NEWS FROM THE RESOURCE ROOM

June 8
We are in the last stretch of the school year...only 12 more days until SUMMER!

This week, we will continue to have our Zoom groups for all grades and our Fun Friday group at the end of the week. Let's continue to work hard and stay engaged in our class lessons this week. You are all doing an amazing job!

Next week will be Student Materials Pick-up week, so please be on the lookout for your scheduled times. **Note to Kindergarteners: In your student bags, you will find a Summer Packet with activities for you and your family. Hope you have fun doing some or all of them

Have a great week!
Mrs. Park, Mrs. Jacobs, Ms. Lorraine

ISD NEWS regarding Summer School:

Elementary Summer School Program Update - Planning Information for Families

For students who have already registered for K-5 Summer School, the Issaquah School District is continuing to move forward with plans to offer the program in July.

The dates for Elementary Summer School are July 6-July 31, 9:00-12:00 at Clark Elementary School. We are planning an in-person program with social distancing and appropriate PPE measures in place.

However, given the potential for changing circumstances, we are still subject to directives from OSPI and the Governor’s Office which may not allow us to hold summer school. If we are unable to have our summer program, all registration fees will be refunded.

Details of our plan, protocols, and requirements for PPE will be provided to registered students’ families prior to the end of the regular school year.

June 1
Welcome to the first day of June!

Summer is just around the corner and I cannot believe we are down to our last three weeks of school! You are all doing an amazing job of working with your teachers and participating in class discussions and Zoom meetings. Keep up the good work!

We want to finish off the year strong, so let's think of strategies to help us in this endeavor.
- taking a short walking break in-between your work
- taking 3 deep breaths and giving yourself a positive self-talk "I can do this!"
- grabbing a snack and recharging your body and mind
- connecting with a friend to work on an assignment together - a study group
- asking parents and teachers for support

Be creative! And, remember, I am here to support you, so email me or ask me questions during our group lessons

You've got this! You CAN do it! Let's have a great week!

May 18
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend! Spring is definitely in bloom!

Welcome to Week 5 of ENLs!
You are all doing an amazing job both in your class zooms and lessons as well as for the Resource Room. You should all feel very proud. I have enjoyed zooming with you and seeing the growth being made.

Parents: Please email me if you have any questions or if you would like to schedule a specific time to chat via Zoom.

Please remember: No School on Monday, 5/25 (Memorial Day)

News from ISD
Dyslexia Family Engagement Forum - June 4 on Zoom
Families interested in connecting with the Issaquah School District regarding support for students with dyslexia are invited to a community forum hosted on Zoom from 3:00-4:30 p.m. The purpose of the forum is to facilitate two-way communication, collaboration, and shared learning related to supporting students with dyslexia. The link to the Zoom meeting is: https://zoom.us/s/97153981448

May 11
Resource Room News:
Weekly Zoom groups are continuing and additional office hours are available during the week. We really have enjoyed seeing you all each week and supporting your needs. Please do not hesitate to contact us with questions or concerns. We are here to support YOU!

Have a great week!

May 4

Special Services Update - May 5

As we begin the third week of remote teaching and home learning, I imagine that you and your student have experienced ups and downs as well as successes and struggles in this new way of “going to school.” I hope you know that these feelings are echoed by the teachers who are also experiencing their own struggles and successes. Thank you for your flexibility and willingness to engage in at home learning in these challenging times. Please take a moment to review this bulletin for a few important updates.

