News for the Lakes Region
ANNOUNCING:
NH Connections' Parent Leadership in Special Education Training
Applications now being accepted!
Click here to download and share flyer
We are ready to welcome applicants for NH Connections' Parent Leadership in Special Education Training. Click here to download application in word document form.
There is no cost for this training which is open to parents of children with disabilities and educators working with them.
We expect the training to fill up fast, so apply now!
Applicants can share what time of day/ and days of the week that work best when applying. Completed applications can be return electronically (emailed), mailed, or faxed to:
The Parent Information Center
P.O. Box 2405 Concord, NH 03302-2405
603.224.7005
800.947.7005
Fax: 603.224.4365
admin@picnh.org
Why Leadership in Special Education? Why You?
As parents you are the leaders in your family. You have unique experiences, and expertise that others can benefit from. You can develop your skills to become a stronger more effective voice with a wider and more direct influence on issues that matter to you. You can bring people together to build and sustain support and resources in your community. You will grow beyond your family struggles and emerge as a spearhead of action, a leader who inspires others to do the same.Why train parents?
Many parents of children with disabilities want to become more involved in school improvement initiatives. But in order for parents to successfully participate as members of these partnership teams, they need to understand the overall special education system and how to successfully work with school district personnel. The New Hampshire Connections project is excited to offer the Parent Leadership in Special Education Training (PLinSET). This training is designed to develop and utilize the leadership skills of parents of children with disabilities so that they may assume leadership positions in parent support groups, in school improvement activities and to support school personnel.Please share this message and flyer with your friends and colleagues, and contact Audrey at aburke@picnh.org or 603-848-4204 if you have any questions.
Thanks for all you do every day to build family-school partnership in special education!
Family/School Partnerships in Special Education Regional Forum...
NH Connections employed a world café style forum to foster a collaborative discussion around expanding Family/School Partnerships in Special Education. Using three guided questions, the region identified three topics the region would like more information about or have successful strategies that they would like to share with others.
Throughout the school year, NH Connections will facilitate a discussion on each of the following topics, where participants will share and learn about other resources to support expanding family/school partnerships:
-
Communication strategies to improve family/school partnerships
-
The use of technology to improve family/school partnerships
-
Strategies used to engage families during transition (emphasis on high school and choices thereafter)
Please join us so we may continue the collaboration and sharing of ideas to ensure the success and effectiveness of the events!
The following school districts were represented by Special Education Directors, Coordinators of Student Services, Teachers, Parents and Community organizations: Laconia, Inter-Lakes Co-operative, Alton, Barnstead, Bow, Shaker Regional, Center Conway, Gilford, and Moultonborough.
NH Connections will share the discussions and partnership work through our website - www.nhconnections.org, electronic newsletters and information sheets.
To host a topical discussion or share strategies about one of the topics, please contact:
Audrey Burke
NH Connections
Concord Lakes Region Facilitator
aburke@picnh.org
(603) 848-4204
The dates for the topic meetings will be posted once they are finalized.
NH Parent Involvement Awards – October 4th Concord
More than 50 parents, educators and community groups from throughout the state were honored October 4th in Concord during a ceremony celebrating October as Parent Involvement in Education Month. Governor John Lynch proclaimed October as Parent Involvement Month to bring to public attention the central role that parents play in the academic success of their children.
Kathleen Murphy, Director of the NH Department of Education, Division of Instruction, and Michelle Lewis, Director of Special Education Programs at the Parent Information Center of NH, recognized each of these individuals with a certificate during a ceremony highlighting their extraordinary contributions to family-school partnerships.
Nominee: 
Carol Wyman, parent leader and SNAC Coordinator
Nominated by: Lou Goscinski, Moultonborough’s Director of Pupil Services and Doug Wyman
Category: Parenting, communication, volunteering, learning at home, community collaboration, participation in decision-making
Write-up: Three years ago Carol worked cooperatively with the school district and NH Connections to spearhead the creation of a Special Needs Alliance Committee (SNAC) in Moultonborough. Since that time Carol has been instrumental in increasing parent involvement in our schools by helping school personnel understand the needs of parents and families of children with disabilities and improving communication between our schools and parents. Carol has provided countless hours of volunteer time to support school-based parent education as well as recruit parent volunteers to support school activities promoting the inclusion of students with disabilities in school and community settings. Carol's leadership has enhanced the learning of hundreds of people by her involvement in organizing numerous local and regional workshops and she has been instrumental in enhancing community collaboration to increase social and recreational opportunities for students and their families. In addition to creating SNAC, Carol has coordinated the creation of the Lakes Region Friendship Connection for students and families, organized a special screening of the movie Temple Grandin before its DVD release by HBO, that was attended by approximately 100 people, and spearheaded the creation of a parent support website. Carol has earned, deserves this honor!
