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Volume 44

December 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. December contains many holidays as well as time away from school. This month we are sharing tips on managing a long school break as well as helping students returning to school afterwards. Keep reading to find resources and ways we can assist you and the families you serve.

SELPA Highlights

Reach Out to Families Resource Fair

We had a wonderful time at the South Bay Union School District (SBUSD) Reach Out to Families Community Health and Resource Fair. There were many organizations present to support families with resources, and there were even raffles with prizes! We thank South Bay Union School District for hosting, and we are excited to return next year.

Unified Basketball Assembly

Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) hosted this year's Unified Basketball Assembly at Montgomery High School. This event featured a parade, pep rally, a mini youth summit hosted by Aztec Buddies, a cheerleading clinic, and a Unified Basketball game! SUHSD did a great job hosting this fun and inclusive event.

Occupational Therapy "Thank-You" Project

Community Advisory Committee (CAC) members led a heartfelt art project with special education classes at South Bay Union School District. With support from teachers and assistants, students from three special education classes at Nicoloff Elementary created thank-you cards for their Occupational Therapy staff in honor of World Occupational Therapy Day. Thank you to CAC members Melissa Dolo and Linette Salome!

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 Special Education Information System (SEIS) records have parent involvement marked as "No," "No Answer," or are left blank. 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!

Staff Highlight

Each year at our Annual Art Exhibition and District Awards Recognition, we celebrate exceptional staff members who go above and beyond. This is our opportunity to showcase their incredible work and share their stories — including what inspired them to work with students with disabilities.

Meet CareyAnn Sutherland, an Instructional Assistant Behavioral/Health Care (IABHC) for Coronado Unified School District. She has demonstrated exceptional dedication, compassion, and creativity in her work supporting students in special education. Her innovative approach allows her to consistently tailor strategies to meet the unique learning needs of each student, ensuring they are supported to grow both academically and personally.

CareyAnn goes above and beyond to build strong relationships with students, families, and staff, creating an inclusive and encouraging environment where every learner feels valued. Her commitment to equitable practices and her unwavering focus on student success make her an incredible asset to the Coronado Unified community.

Preparing Yourself and Students for a Long Holiday Break

Long holiday breaks can be challenging for both teachers and students. Though they are welcoming opportunities for relaxation, self-care, and time to connect with loved ones, the large amounts of time away from school can be tricky. We would like to share some tips on how you can prepare yourself, your students, and your classroom so you can return from a long holiday break smoothly.

• Revisit classroom expectations and schedules with students
• Be flexible as students readjust to consistent schedules and expectations
• Reconnect with students and fellow staff on a personal level. You can connect directly about events from your break or utilize group discussions, art, or writing
• Review lessons and themes from before the break to refresh students
• A simple reset — decluttering, reorganizing materials, or changing seating — can bring renewed energy and help students re-engage

2026 Art Exhibition Information

Our 18th annual Art Exhibition and District Recognition Awards event is approaching quickly! The theme for this year's event is, "Splash of Imagination," inspired by sea-life and curiosity about the underwater world. With this theme in mind, we encourage you to begin art projects with students in the near future.

This year, we are taking a different approach on permission slips. We hope this will encourage more participation as there is no need to collect permission slips. If a student or their family do not want to participate, they can submit a form indicating that they are opting out.

Please review our Instructions and if you have any questions or concerns feel free to

e-mail us at scselpaadr@sdcoe.net.

Date: April 22

Time: 3:30 to 5 p.m.

Location: South County Regional Education Center (SCREC) 800 National City Blvd., National City, CA 91950

Miracle League San Diego

The fall season recently came to an end in November. Spring season will run from March 7 through May 17 with no games Easter weekend. Registration is open now until Jan. 31, with Early Bird registration open until Dec. 15.

Would you like to volunteer to be a buddy with Miracle League? A buddy is a volunteer that is paired with a child or adult with a disability and who provides encouragement, guidance, and friendship on and off the field. If you are interested in becoming a buddy, see this flyer on buddy responsibilities before registering.

Be sure to follow them on Instagram and Facebook at Miracle League of San Diego to stay up to date with their latest postings.

Free American Sign Language (ASL) Classes at Davila Day School

Davila Day School is offering a free ASL class on their campus every Wednesday from 3:45 to 5 p.m. Parents, siblings, and community members interested in learning to sign are welcome! Childcare is available during class meetings.

For more information visit the Davila Day School website.

2025-26 Schedule:

• Q3 Jan. 14 to March 11
• Q4 April 8 to May 27

Location:

Davila Day School campus

415 Smith Ave., Chula Vista, CA 91910

What is the Community Advisory Committee (CAC)?

The CAC is a team of parents and other individuals with a personal or professional interest in securing appropriate services for students with special needs.

To join the CAC or access more information, see the CAC webpage.

Upcoming CAC Meetings



Feb. 17

9:30 a.m. (in-person)

April 21

9:30 a.m. (in-person)

In-person meetings are located at the South County Regional Education Center at 800 National City Blvd., 91950

Diagnostic Center Training On-Demand Series 2025-26

This on-demand training series includes five webinars tailored to specific topics. They are available at any time and at your own pace after registration. See below for the different options available to you and click on title links to register or see more information about each webinar.