Elementary and middle progress reports were sent via email, but perhaps not by your student’s teacher. If you received an email from an unfamiliar person with an “issaquah.wednet.edu” email, it could have been the progress report. If you did not receive it, please email Karin Farrar at farrark@issaquah.wednet.edu and we will make sure you get the second trimester progress report.
Continuous Learning Plans: Teachers are reaching out to collaborate on the continuous learning plan. This collaboration gives parents and students the opportunity to express priorities and address assess difficulties in home learning. I encourage you as parents and caregivers who are watching the learning at home to share what you are seeing at home, both from an engagement point, and an academic point. Please know that teachers are required to complete these learning plans, and we ask that you make time for the conversation. We are striving to provide reasonable and sustainable services through this closure – we know it is not ideal.
IEP and Evaluation meetings continue to be held via remote processes. Please contact your student’s case manager if you need to reschedule a meeting. Note that the new IEP’s are to be written as if school was in session in the building, rather than writing for the schooling we are experiencing right now. As of today, we are not allowed to do evaluations that require in-person work. If your student is requiring an evaluation before the end of the school year, the school psychologist may recommend a file review, or might propose to address this when school resumes in the fall. If anything changes, we will certainly let you know.
All teachers are expected to post office hours. If you need to connect with a teacher, this is the very best time to do so. Teachers want to be responsive, and 1:1 parent meetings with the remote teaching requirements are not always possible. Please use the office hours as a first point of contact with your teacher.
Access to technology is imperative during remote teaching. The District has set up help desk to support you from home with technology struggles with ISD laptops at 425-837-6371. You can find more information at the District’s At Home Learning and ISD supports pages.
Our next big challenge will be to determine what hour data will be collected on current IEP goals. We have not yet received guidance and we have not crafted a special services plan but know this is on our minds and we will have a plan soon. (This is not about grading for the report card, this is about progress monitoring for IEP goals.)

Our goals in special services are prioritized to first focus on the physical and emotional health and safety of our community – students, teachers, parents, and the community at large. Our second priority is to prepare and present as much learning to as many students as possible, with a relentless effort to figuring out all the nuances and challenges of remote special services. Thank you for your patience and your communication. We miss our students, and are looking forward to the times when we aren’t teaching through technology!

Sincerely,
Dr. Dana Bailey
Executive Director of Special Services

April 27

Week 2 of ENLs! You are all doing an amazing job with school. Keep up the good work.
If you are feeling overwhelmed, please take a break and take time to reassess. It is okay.

Be on the lookout for emails from me and Mrs, Jacobs as we check-in with you all. Don't forget to join in our Zoom sessions.

We miss you all! Stay healthy!

Mrs. Park and Mrs. Jacobs

April 20

Welcome back from Spring Break!

This week embarks our New Essential Learning for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year. We in the Resource Room are working hard to collaborate with families to begin our planning for our students through the Continuous Learning Plan. We are here to support you!

Please email or contact us if you have any questions or feedback as we all navigate our "new digital school" with patience and kindness

The Resource Team

April 13-17
Enjoy a wonderful Spring Break. Stay healthy!

April 9, 2020

Dear Issaquah families and students served in special education,

Governor Inslee’s press conference created some confusion about a potential opportunity for some students potentially returning to school. Following the Guidance for Long Term School Closures published by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) on April 8, we offer these clarifying details:

Consistent with the timeline of the Governor’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy order, no group meetings of staff, including for professional learning or staff meetings, should occur. School districts should utilize online, phone, or other alternatives to address this need. ISD is holding, and will continue to hold, IEP and Evaluation meetings via teleconferencing or conference call meetings. ISD will resume initial referrals to special education on April 20^th.
Facilities should only be used for providing direct services to individual students where there is no alternative for the service delivery and both the service is necessary and essential AND the use of the facility is both necessary and essential. This is expected to be an unusual occurrence. The ISD is beginning remote teaching/home learning on April 20^th. Until students have had an opportunity to engage and attempt this model, we cannot meet this threshold.
Facilities are not to be used for providing direct services to groups of students. ISD will not bring groups of students into the building for direct service. As we receive further guidance from the state, we will update our plans accordingly.
Any gatherings within school facilities must comply with applicable social distancing directives and health guidelines. Districts must continue to monitor and implement guidance from state and local health officials. ISD is following the social distancing guidelines for the childcare being offered to essential work force parents. We must protect the health and safety of the students and the staff. If, in the future, we determine there is a situation where a student must have an essential and necessary service delivered in person, we will also determine if that service can safely be delivered with social distancing.

