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September 2017

Office of Student Welcome Back Services Newsletter

Greetings and Welcome Back:

It has been a privilege to get to know and work with so many talented and dedicated colleagues, students, families and community members over the past year. The and the Newton Community can take great pride in its pioneering and long-standing commitment to inclusive schools. As a society, we have come a very long way from the 1970’s when activists like Hillary Clinton were knocking on doors in New Bedford, under the auspices of the Children’s Defense Fund, to identify children with disabilities who were excluded from school. Clinton joined a cadre of activists who had been working for social justice and education reform in , and who ensured the passing of the nation’s first state law, Chapter 766, enacted into law in 1974 to ensure and protect the rights of students with disabilities to attend public schools.

In 2015 we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the passing of Public Law 94-142 the IDEA, the Individuals with Disabilities Act, and the 25th anniversary of the ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the tremendous progress made in ensuring equal access, opportunity and 2

the rights of individuals with disabilities. There is indeed much to celebrate, and we still have a long way to go. In 2017 there are persistent achievement and opportunity gaps for students with disabilities in our nation’s schools and for individuals with disabilities in the workplace. Students with disabilities are more likely to receive discipline than their non-disabled peers, are more likely to drop out, and are less likely to graduate from high school, attend college or enter the workplace with meaningful career pathways. Students of color face additional disparities with disproportional identification, more restrictive andInteger segregated metus. programming, and higher discipline rates than their peers. Lorem. Unfortunately, the current political climate has also led to an increase in reports of bullying, and reports of harassment and discrimination in schools. byline [Name] It is our responsibility as a school community to ensure that every child feels safe and thrives, and that we think creatively about every aspect of our educational experience to ensure equal access and equality. We work to empower our students and families and continually and proactively reach for equity. We strive to ensure that the voices of all students, and particularly students with disabilities and their caregivers, are always at the table and are heard.

The mission of the Office of Student Services is to provide inclusive and innovative services and supports within an organizational culture that continuously strives for equity, excellence, empathy, creativity and compassion in everything that we do.

Warm wishes for a productive and collaborative school year.

In Partnership, Karen

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KASSERIAN INGERA And how are the children?

Among the most The Office of Student Services has had a busy summer accomplished and fabled planning and preparing for the 2017-2018 school year. We tribes of Africa, no tribe was want to share some of the initiatives and projects that we will considered to have warriors be focusing on this year. more fearsome or more intelligent than the mighty “KASSERIAN INGERA” Maasai. It is noteworthy that And How Are The Children? the traditional greeting that passed between Maasai The OSS’s central focus across all departments is the concept warriors. “Kasserian Ingera” of Wellness: Emotional wellness and well being, and means “and how are the instructional wellness. Our work on emotional wellness children?” focuses on three levels: students, staff and organizational.

It is still the traditional Continuous Program Improvement greeting among the Maasai, acknowledging the high value The OSS is committed to ensuring that all of its programs and that the Maasai always place programming are innovative, integrated, accessible, aligned on their children’s well being. and utilizing evidence-based best practices across the district. Even warriors with no children of their own would 2017-2018 Priorities and Program Reviews always give the traditional answer, “all the children are Student Services staff, students and community members will well.” Meaning, that peace partner to destigmatize, streamline and improve access to and safety prevail, that the mental health supports and services. priorities of protecting the young, the powerless, are in In Special Education, there will be two district-wide program place, that Maasai society reviews. The reviews will include general and special has not forgotten its reasons education staff as well as families. for being, its proper functions • Autism program and programming review and responsibilities. • Language-based programs and programming

We adopt this concept to We are piloting two models: ensure that our steadfast • Inclusive Kindergarten Pilot focus is on all our children. • Flexible Support Model: Elementary level We extend this to also be mindful of the well-being of those who care for our children, their educators and families.

Adapted from Patrick O’Neill

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Program Highlight:

Social Summer

High School Social Summer had an exciting, adventurous and informative summer while working on social skills, cognitive flexibility, perspective taking, and transitional skills. Some new components were added to the program that enriched our learning and provided opportunities to work on skills that will be beneficial in the work force and with transition planning. We had the privilege of volunteering at the Food Bank and Cradles to Crayons. At both sites, the students worked diligently during their shifts and contributed considerably to each of the organization's missions, all while learning about giving back to the community and learning important skills that can transfer to the workplace. Each week we also toured several college campuses. We learned what college life is like both academically and socially, as well as how special education services differ from high school. In order to get to our destinations we utilized public transportation. This often consisted of buses and the T. This was a valuable lesson in how to navigate various forms of transportation and to problem- solve with the unpredictability of public transportation. Another highlight from the summer was our Mock Interviews. Jill Curry and Ryan Connors joined us as our interviewees. The

students practiced interviewing etiquette throughout the summer and demonstrated some great interview skills. One of my favorite things about Social Summer is that we are able to see each student really excel in a specific area throughout the summer, whether it is navigating the T, teaching the group a new game, or giving tips on how to fill out an application.

Written by: Catelin Thompson

Students at the Greater Boston Food Bank

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New Faces Welcome New OSS Leadership Staff

Mark Nacht is joining the Office of Student Services as Assistant Director of Elementary Special Education focusing on the North side. Mark has been a special educator for over twenty-five years. He began his career in education as a teacher at a private special education school, and later went on to become a school psychologist for Canton, Westwood, and Reading Public Schools where he then became an elementary special education administrator. Most recently, Mark was a PreK-8 Special Education Director for the Public Schools of Brookline. Mark is also the parent of two children, one beginning his junior year in college, the other a senior at Newton South.

Sarah Orlov has joined the Office of Student Services in the position of Director of Program Accountability, Outcomes and Inclusive Education. In this role, Sarah oversees special education continuous program improvement, outcomes and accountability, as well as inclusive programming and staffing. Sarah began her career in special education more than three decades ago and has spent the past ten years as a special education administrator in the towns of Bedford and Brookline. Sarah is also the mother of two graduates of Newton North High School. Sarah is looking forward to working with Newton staff and families and spending time in each of Newton’s schools.

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New Spaces

The Office of Student Services is delighted that our students and staff have three new or newly renovated spaces:

• Central High School has a beautiful new space on the first floor of the Education Center. • The High School Stabilization Program at South has two new classrooms. • The Brown ABA program is being renovated to improve and expand programming.

The OSS is deeply grateful to Mike Cronin, the Operations and Facilities team, the Superintendent, School Committee and the City for their support.

Office of Student Services 100 Walnut Street Room 308 Phone: (617) 559-6025