Volume 33

January 2025

South County SELPA Insights is a monthly newsletter full of information and resources brought to you by the South County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) team. This month we would like to share information on ways to start the new year with a Growth Mindset to best serve the students and families we work with. Keep reading to find resources and see how the SELPA can assist you and the families you work with.

Visit the SELPA website

New Year, New Beginnings

As the new year begins, it's a great time to set meaningful goals and reflect on areas where we can grow. It's never too late to make adjustments at work and find ways to better serve the students we support. By focusing on continuous improvement, we can enhance our practices, build stronger connections, and ensure that every student has the tools they need to succeed. Let’s take this opportunity to recommit to our mission of providing the best possible support for the students we work with. Together, we can make this year one of progress and impact. Here are a couple strategies to start the new year:

Reflect on Your Practices: Take time to reflect on what worked well and what could be improved in the previous year. Consider feedback from students, colleagues, and families.
Set Measurable Goals: Identify specific, actionable goals that align with your role and the needs of the students. Make sure these goals are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.
Build Stronger Relationships: Focus on fostering stronger connections with students, families, and colleagues. Understanding students' individual needs and strengths can help tailor your support to them.
Enhance Inclusive Practices: Review your strategies to ensure they are equitable and inclusive for all learners. Seek professional development opportunities to build your knowledge and skills in this area.
Prioritize Self-Care: A healthy work-life balance is essential for sustaining your energy and passion. Set aside time to care for your physical, emotional, and mental well-being.

SELPA Highlights

Equity, Disproportionality and Design (ED&D)

The ED&D team presented, “Reframing School Discipline with an Equity Lens" at the, “Every Child Counts Symposium,” presented by the Association of California School Administrators (ACSA). The ED&D team empowered educational partners with knowledge and tools to enhance inclusive and equitable strategies by creating a culturally responsive school climate where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

Data Download

Let’s talk about Indicator 8 on the California Dashboard — it measures parent involvement and reflects how well schools engage families of students with disabilities. This data is critical, not just for compliance, but for showcasing the incredible efforts schools make to connect with parents. Here’s the catch: Some SEIS records have parent involvement marked as "No," left blank, or showing "No Answer." However, when reviewing signed parent documentation, many of these parents did indicate involvement. These inconsistencies can skew your data, misrepresenting both parent engagement and district efforts.

To help, there’s a shared search in SEIS called, "Parent Involvement" — "Not Yes" that quickly identifies students with missing or potentially incorrect responses. Use this tool to review and update data, ensuring it accurately reflects what’s happening on the ground.

Accurate entries keep us compliant and highlight schools' dedication in supporting families. If you need help using the search or have questions, reach out!

Art Show 2025

17th Annual Art Exhibition! This year's theme is "Spring into Art: A Garden of Expression." Join us as we celebrate the creativity of our students, by showcasing their incredible artwork, while taking the opportunity to recognize amazing staff from our member districts.

Educators, please start your planning. We know that time flies and we want everyone to have the opportunity to participate. Teachers or parents are to deliver entries beginning Feb. 3, between the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the South County SELPA Office, 680 L Street, Suite E, Chula Vista, CA 91911. The last day to deliver entries is April 11, 2025.

Please review the Instructions and Permission Slip by clicking on the Art Show Educator Instructions.

Miracle League of San Diego

Miracle League has started their registration for the Spring Season. The Spring 2025 season will run from Mar. 8 to May 18 Registration is up and running on TeamSnap; which is available in English and Spanish.

Registration is open until Feb. 2.

Player registration is $100 per season. Scholarships are available to those in need and there is a multi-player discount as well.

Registration is simple:

Creating an account including your "household", and even downloading the app before attempting to register, makes the process a bit easier. Click the link to your chosen program below or go through the website. This will prompt you to log in or create a new account. From there, you will be asked to follow the prompts and then choose Buddy, Player or Coach. Once those questions have been answered, you will be able to add any more participants into your "cart" before checking out. If you replied "yes" for a scholarship, that will appear at the end as well. All waivers must be signed in order to check out.

Bell Middle School

Engel Family Field

Competitive Division at Engel Family Field

Any questions or issues, please contact Coordinator Stefanie Waszut.

