Pelham School Press

It is parent-teacher conference time at Pelham School. Before your conference with your child’s teacher, I encourage you to think about the following and share your and your child’s responses with the teacher:

What do you want the teacher to know about your child or about your goals for your child?

What do you want to know about your child’s work, learning, or interactions at school?

What concerns, if any, do you have that you and the teacher can address together?

Of course, the teachers will also be thinking about what they want to tell you and ask you, and they will share the results of their fall assessments of your child’s academic progress. Even with this somewhat lengthy agenda, we ask that you help teachers keep these conferences to no more than 30 minutes. This is important because teachers also have their full load of planning and teaching responsibilities during the weeks when conferences are occurring. We value your partnership with us in your child’s education, and we hope these suggestions will strengthen that partnership.

Also, attached to 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th grader’s Press is the “Guide to the 2007 MCAS for Parents/Guardians.” Your child’s MCAS results will be mailed to your home. Please call me if you have any questions. Rena Moore

TRICK OR TREAT For UNICEF

wE HAVE COLLECTION BOXES FOR THE “TRICK OR TREAT FOR UNICEF” PROJECT. IF YOU WOULD LIKE FOR YOUR CHILD TO PARTICIPATE, PLEASE STOP BY THE SCHOOL OFFICE TO PICK ONE UP. oR, YOU CAN CALL or SEND A NOTE TO THE SCHOOL OFFICE, AND WE WILL PUT ONE IN YOUR CHILD’S BAG.

The Amherst A Better Chance Fall Foliage Walk will return this year on Saturday, October 13th with all of the fitness fun it has provided for the past 35 years. A tradition in Amherst, the Walk is the ABC program’s most important fundraiser. People of all ages and from all parts of the community come out to support the seven scholars who are seeking better educational opportunities at Amherst Regional High School. The 22 kilometer walk begins at the Mill River Recreation Center from 8-10 a.m. or at Amethyst Brook from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. and ends with a mid-afternoon reception at the ABC House at 74 North Prospect Street in downtown Amherst. The House will be welcoming some alumni back, too. It’s OK if you don’t do the whole Walk; even if you can’t walk at ALL on that day you CAN still participate by seeking pledges for an alternative activity. Pledge forms will be available to Pelham students and families from Meg Gallagher after permission slips go home. To learn more about the A.B.C. Program, go to amherstabetterchance.org or to the national website, abetterchance.org.

Have you ever wondered how computers really work? Did you ever want to write your own computer game? Would you like to make drawings where everything moves? Come have fun with us at Pelham Computer Club. David Shanabrook and Gary King are running a computer club for Pelham School students starting on October 19. Children of all ages are welcome and no previous experience is required. Please complete the sign up and return it to the Pelham School office.

My child _________________ will attend the Computer Club starting on Friday, October 19. I will arrange transportation home for my child.

Fall is here and we have begun a new unit in 5^th grade. We are studying the American Revolution. We have begun with the background information on what led to the war. This week students learned about the French and Indian War and how

England

became deeply in debt and needed to pay for the war, therefore taxes in the colonies increased. This unit will take us up to Thanksgiving, so please talk to your kids about what they are learning in history.

We also began our new literature units. Students will be reading Johnny Tremain, Sarah Bishop, or Fighting Ground, which are all historical novels taking place during this time period. Also, we are teaching isolated reading skills every Tuesday. We started with main idea and details and we will move to sequencing next. Finally, next week our skills program will be up and running. Along with the sixth grade team, we will mix our classes and teach decoding, fluency, comprehension, and math facts to small groups. The students that do not need those skills will have independent work to do such as problem solving, comprehension work, and projects.

During this unit, we will be writing short expository pieces. Students will be given a prompt and have to write to the prompt with information that they have been taught. This will work on their writing skills and review concepts that they are learning.

Students had their first math test and did well. Many are learning that small computation mistakes and attention to details are what they need to work on. Now, we are working on multiplication and will soon move to division. Also, we are working on a single problem solving strategy a week. We have worked on Guess and Check, Logical Reasoning and Draw a Picture. The next strategy will be Making an Organized List. Students usually have problem solving work that is due in a week, and they work on it all week. It would be good to ask your child what strategy they are working on this week.

Parent conferences began this week and I look forward to meeting with each one of you. If you are unable to keep your parent conference appointment, please call the school office to reschedule (253-3595). The year is off to a great start, and I appreciate the support you are giving your child and me. See you all at parent conferences.

Thanks to everyone who came to open house. I enjoyed meeting you, sharing the curriculum, and discussing your questions.

