August-Getting Ready for School

8/3/2019 August-Getting Ready for School

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© TACA 2000-2009

Getting Ready for School

Nancy Cook

TACA, Santa Rosa



© TACA 2000-2009

Having a successful yeartakes planning:

• Communication between schooland home is essential, especially

for students with special needs

• Exchanging information easily is

what will make it successful forschool and home



© TACA 2000-2009

The first week:

• Even after an IEP, there is a periodof adjustment for all staff/students

• Often teachers don’t even receive

the students Cum folder until the 2nd or 3rd week of school or even later

• A Communication Book and “Who I

Am” letter will help staff get to know

your child and make their transitionfrom summer to school year easier.



© TACA 2000-2009

Who is this child?

• A letter to my teacher: “15 things

about me” (see handout)

– Great way to introduce your child

– Asks and answers questions about your

child – Gives the teacher insight into who they

are and what makes them tick

– Makes suggestion to help “get to know”your child’s traits/needs/challenges

– Allows you to suggest ways to short-circuit negative behaviors at school



© TACA 2000-2009

Communication BookBenefits of having a Communication

Book “form”•Communication with home

•Keeps the guess work out of what the

parents’ concerns are •Stop issues before habits form

•Better way to teach/help your child

•Better classroom management•Exchange of ideas/ “team” building

•Keeps everyone on the same page



© TACA 2000-2009

Benefits of having a CommunicationBook “form” cont.

• Goals/objectives are easier to write andkeep track of

• No surprises at IEP meetings

• Good for record keeping (ie: behavior

changes can be tracked back to asupplement change, a new student cameto class, etc…)

• Helps teachers cue in on child’s dailyactivities they might not otherwise notice(ie: Johnny spends all of his recess eatingsnack to avoid socialization outside)


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Help the teachers buy intoit: They love it, they just don’t know

it yet!

• Increased communication with home

• Takes the guess work out of what theparents’ concerns are

• Teachers can share their concernsimmediately

• Stop issues before habits form• Better way to teach/help your child



Help the teachers buy intoit: They love it, they just don’t know

it yet! cont…

• Goals/objectives are easier to write andkeep track of

• No surprises at IEP meetings

• Exchange of ideas/ “team” building

• Minimizes “after school conferences”

• Always keep communication positive orconstructive



Make it as easy as possibleon the teacher.

Remember, you want them on yourside!

• Contact them as soon as you can and

show them the form/ask for their input• The form must be short/concise

• Must not take more than 1-2 min to

complete• Must not micromanage staff

• Allows for comments but doesn’t

demand them



Possible negatives forteacher

• Takes too much time to fill out

• Way for parent to bitch/complain

• Feel like you are checking up on them

• Too intrusive in classroom management

• They can’t change the program without

you knowing



How to make it successfulfor parents

• Addresses issues on a daily basis• Explains “what happened” in a simple

sentence or two

• Celebrates success/pinpoints challenges

• Shows how to make school moresuccessful

• Helps parents feel “connected”

• Ends “daily after -school” chats

• Teacher invests more in your child’s

progress or lack thereof



Consider your child’s

areas of challenge when

developing your form:What are your main concerns?

• Sensory/OT

• Speech/Language

• Physical/health

• Self-regulation/tantrums

• Social skills/engaging with others

• Attention/focus

• Dietary/allergies



Brainstorm the form

• Consider your child’s areas of challenge

(you can include IEP goals)

• Divide challenges into “categories”

• Address each “category” as completely as

possible• Grading behaviors:

– Ask for a simple “1-5” scores on behaviors

(1=totally asd………..5=neurotypical) – Ask to circle yes/no (ie: Did Jane play with any

other students today? Yes No)



Brainstorm the form cont.

• Leave room for comments or elaborationif needed (teacher’s choice)

• Consider an area for parents to fill outbefore school:

– “Morning Routine” (this helps teachers take

the communication book more seriously –

they know you’re invested too!)

– also gives them an idea what happened in

the morning before school

• Remember you set the pace, if you forgetto fill it in, so will they



When to start using it

• Immediately after you have talked tothe teacher and explained it

*ask them for changes/revisions

*give them two weeks to maketheir changes but keep usingyour original form so the habit isformed by staff

• After the first quarter, revisit the formand ask for suggested changes,things that aren’t working


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Thank you for listening

Time for questions:

Let’s brainstorm

your child’s form

Documents

August-Getting Ready for School