Upcoming Parent Events — Please Share

Jan. 22 to Feb. 19 — Parent IEP Academy Winter Series

Interested in increasing your understanding of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process? Do you want to feel confident that you have the necessary tools to fully participate in your child’s IEP? Register now for the Parent IEP Academy, which will meet Wednesdays from 9 to 10 a.m. and from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Spanish Registration / English Registration

Feb. 4 — Parent Training-Transition to Community College

Presenter: Melinda Lara, MA, MBA

Director, Disability Support Services, Southwestern College

Meeting will be at the South County Regional Education Center, located at 800 National City Blvd. National City, CA 91950 from 10 to 11 a.m. Registration

Feb. 19 — Hope and Healing: Understanding Self-Harm and Supporting Youth

Presenter: Jason Schweitzer, M.D.

Webinar: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Registration

Feb. 19: “Incoming Parent Night”

Presented by Sweetwater Union High School District's Special Services Administrative Team

Audience: Parents of incoming students

Meeting will be at Professional Development Center located at 680 L Street, Suite C

Chula Vista, CA. 91911 at 5:30 p.m.

March 13 — CAC Meeting

Meeting will be at the Professional Development Center located at 680 L. St. Ste. C, Chula Vista, CA 91911 from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information visit CAC website.

March 19 — Stress, Resilience, and the Power of Support

Presenter: Katherine Nguyen Williams, Ph.D.

Webinar: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Registration

Educator Events

Jan. 30 or Feb. 20 from 9 to 11:30am Suicide Risk Screening in School Virtual

This training provides a FREE opportunity for school staff to learn about best practices in school-based screening for suicide risk, how to respond effectively to keep youth and students safe. Hosted by SDCOE, Student Wellness and School Culture Department and facilitated by Stan Collins.

March 11 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Evidence-Based Practices for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Extensive Support Needs (ESN)

Speaker: Jill Martinez, M.A., Education Specialist

Audience: Special education specialists and service providers that support students through an IEP.

On Demand Training

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): What Every Paraeducator Should Know

An overview of ASD and practical information paraeducators can use for effective teaching. Strategies and behavior supports to include visual pacing and closure systems, schedules, prompting hierarchies, and reinforcement principles will be discussed.

Audience: Paraeducators working with students with ASD.

A Guide for Paraeducators: Developmentally Appropriate Supports for Students with Intellectual Disabilities and Challenging Behaviors

Understand the role of development when designing supports for students. Describe and select strategies that match the student’s developmental level, which may be used to increase positive engagement and learning and prevent and intervene with challenging behavior.

Audience: Paraeducators

Cognitive Behavioral Interventions (CBIs) for Educators

This unique hands-on, interactive training provides educators and clinicians with the key CBIs to help develop an effective program that — in tandem with your students’ mental health professionals — can provide support for, the improvement of behavioral outcomes and positive participation in school.

Audience: Special education teachers, school psychologists, administrators, LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, clinical psychologists, ERMHS staff or school counselors specifically designated to work with special needs students, behaviorists, and others who actively work with youth who have mental health concerns.

Still Not Producing: Assessment and Intervention for Executive Function Difficulties

The purpose of this training is to present an overview of the professional field’s current

thinking about the role and complexity of executive function, the process of measuring executive function, and practical supports and take-home strategies to help build

executive function.

Audience: School psychologists and anyone with knowledge of psychological tests and psychometrics. Participants should have a basic understanding of executive function.

Maximizing Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Opportunities Within Daily Routines

This training will review why routines and understanding development matter, how to turn routines into learning opportunities, ways to create communication opportunities and support our students within their routines, and ideas on how to differentiate activities for a range of abilities.

Audience: Speech-language pathologists, teachers, paraeducators, parents.

Dynamic Duo! Terrific Trio! Effectively Teaming with Paraeducators to Support Students

This webinar is designed for teachers and paraeducators to complete together, allowing the team to discuss and explore their individual roles, develop clear understanding of responsibilities, and begin to develop frameworks for effective teacher/paraeducator/student relationships.

Audience: General education teachers, special education teachers, paraeducators, behavior specialists, speech-language pathologists, service providers, and administrators.

If you have any questions or comments on the SELPA Insights newsletter, please contact our team at scselpaadr@sdcoe.net.

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