B-2 Behavior is Communication with Margot Johnson

B-5 What should I do?! Effective Strategies for Paraeducators to Support Positive Student Behavior with Margot Johnson

M-12 Mental Health Foundation Series with Tim Halphide

S-1 Reading Between the Lines with Andrea Abrishami

S-5 Being a Para Pro of Inclusive Education with Nicole Ward

Dec. 18 — CVESD Energy Station Event: Catch the Wind!

5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Chula Vista Library, South Branch at 389 Orange Ave.

This is a free Chula Vista Elementary School District (CVESD) event offering an evening of hands-on exploration with wind energy. Families can experiment with whimsical wind vanes, try out snowflake motors, and interact with augmented reality tools that reveal how wind shapes our world.

Jan. 21 to Feb. 11 — Winter Parent IEP Academy

If you are interested in understanding the IEP process more, wish to participate more in your child's IEP, or have specific questions, consider joining our upcoming South County SELPA IEP Academy. There will be four free virtual sessions in English and Spanish, all meetings are from 10 to 11 a.m.

Register

Jan. 22 — CVESD You, Me, and Your Student's IEP Series

9 to 10:30 a.m. at the CVESD District Office, 84 East J St.

A free event for Chula Vista Elementary School District families. Attend to learn practical ways to support your student, learn about their IEP, ask questions, and hear about community resources available. Food and childcare are provided.

April 2 to 23 — Spring Parent IEP Academy

If you are interested in understanding the IEP process more, wish to participate more in your child's IEP, or have specific questions, consider joining our upcoming South County SELPA IEP Academy. There will be four free virtual sessions in English and Spanish, all meetings are from 10 to 11 a.m.

Register

April 22 — 18th Annual Art Exhibition and District Recognition Awards

The 2026 Art Exhibition will begin at 3:30 p.m. at the South County Regional Educational Center (SCREC) at 800 National City Blvd., National City, CA 91950. The official theme for this year is "Splash of Imagination"! We are excited to see the art pieces students prepare this school year.

April 28 — CVESD You, Me, and Your Student's IEP Series

3:30 to 5 p.m. at Sonia Sotomayor Elementary, 1790 Santa Christina Ave.

A free event for Chula Vista Elementary School District families. Attend to learn practical ways to support your student, learn about their IEP, ask questions, and hear about community resources available. Food and childcare are provided.

Service Provider Academy: Education Law, Hot Topics, and Q&A

Jan. 20 from 8:30 a.m. to Noon

Location: SCREC, 800 National City Blvd., Coms Lab 1-4

Audience: Special education teachers, school psychologists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, school counselors.

Join us for an engaging professional learning session where you will gain practical insights into Special Education law and how it applies to your role as a service provider. We will cover today’s hot topics in the field and wrap up with an interactive Q&A with our presenter, Jonathan P. Read, Esq. F3 Law. Don’t miss this chance to deepen your knowledge and walk away with strategies you can use right away. Registration for this event is free.

Information and registration

SDCOE Student Wellness, School Culture Department, and Youth Creating Change Presents: Postvention: Responding Effectively to Suicide Deaths

Feb. 3 from 9 a.m. to Noon

Location: Virtual

Audience: County offices of education, district, and charter leaders throughout California.

This webinar fulfills the requirements of Education Code 215 and will explore several topics. These topics include best practices and strategies for supporting students and staff, effective communication after a suicide death, guidance on managing memorials, and resources for creating or updating postvention protocols.

Information and registration

Principals Academy Session 3: Balancing Relationships and Special Education Compliance

Feb. 4 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Location: SCREC, 800 National City Blvd.

Audience: School principals and vice/assistant principals

This session is the third installment in a three-part series designed specifically for school administrators, bridging the first and second session by showing how strong relationships between families, educators, and schools support student success and special education compliance.

Information and registration

Building Your Multi-Disciplinary Team Series: Systems Improvement Approach for Multilingual Students with Exceptional Needs Day 1

Feb. 5 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Virtual

Audience: Special education teachers, EL coordinators, school psychologists, speech language pathologists, CDE, district level and site-based administrators, and SELPA administrators/staff.

This is a virtual event hosted by the Imperial County SELPA in collaboration with the Project MuSE (Improving Outcomes for Multilingual Students with Exceptional Needs) team. Participants will apply systems lens to instruction and community involvement in the education of students who are multilingual learners with exceptional needs. This will be done via a multi-disciplinary team approach focusing on pre-referral, referral and assessment-best practices. This event will also focus on becoming familiar with the IEP, specifically a focus on ELD (English Language Development) and linguistically appropriate goals/objectives.

Information and registration

Building Your Multi-Disciplinary Team Series: Systems Improvement Approach for Multilingual Students with Exceptional Needs Day 2

March 9 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Virtual

Audience: Special education teachers, EL coordinators, school psychologists, speech language pathologists, CDE, district level and site-based administrators, and SELPA administrators/staff.

This is a virtual event hosted by the Imperial County SELPA in collaboration with the Project MuSE (Improving Outcomes for Multilingual Students with Exceptional Needs) team. Participants will apply systems lens to instruction and community involvement in the education of students who are multilingual learners with exceptional needs. This will be done via a multi-disciplinary team approach focusing on pre-referral, referral and assessment-best practices. This event will also focus on becoming familiar with the IEP, specifically a focus on ELD (English Language Development) and linguistically appropriate goals/objectives.

Information and registration

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

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