The staff has had a busy and productive fall!  During the months of September and October the district provided an overview to all staff members of Crisis Prevention and Intervention training. Identified individuals at each building were then asked to complete a more intensive 10 hour certification program in order to become a member of their building's crisis team.

I recently completed an in-service to all staff members focusing on increasing collaboration and partnership between regular education and special education staff and therapists. This was well received throughout the district as so many teachers and therapists are working on improving services and outcomes for students and families.

Monthly I meet with therapist groups to discuss how to improve delivery of services to all students. The goal of these groups is to identify best practices within their disciplines and build upon our successes. We are fortunate to employ so many talented therapists!

This week many of our new special education teachers in the district are receiving ten hours of training in assessments to use when determining eligibility for special education. We continue to seek new tools of measurement to add to our repertoire to assess skill levels and drive our instruction. In addition to this training, provided by Cheryl Berman, School Psychologist at the High School, staff will receive individual mentoring during the year.

Beginning next week we have 20 staff members district-wide who will be participating in intensive 20 hour training on ABA (applied behavioral analysis). Topics include understanding ABA therapy, Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Managing Difficult Behaviors, and Functions of Behavior to name a few. Once trained, these individuals will begin to provide direct services to identified students and provide support to families. David Corcoran, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, will provide this 10 week training to staff.  Many of you know David from his many years servicing students and families in Tyngsborough. What you may not know is that he is a dynamic educator who works with staff behind the scenes to ensure successful experiences for all. He is dedicated to improving outcomes for our students through direct services and training of staff. We have been fortunate to have him consulting with our district over the years.

Our district also received an entitlement grant for program improvement. Use of these funds will be directed towards the previously mentioned ABA Training as well as program improvement efforts at all schools. To this end, Dr. John Hampel, a clinical psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst, has been hired as a consultant/coach for our district for this year. His work is focused on specific teams based on student skill levels and needs. He had extensive experience working with children with ASD and children with behavioral or emotional difficulties. We are learning a tremendous amount through his work and he is already impressed with the staff’s dedication to and knowledge of their students. We look forward to a successful collaboration with him this year.

We have a number of interesting plans for the new year all with one goal in mind... improvement of student outcomes. We welcome your input and urge you to become involved in the Parent Advisory Council. It is my hope to create a regular focus group of parents who can work collaboratively with special education professionals to review programs and provide input. Please contact me if you may be interested in this opportunity!

Enjoy the holidays and the time with your families.

Sincerely,
Kim Oliveira