Please see the flyer below for more details and to click here to sign up!
RSVP by Thursday, Feb. 8
www.signup.com/go/tAFocSE
The Exceptional Children's Council |
|
You are invited to attend the Second Annual Evening of Inspiration on Tuesday, February 13, at McEachern High School Performing Arts Center. This event features students with disabilities and is a collaboration between the Special Education Parent Mentors of Cobb, Douglas, Paulding and Marietta City Schools and the District 9 PTA. The event will begin with networking at 6 p.m. followed by the program at 6:30 p.m.
Please see the flyer below for more details and to click here to sign up! RSVP by Thursday, Feb. 8 www.signup.com/go/tAFocSE
0 Comments
World Autism Day has come and gone, April 2nd. However, April is National Autism Awareness Month. You can find out more about events, advocacy, and education at The American Autism Society website.
In other news... Summer is approaches, and you are probably wander what kinds of camps and activity are available for your Exceptional Child. The Cobb County Special Education Parent Mentors have some great local resources. Parents, this is not just for Autistic. It's everyone whom may be consider Exceptional, including those gifted kiddos who think about the world in their unique way. Check it out! For families with ASD in the house, we have enjoyed the Marcus Center You-B-You Camp. They offer sleep-away summer camps for high-functiong Autistic children 7-14 years of age. It's terrific, inexpensive, and staffed with therapists and nurses from the Marcus Autism Center and Emory College students. If you have ADD in the House; MARK YOUR CALENDARS! Do you want to find out more about the latest professional research for ADD/ADHD? Come to the National CHADD* Conference in Atlanta. Registration begins in June. I try to Blog here once every 4-6 weeks. I have neglected the Blog too long this time. Sorry. Please comment below or contact me if there is something you want me to talk about here. (Note that comments are not public unless you wish them to be. Just let me know what you prefer.) *Children and Adults with Attention-Defecit/Hyperactivity Disorder Registration Well I have. They are full of knowledge, experience, passion and workshop dates! Stacy Greene and Melissa Tellecamp are a resource provided by Cobb County School for parents. They provide Parent Programs and much more. Thank you ladies for your support. Next week there are two very important meetings; "Understanding the IEP Process" and "Parent Advocacy". Check out their calendar and flyers for more information and plan to attend these valuable meetings. Check out The Parent Mentor website HERE and look for a flyer in your child's backpack. For more, check out my Resources page.
Conference week is behind us, clocks turning back and Elves are planning for the holiday season.11/2/2016 With school conferences over, I hope your teacher gave you glowing remarks about your child. Along with the glowing remarks and words of encouragement might have been words of concern from your child's teacher. What to do next? This is the point when many parents do not know where to turn for advise. We want to feel that the school is doing all they can for our child. But, our mama and papa bear instincts might feel that we are the only ones qualified to understand what our child needs. True. Sometimes, we need to feel reassured and supported on the path we are about to take. We need to hear from other parents and professionals. That's why I wanted to create this Council. On this site you will find links to broad lists of professionals and workshops, books and resources. Use the Resources link at the bottom of the Welcome page. Take a look at the latest Parent to Parent of Georgia newsletter. Know that that other parents and caregivers have walked in similar shoes and can help. Your child will grow from your efforts in a way that will amaze you! Its a long wonderful and, sometimes hard, journey but well worth it.
With fall comes this beautiful weather and all of it colors. Enjoy with your family. I will be at the fall festival at Ford next week. I hope you plan to come. It is a great time to reconnect with your parent network and meet your child's friends. See you there.
Didn't the school year just end? The summer just flew by. I hope you and your family enjoyed making memories this summer. Now that we are in the second week of school, Ford's students are settling into a new routines. A routine is something you do everyday. How you organize your day and get things done. Some of us will be attending Ford's Open House tonight where your child's teacher will discuss their classroom routine. Routine is important in the classroom for your child and the teachers' sanity. But, routines are important at home too. Your summer morning routine may have consisted of mommy sleeping until 8am while the kiddos watched Stampy and ate cereal, like my home. Now school days influence this routine. Why is routine important for your child? Routine makes your child feel safe and secure. Its predictable and thats a nice feeling for all of us. Routine can help your child develop new skills. If they know what is expected, they can learn to do this indepentantly. Routine reduces stress when your child is going through a difficult stage or experience. If your child takes medication regularly, routine will make it easier for both of you to remember. In short, routine can lower everyone's stress level. If you want more information about how to establish your own family routines and some helpful tools, follow this link. www.friendshipcircle.org/blog/2014/09/16/7-morning-sensory-tips-for-you-and-your-child-with-special-needs/
When: Thursday March 24th 4-8pm. You're invited to a Ford Foundation spirit night!! Come enjoy a family skate night without all the flashing lights. Also, you can expect the music to be turned down. Kennesaw's own Sparkles Family Fun Center wants to accommidate those of us who might have chosen to avoid the crowded and loud scene. What a great way to benefit Ford Foundation and Ford Elementary School. Hope to see you there!
We forget how special a day can be when we are living it. Leap day will be here soon. Not to return for another 4 years. A special day. If you would like to plan a special day with your family take a look at the Event Calendar page for dates of sensory-friendly activities. NCG Cinemas and Sky Zone offer these days as often as monthly. You might wonder what sensory-friendly is at a movie, for example. In most cases it's just turning down the volume. In some, it can be the lights are turned up and flashing lights turned off. Here is a link to other places you might look into for your family's special day:11 Sensory Friendly Entertainment Options for Special Needs Families
I hope all of our Ford Families were lucky to spend some quality time together over the Holidays. I know we all look forward to this break and to the fresh new start of a New Year.
If you did not a chance to see Emily Rubin, the Education Outreach Specialist from Atlanta's Marcus Autism Center speak on Monday the 11th, you can Contact the Marcus Center's website for future dates. Also, the Cobb County Teaching and Learning Support and Specialized Services can assist you with what the Marcus Center and Cobb County schools have to offer our children. Great news! There is a new camp in Georgia. Grammy Award winning artist, Zac Brown, has opened Camp Southern Ground in Peachtree City. They have great stuff for children of ALL abilities. Save the link as you plan for the coming year. I hope that many of you have taken advantage of the Parenting with Love and Logic Class offered by the counseling staff each Friday. Its not too late. Classes started October 16th. The last class is Friday November 20th. RSVP to the counselors if you plan to attend. What a treasure to have this offered to out parent for free! It also a great place to meet parents. Thank you Mandy Ruddell and Linda Charrette. In the future; plan to attend the Emily Rubin event in January. I have attended this before and you will leave inspired. More information can be found here.
I am thankful for a happy and healthy family as we enter into the holiday season. I hope you are too. |
Carol HorneNative of Fresno, California. Newbie to Georgia but I feel like I belong here. Mother of three boys and wife to one. Love reading, learning, nerdy stuff, coffee, plants, animals, sunsets, etc. Archives
January 2018
|