALICE Safety Training By Karen Smith, Assistant Superintendent Sixty-five ACECS employees participated in the ALICE refresher safety training. Twentytwo employees from the ACESC, SST6, Head Start, New Bremen and Minster completed the full ALICE safety training course on October 23. Representatives from the Auglaize County Sheriff s department provided the training. ALICE Scenarios Auglaize County Educational (A.C.E.) Academy By Jen Korte, Director ACE Academy provides a rigorous education for K-12 grade students, who access their curriculum from home using technology. Highly qualified teachers (including intervention specialists) teach students through both online tools and face-to-face tutoring. ALICE Take Down Parade Clean-Up Pictured above are Opportunity For Youth science teacher, Mr. Bob Sheets, and student Collin Armstrong at the Fairgrounds picking up candy and debris following the Wapakoneta Halloween Parade. The Chamber of Commerce donated $150.00 to OFY for its assistance with this clean-up. The money will be used to provide peanut butter, bread, and granola bars for students. Blended Learning: A combination of face-to-face and online learning to meet the needs of all students based on academic data. Personalized Learning: A variety of educational programs, learning experiences, instructional approaches, and academic support strategies that address learning needs, interests, learning style, goals, and backgrounds of students. School-Within-A-School Model: SWS This approach establishes within the home school a smaller educational unit to provide services based on student need. This is created, built, supported, and modified on district needs: Credit Recovery Course Options Course Conflicts Home-based Instruction Course Options: A variety of educational programs to expand opportunities for students. Course Conflict Credit Recovery Acceleration Summer School Additional Course Offerings: World Language Exploration Connections For any district suggestions, needs, requests, etc., contact: Jen Korte, 419.738.4572 jkorte@auglaizeesc.org www.go2ace.org
Team Captain for a Day By Megan Miller, MD Teacher at Wapakoneta High School On Friday, October 2, Kaleb Feathers was chosen as the Honorary Team Captain of the Wapakoneta Redskins Football team! During the school day many of the senior football players, team captains, and Coach Moyer came to the classroom to officially make him their captain for the Celina game. Kaleb talked to the players and coach and was given a Wapakoneta football t-shirt to wear to the game. Later that night, Kaleb participated in the coin toss and was honored on the field! Miss Miller, Mrs. Lewis, and Mrs. Homan came to the game to cheer him on and to help honor his achievements! Congratulations Kaleb, we are all proud of you! Auglaize County Autism Team (A-Team) By Katie Dietrich, Multiple Disabilities Teacher The Auglaize County Autism Team (A-Team) has been working together for more than 5 years on providing supports for students with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Auglaize County. The A-Team consists of Kelly Schattschneider, Michelle Wilson and Katie Dietrich. On Thursday, October 15, the A-Team kicked off their ASD Supports Presenter Series with a wonderful presentation by Denise Sawan-Caruso, M.A., CCC-SLP. The presentation entitled, Behavior and Developmental Disabilities: How Do I Tell the Difference, reviewed typical and non-typical development in young children and adolescents along with some characteristics at each age. Sawan-Caruso gave examples of behaviors and evidence-based techniques to accommodate various behaviors in the classroom and at home. Parents, teachers, therapists, and paraprofessionals came to listen to the presentation held at the Auglaize County Educational Service Center. The team will be providing two more speakers in the winter and spring of 2016. The A-Team worked with Sawan-Caruso over the last 5 years. A district cohort was created by the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence (OCALI) and State Support Team Region 6 (SST6) to provide autism support teams throughout Ohio. The team has had the opportunity to speak at OCALICON (national autism and disabilities conference in Columbus) and a local Autism conference in Wapakoneta. A system of visual supports called the T.O.T.E. Cards was developed by the team. These cards give a consistent visual for ten commonly used phrases (sit, stand, quiet, nice work, etc.) and four techniques to try (speech and language, fine motor, gross motor, and educational) on the back of the card. These cards are available on the Auglaize County ESC website (www.auglaizeesc.org).
Thanks to all Physical Therapy professionals. October was National Physical Therapy month. Physical Therapy in School Settings Physical therapy is one of the related services under Part B of IDEA and is provided to support the student s Individualized Education Program (IEP). Physical therapists are members of a multidisciplinary school team that ensures a free and appropriate education for students with disabilities to prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living. Using their unique expertise in movement and function, particularly related to the neuromuscular and musculoskeletal systems. The school-based physical therapist promotes motor development and the student s participation in everyday routines and activities that are part of the educational program. The physical therapist performs therapeutic interventions, including compensation, remediation and prevention strategies and adaptations, focusing on functional mobility and safe, efficient access and participation in activities and routines in natural learning environments. Specific roles and responsibilities include: Gathering appropriate information from students, parents and other team members regarding the child s functional motor performance in school settings Selecting, administering and interpreting a variety of screening instruments and standardized measurement tools; Examining and evaluating eligible students strengths and needs to establish their ability to participate in meaningful school activities and routines with or without assistance; Participating in team meetings, including parent conferences; Participating in the IEP/504 process, including collaboratively determining the need for physical therapy as a related service (IDEA) or as a reasonable accommodation (504); Forming partnerships and working with other team members in the school setting to promote an effective physical therapy plan of care; Coordinating physical therapy interventions within the school program; Adapting environments to facilitate student access and participation in the educational program; Functioning as a consultant to other school personnel, parents, and students to coordinate the delivery of physical therapy services, which may include: o interpretation of assessments and recommendations; o explanation of the potential impact of developmental, medical and/or sensorimotor problems on school performance; o instruction of other caregivers in the physical management of students, such as safe lifting, positioning, assisted ambulation, gross motor programs, vocational tasks, leisure activities, and/or equipment use; and o setting realistic expectations for student performance in school; o selecting, modifying, or customizing adaptive equipment and assistive technology. Educating school personnel and families to promote inclusion of students within the educational experience by developing, demonstrating, training, and monitoring the effectiveness of strategies and intervention activities, using data to make decisions. This includes the use of assistive technology for access and participation in the general education curriculum; Supporting the safe transportation of students; Referring students to other related service personnel and to healthcare providers as appropriate; Serving as a liaison among school, medical personnel, and medical equipment vendors; Physical Therapists are members of a school team that ensures a free and appropriate education for students with disabilities to prepare them for further education, employment and independent living. For any questions or additional information, please contact Monica Herr, Senior Congressional Affairs Specialist, at monicaherr@apta.org or 703-706-3156, or Deborah Crandall, Senior Regulatory Affairs Specialist, at deborahcrandall@apta.org or 703-706-3177.