2013-2014 Online Elementary School Directories

The NYC DOE has released a massive database of elementary schools in the five boroughs that contains valuable information on the kindergarten application process and on whether a zoned school accepted any students from outside its zone for this school year. Below is an extract from an a post on InsideSchools.org that contains the link to the directories:

“For the first time this year, the Education Department produced hefty directories now online - one for each borough - of all elementary schools in the city. There is a page for each school, listing the school's address, phone number. the principal's email address, website and nearest public transportation. It also lists state test score results, Progress Report grades for the past two years, Quality Review scores and highlights from school surveys.”

Families with children turning five years old in 2013 may apply to kindergarten beginning Jan. 22 through March 1. You must apply even if you want your child to attend your zoned school.

College and Job Opportunties for People with Disabilities

Some resources for college and job opportunities for people with disabilities:

1. A series of free webinars on many different topics on postsecondary education options for students with intellectual disabilities (ID). Families, professionals and students with ID can learn about strategies to prepare for college-based transition programs, work and community-based participation. Information will also be provided about legislative and policy changes that affect postsecondary education for students with ID. All webinars will be held from 2 - 3:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Visit ICI Webinars.


2. GettingHired.com offers free services designed to help people with disabilities prepare for the workplace and build their careers. They also offer social networking opportunities that help individuals connect with each other and career mentors and match individual qualifications to specific job requirements.

The NYC Department of Education’s Special Education Reform

The NYC Department of Education (DOE) has engaged a far-reaching special education reform effort. The stated goals of this Reform are to “improve access to more challenging academic curricula and to achieve better outcomes for students with disabilities.” This will be carried out by providing significantly more students with disabilities the opportunity to attend the schools they would attend if they did not have Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). 

The Reform is intended to provide more students with disabilities access to their zoned schools and other schools of choice. Most NYC public schools will be expected to meet the needs of the majority of their students with IEPs. During the current school year, parents of students entering: kindergarten, middle school (6th grade), high school (9th grade) and “over-the-counter” students (those new to NYC’s public schools) with special education needs may be asked to consider different service and placement recommendations than in the past. The DOE is asking schools to reexamine students’ IEPs based on the availability of the program or service in the school building and the least restrictive environment. Your child’s school may ask you to reopen your child’s IEP even if you recently agreed to a new IEP at an annual review or this is your child’s first special education placement.

Unless your child has been accepted into a special program, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Nest or District 75, or requires bilingual services or a barrier-free site, you will not have the option of having your child attend another school that has the program or service on your child’s IEP. Other exceptions may apply to reasons pertaining to health and safety issues. Remember that parental rights in special education result from federal and state law. The Reform is a local policy matter and it does nothing to change your legal rights as a parent. Your child has the right to type of class and services on his/her IEP regardless of whether or not the school currently has them. The DOE is promoting the move of students with IEPs into the general education classroom (with the necessary supports and services.) However, there are questions whether general education teachers have received sufficient training in working with students with special needs.

If you are still having trouble resolving the matter, call 311 and ask to speak with the DOE’s Special Education Call Center. You may also try calling the DOE’s Hotline (718-935-2007) or visiting one of their locations for Special Education Family Office hours. In addition, the DOE has set up Special Education Family Office Hours which will run through September 27, 2012 and a hotline (311) or (718) 935-2007) for parents to help resolve concerns related to the reform.  For details on office hours, click here.

Your child has the right to receive the type of class and services on his/her IEP regardless of whether or not the school currently has them. Your child is still entitled to receive a free, appropriate education in the least restrictive environment, according to the federal law, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. (Photo)

Back to School: Special Dates in September

As the new school year gets underway,  here are some special dates parents need to take note of in the month of September (from the NYC 2011-2012 School Year Calendar):

September 5, Monday
Labor Day (schools closed)

September 6, Tuesday
Classroom Teachers, Bilingual Teachers in School and Community Relations, Guidance Counselors, Attendance Teachers, Nurses, Therapists, Laboratory Specialists and Technicians, Educational Paraprofessionals (except for School Secretaries, Psychologists and Social Workers) report for work. School Secretaries, Psychologists and Social Workers report for a regular work day.

September 7, Wednesday
SCHOOL SESSIONS BEGIN FOR ALL STUDENTS
Early dismissal for non-District 75 Kindergarten Students only. Partial school time for Prekindergarten public school students.

September 8, Thursday
Early dismissal for non-District 75 Kindergarten Students only. Partial school time for Prekindergarten public school students.

September 9, Friday
First Full day for non-District 75 Kindergarten public school students. Partial school time for Prekindergarten public school students.

September 12, Monday
First Full day for all Prekindergarten public school students.

September 29-30, Thursday and Friday
Rosh Hashanah (schools closed).

(photo)

Making The Most of the Parent Teacher Conference

You and your child’s school have something in common: both of you want your child to learn and do well. Parent Teacher Conferences are an important component of the ongoing dialogue between families and schools, so when talking with your child’s teacher, remember that both of you have valuable information to share, and both of you can learn something new to help your child. The Parent Teacher Conference is a two-way conversation and good outcomes are achieved when both parents and teachers talk and listen. There should be an emphasis on learning and a focus on both how well the child is doing in school, as well as how your child can do better. Opportunities and challenges should also be discussed.