Sixth graders have started a new reading unit, mysteries. Students have learned that this genre of literature has very specific characteristics-a tight plot, lots of dialogue, stereotyped characters (both virtuous and villainous), foreshadowing of events through clues, and suspense. The Famous Stanley Kidnapping Case, and The Treasure of Alpheus Winterborn are keeping us all on the edge of our seats!

In English, students continue to study sentence types and structures, as well as the structure of a solid paragraph. As an extension of our Art, Energy and Motion unit, students are writing dramatic monologues in the voice of an artist. They will be delivering these in costume and/or with appropriate props in about two weeks. Please have them practice in front of you at home.

Algebra skills are rapidly improving as we work with balance scales, pawns, and number cubes to solve algebraic equations. Next week we will have our first unit math test of the year. It will cover unit 1 in the Scott Foresman math textbook-numeration-place value, exponential notation, rounding and estimation, order of operations, properties of operations, problem solving, and solving algebraic equations. Please look for a study guide checklist. This is the system we use to teach students how to study for a test of this size. The checklist lists all the skills that will be tested, as well as the pages in the textbook that show how to do the skills. These pages also contain practice problems. Students should study nightly by doing practice problems. Next they should decide if they understand each skill on the list. If not, they should ask for help! Please make sure your child is following this procedure.

Over the last two weeks, sixth graders have explored forces, structures, and energy with multiple hands-on activities and experiments. Tomorrow, teams of four will become bridge building construction companies. Each team will use their knowledge to design and build a bridge out of toothpicks. They must follow strict building codes and stay within their budget. And of course, they must buy their materials from their teachers, who just happen to own the I. Saw Lumber Company! In about two weeks we will test the bridges to see how much weight each will hold.

And finally, as our Art residency project gets closer, excitement is building. Kevin Reese has the kids' drawings and is working on a prototype sculpture. He is very impressed with their creative, symbolic work representing both the physical space and their emotional feelings about the space between the school and the community center. This is the place where we will install the sculpture. The work will begin when he arrives on 10/22 and continue that entire week. Thanks again to parents who are helping with this project.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by. Thanks to your support the Pelham School Library received $300 in free books and will be able to purchase an additional $1,400 in books and supplies.

And thank you to all the families who purchased gifts for Pelham teachers from the Teacher Wish List bags. Your gifts have put several hundred dollars’ worth of new books into the Pelham School classrooms.

Special thanks to all the community members who volunteered their time to organize, set-up, staff and pack-up the Book Fair, including:

Laura Carson, Diane Curtis, Elaine Fronhofer, Leanne Hasbrouck, Chris and Maureen Leonard, Karen Regis (for her short notice availability!), Maureen Rose, Lynn Smith, Diane Steingart, Diana Zahradnik, and Carol Wilson. And to Margaret Light and Rosalba Baroni-Booth for their critical advice and support.

We also received invaluable help from six UMass students: Catherine Barstis, Christina Cocchia, Brian Hubbard, Aida Roshansky, Amanda Mitchell and Jennifer Tuttle.

And particular appreciation to Pelham teachers and staff who helped throughout the Book Fair, especially George Graiff, Lenny Ware and Janet Scott.

In 1994 when the Amherst Education Foundation, Inc., was created, one of its prime objectives was to help hire and retain faculty of color. Because this goal remains elusive, AEF, in partnership with the schools, will sponsor two evening discussions. Rob Hirschfeld, community member and parent, will facilitate the discussions, Wednesday, October 17 and Thursday, November 1, from 7-9:00 pm at the Fort River School cafeteria. We will emerge with action steps to be taken so that the school environment is more engaging for everyone. Please plan to join us.

person in need. Each wheelchair costs $44.40. Please send contributions to the third grade class at Pelham School.

Support Some great causes that benefit our children with Disabilities:

Domino's Pizza is supporting Community Resources for People with Autism and you can too...Every monday with a $5.00 Donation to Community Resources for People with Autism you will get a Free Medium Pizza with one topping. Great deal and no cooking involved!
Support Juvenile Diabetes Research by coming to a unique fundraiser on October 13th from 3-5 pm at the New Courtyard Marriott Hotel in Hadley for a Silent Auction of Fabulous felted "one of a kind" handmade handbags. All proceeds go to JDRF!! Both great fund raising ideas! Lets help support them!

CONTRIBUTING NEWS
Have you attended an interesting workshop, heard a great speaker or read a great book that might help others, let me know and I will share with others. Send your info to amherstpelhamspedpac@comcast.net Lets network our resources and help each other make a difference in our children’s lives.