Nominee: Robert Mullen, Teacher, Merrimack Valley High School
Nominated by: An Appreciative Parent 
Category: Communication, learning at home, decision-making
Write-up: Mr. Mullen has been my child’s teacher/case manager during my child’s years at the high school. Once each week a school-to-home and home-to-school worksheet is sent home, explaining how my child is doing in each class and asking for my input. Mr. Mullen is readily available by phone and answers my phone calls/emails to assist in supporting my child. He has provided both his school and home email addresses so that he is available almost 24 hours per day. Mr. Mullen is the coach of the Merrimack Valley High School Track and Field Team and encouraged my child to join this wonderful group of peers. This opportunity has enriched my child’s life/school experience to such a wonderful level, allowing my child to be involved in activities with peers. Mr. Mullen has been instrumental in my child’s success in school. Being part of the track and field team has taught my child social skills, leadership roles, following through on commitments, etc. – none of this would have happened without the support/encouragement of Mr. Mullen. Mr. Mullen has always asked me for my input into all decisions made in regards to my child’s education. He seeks out my ideas on how best to handle situations. Mr. Mullen definitely listens to, and encourages parents to be involved in their child’s education, and makes the parent feel like an equal member of the team who has valuable information to share. I have to say that Mr. Mullen has been a valuable asset to me and my child. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to nominate Mr. Robert Mullen.
Nominee: Maureen Gross O'Brien
Nominated by: NH Connections, Audrey Burke
Category: Communication, learning at home, decision making
Write-up: Maureen Gross O’Brien, Merrimack Valley School District Special Education Administrator - Middle/High School, readily volunteered to host NH Connection’s Parent Involvement in Special Education Forum in February 2010, helping in all phases of preparation. She was instrumental in increasing the Merrimack Valley parental attendance by reaching out to them through phone calls and letters. As a spinoff of the forum, parents from her district expressed an interest in developing a group where parents and special educators could work together to provide support, guidance, and resources to parents of students with special needs. Without hesitation she agreed, providing a safe, welcoming environment giving them an opportunity to share experiences and resources which encouraged positive conversations. As a result, the SEPRG- Special Education Parent Resource Group has developed, holding monthly meetings, creating a pamphlet to be share with families looking for information or support around special education, and they are about to embark on developing a webpage on the Merrimack Valley School District website. This year Maureen is continuing her work to support parent involvement and is hosting the Parent Leadership in Special Education training and is encouraging the Special Education Parent Resource Group to attend.
Nominee: Judith Howe, Family/School Coordinator 
Nominated by: Anthony Blinn, Special Education Coordinator and 12 other school staff
Category: Parenting, Communication, Learning at Home, Community Collaboration
Write-up: Judith Howe
Judith Howe, the Home-School Collaborator in the Allenstown School District, works with school staff and families to promote a positive educational experience and continually goes above and beyond her role to help the families living in the community. Whether it is help with locating resources, making home visits, or support through the educational process, Judith believes in empowering parents to help themselves and has supported them in getting the skills that will improve their and their children’s lives. She believes that all children can learn and will do anything to bring a child to their desk at school, ready to learn. Her welcoming, non-threatening demeanor and infectious smile has fostered communication between parents and the schools in the district. She is seen by colleagues as critical to keeping Allenstown students in school and has aided in keep their tardiness and absenteeism numbers down. She has spearheaded events and initiatives to ensure there are multiple opportunities for families and schools to communicate and connect, including the first new Staff Orientation program and the back to school BBQ. Her tireless effort to seek out and use every moment to communicate with teachers, parents, administrators and other key people in children’s lives has made tremendous impact not only to the district, but to her community.
Nominee: Jan Santosuosso 
Nominated by: Vicki Therrien, Inclusion Facilitator Pembroke
Category: Parenting, communication, learning at home, community collaboration, decision making
Write-up: Jan is special educator who has made significant impact on parent involvement in education. She relates well with parents and helps the school team understand parent experiences in difficult situations, thus promoting positive relationships and a willingness to facilitate creative problem solving. Jan organized trainings so the team could do tube feedings at school to assist a family when student with ASD wouldn't eat after surgery. She also daily walks a student home to assist parents. Jan has shown innovation by training and encouraging others to use SAKAI, an online web based professional learning community to promote home-school communication. Family and team post daily progress notes and add resources so all are informed and can celebrate success. Jan also did a SAKAI presentation at an SAU workshop day for other teachers and administrators in effort to better promote home-school communication. As a mentor for Beyond Access Inclusion Project (UNH IOD), Jan holds regular team meetings with parents (above and beyond IEP meetings) to set goals and plan actions for successful learning in all environments. Various Community resources are used to meet family/student needs. Recently she met with ATECH and our inclusion facilitator in home to plan for trial of an AAC device. She works regularly with behavior consult. As member of SAU 53 Learning Circle (5 towns) she helps make decisions to promote inclusion and to organize school/community activities each year. She's the best!!!!
Introducing - Newly formed Special Education Parent Resource Group
Merrimack Valley School District’s
SPECIAL EDUCATION
PARENT RESOURCE GROUP
We are a newly formed group of parents, teachers and administrators who have joined together with the mission to provide support, guidance, and resources to parents of students with special needs.
Please JOIN US!
We meet every third Thursday in the Merrimack Valley High School’s Library at 6:30. Our schedule for this year includes:
October: “Connecting, Conversing and Creating” Come make connections, have great conversations and help create ideas for the group.
November: Panel Discussion “The Special Education Process”
December: Connecting, Conversing and Creating
January: “Meet the IEP Team” Find out who does what and why they are a part of the team.
February: Connecting, Conversing and Creating
March: “Transitions” Discussion on the big 4- Preschool to Kindergarten, Elementary to Middle School, Middle School to High School, and High School to Community.
April: Connecting, Conversing, and Creating
May: “Summer Activities and Resources”
June: Year Wrap Up
For more information, please call Erika Downie at 648-2338 or email ebdownie@tds.net