Parent Teacher Conferences typically occur before a child's first marking period, when they receive their report cards. That means the first one will happen just before Thanksgiving, but parents do not have to wait until then. They can ask teachers for a conference at any time. They can also make the request in writing, if they wish to document it.

Cassandra Archie, Co-Director of the Metropolitan Parent Center suggests that the first Parent Teacher Conference be scheduled at the end of September, and below are some questions that parents should ask teachers to understand if their child is starting out properly.

Talk to your child’s teacher about:

• Progress – how is your child doing.  Is my child performing at grade level? What do you see as his/her strengths?  How could he or she improve?
• Assignments and assessments. Ask to see examples of your child’s work. Ask how the teacher gives grades.
• Your thoughts about your child. Tell the teacher what your child is good at. Explain what your child needs.
• Support learning at home. Ask what you can do at home to support your child’s learning.
• Support learning at school. Ask how the teacher will both challenge and support your child when they need it.

After the parent teacher conference, Ms. Archie has some additional recommendations:

• Make a plan  - Write down the things you and your teacher will each do to support your child.  Make plans to check in with the teacher in the coming months.
• Schedule another time talk – There are many ways to communicate, in-person, by phone, notes, email. Be sure to schedule a time to talk.
• Talk to your child.  If appropriate talk with your child, don’t forget to include him or her.

For more info visit The Harvard Family Research Project – Parent Teacher Conferences: A Tip Sheet for Parents www.hfp.org

Does The School Fit My Child’s Needs?

According to Cassandra Archie, co-director of Sinergia's Metropolitan Parent Center, it's important for parents of children with special needs to think critically about whether the school fits with their child's needs. To that end, she compiled a checklist of questions to help them make an ongoing assessment. It can be used throughout the year, but she says parents should know and understand some of these items immediately, like in the first month -- for example, regarding philosophy and behavior issues.

Checklist

• What is my child’s school philosophy?
• How is the school guided by that philosophy?
• How long has the principal been at my child’s school?
• Does the principal have any teaching experience?
• What training does a teacher receive for a particular class they are teaching?
• What types of opportunities are there for integration with non-disabled students?
• Are there any after-school programs offered? If yes, which ones?
• How does the school address behavior issues?

As the school year progresses, if it happens that parents need to seek another school, or the district has given them permission and supplied them with a list of alternatives, here's a post we wrote on Changing Schools.
(photo: thedailygreen.com)

The New IEP Forms Are Here – Are You Ready?

On Sept. 1st during our Back to School Open House we will have a 20-minute session giving hands-on instruction on getting familiar with the new IEP system. Parents will be able to familiarize themselves with the new IEP forms, which were developed by the State to help IEP teams focus on the services that are most important and to reduce variation of forms across the state. Here's what you'll need to know: 

• The new IEP form is a statewide form that will be used by all school districts in New York State
• The new IEP forms are required for the upcoming school year 2011-2012
• The expectation – the IEP will be more individualized to each student
• Parents will remain vital members of the IEP team

For the first time all new IEP documents will be created and maintained electronically, using the Special Education Student Information System (SESIS), a secure web-based case management system for students with IEP’s.

The chart below compares the old IEP pages (Current IEP "Page") to the new IEP layouts/sections (SESIS "Section"). This is important for parents to know because the IEP meeting will be conducted using the SESIS sections, and most parents will have an old IEP form, which flows differently. For example, at an upcoming IEP  meeting the first thing that will be discussed is the Summary Page, which is the same as the current IEP pages. But following that will be the Attendance Page, which would have been the Conference Information on the old IEP, and so on.

Old vs New:

For additional guidance related to the new IEP see:
Answers to Question About Changes on the IEP
New York State Education Department website

Day Hab Celebrates Women's History Month

To celebrate Women’s History Month, Sinergia's Day Hab Artists created a timeline of women through the ages that was installed along the hallway on the 3^rd floor.  It started with the year 1840, when women were denied the right to participate at an anti-slavery convention in England, and continued all the way to the present with a summary of this year’s White House report, “Women in America.”  The report found that while more women than men are getting college degrees, they still make only 75% of what their male counterparts earn. 

Each Day Hab participant had the opportunity to go on a guided tour of the timeline and discuss various key events.  Hot topics of discussion were the fight for women’s suffrage, which was finally granted in 1920 with the 19^th Amendment, and the struggle for women to be respected in their various fields, like Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman to graduate from an American medical school with a physician’s license.  (She also opened the first medical college for women!)  The Art Appreciation group also had the chance to take a virtual tour of Judy Chicago’s The Dinner Party, a tribute to various influential women, both real and mythical, throughout world history.  The Dinner Party is a permanent installation at the Brooklyn Museum.  Learn more about the exhibit at www.brooklynmuseum.org.