Amherst SEPAC Parent Workshops:

October 17th, 2007, 7-9 PM "transitioning for older students 16 +
Co Sponsored with Belchertown PAC. Presented by the Federation for Children with Special Needs
Location: Chestnut Hill School Library

December 6th, 2007, 7-9 PM IEP Workshop
Co sponsored with The Association For Community Living

Every child with a disability who receives special education services must have an Individualized Education Program. This workshop takes parents step by step through the development of the IEP including how to articulate a vision, using evaluations to write annual measurable goals and how to measure their child’s progress. Workshop materials are also available in Spanish.

January 16th, 2007, 7-9 PM Basic Rights Workshop
Co Sponsored with Belchertown PAC. Presented by the Federation for Children with Special Needs
Location: Belchertown Chestnut Hill School Library

Social Skills Workshop for Parents with Kathleen Becker on October 17 at Whole Children, Hadley MA

Parents and professionals looking for information, ideas and tips on how to help children develop friendships and navigate the social whirl of school will find answers at a free social skills training for parents at Whole Children on Oct. 17.
The two-hour workshop will be presented by Kathleen Becker, SLP, who ran several successful and popular social skills groups at Whole Children this summer.
Topics at this workshop will include:

Practical techniques for home and school to support the development of friendships and social thinking.

Creating a supportive environment for a great play date.

Theory of Mind and perspective taking.

LEADERSHIP SERIES offered by Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change Western Region (MFOFC West)

Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change Western Region is a grass roots, multicultural coalition of families in Western Massachusetts who have come together to bring about positive changes for people with disabilities and their families.
United families have the support from each other to help their family member with disabilities to have the best possible life.
Family members who attend the Family Leadership Series can be single parents, couples, grandparents, and mature siblings of the person with disabilities. Changes for people with disabilities can happen when people work together in schools, churches, communities, and across the state.

For more Info:
Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change Western Region 3 State Street Westfield MA 01085
(413) 562-4885 ext. 12 mfofcwest@mcsnet.org The web site, which has information and a registration form, is www.perkins.org. The phone number is617-972-7280, contact Rob.

Implementing Successful Transitions Into Middle School and High School For Students on the Austism Spectrum. Parent workshop in Holyoke sponsored by Community Resources for People with Autism

Presenter: Kathyrn S. Randsom, M.A. Friday, October 26th Holiday Inn - Holyoke, 245 Whiting Farms Road. 8:30 am to 3:00pm. Registration by October 19th. Fee: $60 for professionals, $40 for family members. Contact: Community Resources for People with Autism at (413) 529-2428.

After years of advocating for my son, as well as many children/adults with special needs in NY and nationally, I decided it is time to get back to what I really care about..advocating for others. This new talk show, Ask the Advocate, is for parents and caregivers of children /adults with special needs (in public, private or home schooled). I invite you to listen/call in on, Ask the Advocate, which debuts this Wednesday, September 12 online at <http://www.disabilitynewsradio.com/ >
www.disabilitynewsradio.com (Click on the BlogTalk Radio button). Of course I will continue interviewing guests on DisAbility News & Views too!
The show is going to be broadcast live online every Wednesday at 1:30 PM ET. Parents call in (646) 716-9795 or IM me during the show to ask questions about special education issues affecting you. As an experience parent/advocate, I will provide insights and answers to questions about IEP,
CSE meetings, LRE, IDEA, and other special education areas as well.
Get all the juicy details about it by clicking the following link:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/disabilitynewsradio
Monica Moshenko
Parent, Advocate and Host www.disabilitynewsradio.com <http://www.disabilitynewsradio.com/ >

Belchertown Chestnut Hill School Library
Presented by the Federation for Children with Special Needs
December 6th, 2007 7-9 PM IEP Workshop

Belchertown Chestnut Hill School Library
presented by the Federation for Children with Special Needs

We have SEPAC Support Representatives for each school to help provide parent –to – parent support. If you have children at different schools, these parents may be able to give you some support related to your school. Feel free to call if you have questions.

Leverett Elementary Special Education PAC: Diana Bella, 549-6125, dianabella@usadatanet.net

This newsletter is created by the Amherst Regional Special Education Parent Advisory Council and all of our content comes from you, the parents! So please send us your notices, events, advice, recommendations, great books or suggestions for workshops, etc. To make a submission, just email amherstpelhamspedpac@comcast.net

Highlights in Special Education is published by the Amherst Regional Special Education Parent Advisory Council and is completely parent –run. It is not an official publication of the Amherst School district or the town of Amherst. We love input from parents so if you have heard a great speaker or read a great book or have a special talent with designing websites or email newsletters….let us know at amherstpelhamspedpac@comcast.net

All content is published solely at the discretion of the SEPAC. Information published in Highlights in Special Education is not necessarily supported, endorsed, or reflective of the opinion of the SEPAC or school. Highlights in Special Education in provided as an informational service by the SEPAC.

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