Remote teaching and home learning are less than ideal for many students. Our directive from the state is to build educational services in the following order of importance, following the recommendations of the Council for Exceptional Children.

Focus on the safety, health and welfare of our students and staff.
Deliver services to as many students as we reasonably can in the best way we know how.
Document our efforts and make a good faith effort to provide quality services.
Comply with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as best as we can - IDEA wasn’t built for a global pandemic.

This week, your student’s IEP teacher and/or team will be reaching out to ask you if any additional supports are needed, now that we know this is our education model for the rest of the school year. Thank you for speedy responses, as it will maximize our time to build a quality plan to begin on April 20^,2020.

Sincerely,

ISD Special Services Department

April 6, 2020:

Our Resource Room Office Hour this week: Wednesday, April 8th at 10:00am
Please come and join us and share what you have been doing :)

I hope you all have a wonderful Spring Break starting next week!

News for ISD-Special Services

Update on Special Education Services

Dear Issaquah School District students and families in special education:

The Issaquah School District's (ISD) update on April 2, 2020 for Remote Teaching and At-Home Learning to begin on April 20, 2020 is the foundation for how learning will continue for students in Issaquah Schools during the statewide school closure. Special education services and supports will continue, although services will not be identical to what was offered while attending school in the buildings. Our goal is to support your student and your family as well as we can under the ever-changing circumstances. We are committed to partnering with you and collaborating to provide special education services and supports. Members of your student’s IEP team will reach out via email, phone call or survey within the next few days to gather information about your student’s current circumstances.

Learning:

The ISD is moving into At-Home Learning on April 20. Your student should see a shift from optional engagement and practice opportunities to learning expectations every day. For students to participate in Home Learning, they will need access to a computer and internet. If you need support with either, please reach out to the District for computer and/or hotspot access. This webpage provides information on how to do so: www.issaquah.wednet.edu/family/supports/learning/laptops.

Your student’s IEP team will be working together to ensure the appropriate supports are in place so that your student can be successful in their Home Learning.

Collecting data and assessing work:

Your student’s IEP team will be collecting data and gathering samples of work that are intended to be used as data point(s) during the statewide school closure. The IEP team will work with you to determine the level of support allowed during these collections to fairly report progress. Staff will be logging contact/service time, and will be reaching out periodically to support student learning.

Therapeutic specialists:

The therapeutic specialists, including OT, SLPs, etc., will be following a similar schedule of services as they did prior to the statewide school closure. If your student receives communication, physical and/or occupational therapy, hearing or vision services, etc., that service provider will reach out within the next few days.

What to expect in IEP and Evaluation meetings:

Some of you have already experienced a virtual platform for IEP and/or Evaluation meetings. Teachers are currently using Zoom, Microsoft Teams and conference calls to conduct these meetings. If this format is not comfortable for you, you may request in writing (to your IEP case manager or school psychologist) an opportunity to delay your student’s meeting(s) until we can convene in-person once buildings are reopened.

FAQs

What should I do if the technology doesn’t work? Call the ISD phone number: 425-837-6371
What should I do if my child needs assistive technology that s/he usually uses at school? Contact your child’s IEP case manager who will work with the assistive technology staff to craft a plan if possible.
What should I do if the general education work is too difficult or too frustrating for my student to do, even with help? Contact via email the teacher who assigned the work for support.
What should I do if the amount of work assigned takes longer than the stated target minutes? Check in with the general or special education teacher.
What should I do if I have questions about family resources and the COVID-19 school closure? Call 211 or click on: http://211.org/; connect with your child’s counselor or therapist; or click on: https://www.issaquah.wednet.edu/family/supports
What should I do if my student has a ‘live’ or group class meeting time and can’t make it? The lesson or activity will be posted, to be watched at a convenient time.