Health Effects of Consuming Too Much Sugar

Did you know that Mountain Dew soda contains the equivalent of 17 packets of sugar? And a small can of Red Bull, seven. That's what Sinergia staff and Day Hab participants found out during a seminar held March 28th, 2011 entitled "Health Effects of Consuming Too Much Sugar". The training was brought to Sinergia by the Union Settlement in partnership with the New York City Department of Health and The Public Health Outreach, as a part of their “Take Care New York” campaign to raise awareness about sugar consumption. The presenter, Kathleen Cain, a public health outreach coordinator for Union Settlement, talked about the frighteningly high consumption of sugar in all it’s forms, its lack of nutritional value, and the availability of healthy alternatives. She suggested that when shopping for fruit juice, people should read labels and choose those that are 100% fruit juice and then dilute them with water, because they still contain a significant amount of natural sugars. She promoted a petition to encourage local stores to move healthy beverages and foods to the front of their stores to help the communities choose better. "The forty plus participants that were present answered questions about their daily diets and were astounded to find so many items that were not so beneficial to their health, says Day Hab specialist Rob Maldonado. "Ms. Cain encouraged all of us to drink lots of water as the ultimate replacement for soft drinks."

This insightful workshop will be held again on April 13th for the Up-Living Program participants.

EIP - Getting Ready for the Annual Review

The IEP is a written statement of an Individualized Education Program that each school-aged child with disabilities receives, designed to meet their specific needs. The program must be reviewed annually, and this typically happens between March and May. These annual conferences are scheduled to review and revise the IEP for the upcoming school year. Cassandra Archie, Co-Director of Sinergia's Metropolitan parent Center, has some suggestions on how parents should prepare for their child's annual IEP conference:

• Thoroughly review your child's current IEP
• Know if your child has made progress, or if there has been a lack of progress. For example, if the child is to receive counseling, three times a week, did he receive it? How well is he responding to it?
• Think about what educational and functional goals you want to see your child achieve in the upcoming school year (2011-2012).
   
• Know your options for participation in the annual IEP conference. Participation can be in person or via conference call and you can request that it be in Spanish.

Here are two articles with more information:

Understanding Annual Reviews - What is an IDEA Annual Review?

How to Prepare for an IEP Annual Review

Photo credit

Recap of Community Educational Forum

Sinergia was very pleased to host a Community Educational Forum on December 1, 2010 at our Metropolitan Parent Center. Community leaders, parents, and stakeholders interested in advancing the academic, employment and career achievements of young people were invited to share information and discuss possible solutions to deal with the educational inequities that impact the lives of Latino children and youth. In one of the heaviest downpours of the year we had an amazing turnout of about twenty six people.

Although Sinergia did not receive the Promise Neighborhood grant this year, we are committed to pursuing collaborations and strategies that will reduce the overall achievement gap between East Harlem children and youth and those residing in more affluent communities. This forum was just one of our  efforts to engage the community in improving the quality of life of children and youth throughout their life span and advancing efforts for groups to work together to build and strengthen El Barrio. 

Juan Cartagena from the Community Service Society study presented a new of Latino Youth in New York City, which was very propitious to the meeting's agenda. The report, which was recently featured in the New York Times, focuses on youth from 16-24 years in New York City and the trends in school, work and income of this group. The statistics are sobering:

• Latinos make up the largest portion 33% of the age groups of children (fewer than 16 years of age) and youth (ages 16-24).
• Puerto Ricans, especially males, are the most disadvantaged youth group in New York City, with rates of school enrollment, educational attainment, and employment lower than any comparable group, including black males.
• Young Puerto Ricans and Dominicans are the two largest Latino subgroups and have extremely low rates of employment
• Latino youth live in poor households (those with annual earnings of $18,000 for a family of three) more than any other ethnic group.
• Puerto Ricans face the greatest challenges of all youth sub-groups, despite the fact that they are overwhelming born in New York City.

Dr. Martha Moreno Vega, Director of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute, stated that the sad truth is that many small to midsized nonprofits have and will be shut down. "The infrastructure that was built is getting decimated and in the absence of action our institutions will continue to erode. We need leadership to give voice to these inequities," she added.

The last agenda item of the meeting was a discussion of next steps to move the conversation along. They include:

• Developing a different narrative to deal with the new and grim realities affecting our students, families and communities.
• Broadcasting future community forums through the Manhattan Neighborhood Network.
• Inviting public and elected officials to the forums.
• Soliciting greater youth participation from the communities we serve and getting their perspectives.
• Fostering greater parent engagement in the educational status of young people, and helping them understand the data and outcomes that affect their children's future.
• Community organizing, community organizing, community organizing!
• Greater use of internet and social media to share and disseminate information, studies, reports, data.
• Demanding greater access, accountability and responsibility from media, particularly Spanish media, to expose the truth and tell the stories of children and families.
• Creating coalitions to salvage small, vulnerable organizations and institutions that face extinction or reductions in vital services to our communities.
• Expanding voter registration drives.

This Community Education Forum was an exciting and promising start to conversations dedicated to improving the academic performance and achievement of Latino and other minority students. If you would like to join our efforts please email us at information at sinergiany.org.

During the second part of the meeting we had three organizations who are deeply committed to making significant contributions to East Harlem gave presentations about their relocation plans to the neighborhood. See more below.