As we move forward into Remote Teaching and At-Home Learning in this unprecedented time, we will learn much along the way. The safety, health, and well-being of your family is our highest priority. We are here to support and serve your student, your family and our community.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to your student’s case manager.

Warmly,

Special Services

March 30, 2020:

Weekly Updates from the Resource Room will be emailed out to families on Tuesdays.

Ms. Jacobs and I will open Office Hours via Zoom on Thursdays for families. You will be able to schedule a time and we will be available to support you and your child. More details on specific times will be emailed out to you. So, be on the lookout!

We wish you a great and safe week of learning and FUN!

Here is something FUN for the entire FAMILY: LEGO Activity Calendar

March 27, 2020:

Math: Math Games for iPad - Free
Math Slide (iPad app) - this game is a multiplayer game that focuses on various math concepts (place values, tens/ones, add/subtract, multiply/divide, etc.). The whole family can enjoy having fun with math!

Writing: Handwriting Without Tears
HWT is offering 90-day free online access to their distance learning resources. You will find interactive activities from pre-K to grade 5 targeting letters, sounds, handwriting, keyboarding, etc. They have printables and games for you and your child to try. Here is the link: https://www.lwtears.com/programs/distance-learning

Reading: Audible
Audible is making hundreds of stories free to house bound kids and families as long as the schools are closed. Click on the link: https://stories.audible.com/start-listen

Social/Emotional: Message from the School Counselor and PBSES Coach:

Mrs. Morse (PBSES behavior coach) and Miss Denise (school counselor) have created some social and emotional activities for this week centered around the theme of perseverance. To access them please click on the link below:

Social Emotional Activities and Supports

Additionally, if you would like support for any reason during this unprecedented time, don’t hesitate to reach out to Mrs. Morse and/or Miss Denise. They will be available on email to offer parents help throughout the time that we are not in school.

Here is their information if you want to reach out:

Mrs. Morse- Behavior Coach- morset@issaquah.wednet.edu

Miss Denise-School Counselor- darnelld@issaquah.wednet.edu

March 18, 2020:
News from ISD - Emergency Education Learning Resources

March 18, 2020

Dear ISD Community,

We are pleased to announce that we have reached an agreement with the Issaquah Education Association (IEA) identifying how certificated staff will support emergency learning during our current school closure.

The District and the Association are committed to assist in community and nation-wide efforts to limit the spread of COVID-19 and support a period of school closure that is equitable for all Issaquah School District students.

The following Emergency Education Learning Resources (EELRs) will be provided to students to maintain learning in topics and subjects covered prior to the closure of Issaquah schools. These include education learning resources that support families in areas of academic, social-emotional, and/or physical health to keep students engaged and to maintain learning with the goal to reduce a regression in student learning during the closure.

Teachers will select resources relevant to their assignment and post the links on their web presence or through email.
Teachers will communicate by email with all families regularly and at least weekly, ensuring families know when updates are available.

Teachers will be available to consult with parents and students on the activities they are working on at home during the closure.
Teachers will not accept student work for a grade or score.
Opportunities will be given to high school students who were missing work for credit assigned before the school closure, in accordance with each teacher’s late work policy.
As we receive guidance from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) regarding graduating seniors we will communicate that information as soon as we have it.

Additionally, counselors, and other certificated support staff will post Emergency Education Learning Resources to support families. This may include links to social emotional learning websites, newsletters about social-emotional learning, a list of specific kindness tasks, and/or resources for parents about supporting children in difficult times, movement activities, music activities, reading, or book resources, etc.

Thank you,

ISD Leadership Team

Be Safe, Be Kind, and Be Responsible!

Go Eagles!

Mrs. Park's Site

Elementary Summer School Program Update - Planning Information for Families

Special Services Update - May 5

Update on Special Education Services

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