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Volume 29

September 2024

South County SELPA Insights is a monthly newsletter, brought to you by the South County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA) team, full of special education information. Keep reading to find resources and see how the SELPA can assist you and your family.

Teaching life skills to children with special needs is crucial to fostering their independence, self-confidence and overall well-being. Here are some tips for parents on how to effectively teach these skills, along with the importance of supporting an appropriate level of dependency.

• Understand Individual Needs: Each child with special needs is unique. Take time to understand your child’s specific strengths, challenges, and learning style. This understanding will help you tailor life skills instruction to their abilities.
• Break Tasks into Smaller Steps: Complex tasks can be overwhelming. Break them down into smaller, manageable steps. For example, instead of teaching a child to make a sandwich all at once, start with spreading the butter on the bread.
• Encourage Independence: While support is necessary, encourage your child to try tasks independently. Start by offering minimal assistance and gradually reduce it as they become more confident.
• Use Positive Reinforcement: Praise and reward your child for their efforts and successes. Positive reinforcement encourages them to keep trying and builds self-esteem.
• Model the Behavior: Demonstrate the life skills you want your child to learn. Children often learn by watching, so model tasks and behaviors in a clear and simple way.

Teaching life skills to children with special needs is a journey that requires patience, understanding, and consistent effort. By balancing support with encouragement for independence, parents can help their children build the skills they need to lead fulfilling and empowered lives.

Equity, Disproportionality and Design (ED&D)

The Equity, Disproportionality and Design (ED&D) podcast provides access to engaging conversations with educators and community members who share their personal and professional experiences. Conversations explore their journey through education, describe their efforts toward building equity in our school systems, and explain barriers that have caused them to re-think their approach to systems change. Season 3, Episode 1 is out now with Linette Castañeda, director of educational services, National School District. To listen to their new podcast, go to ED&D website.

Transition meetings at Member districts

In partnership with our member districts, we are hosting a series of informational meetings for parents with children transitioning to preschool. These meetings will provide valuable insights and guidance to help make the transition as smooth as possible, while learning about SELPA resources. Each district will host a meeting, and we will also offer a virtual option for those who cannot attend in person.

CVESD — Sept. 19, 10 to 11 a.m.

SBUSD — Oct. 11, 10 to 11 a.m.

Virtual Meeting — Nov. 21, 10 to 11 a.m.

NSD — Jan. 23 9 to10 a.m.

SY — Feb. 25, 9 to 10 a.m.

CUSD - Apr. 5 10 a.m.

Miracle League of San Diego

The Miracle League of San Diego provides children and adults with special needs the opportunity to play baseball in an organized league. The Miracle League of San Diego is seeking volunteers to act as buddies and assist students with disabilities in playing baseball. If you're interested in volunteering or registering a player, you can register here.

Parent IEP Academy

Thank you to the participants who joined us for our summer academy. We hope you found the academy insightful and are more prepared when attending future IEP meetings. We will start our next series on Oct. 16. The academy will take place virtually from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. Register here: English or Spanish.

Community Advisory Committee (CAC)

Would you like to join a collaborative team of parents, educators, and individuals with a personal or professional interest in establishing a network between the SELPA, LEAs, schools, and the community? This work is achieved through collaboration with parents, students, educators, and other community agencies. 

South County SELPA's CAC is currently seeking members from the National School District, Chula Vista Elementary School District, Coronado Unified School District, and South Bay Union School District. To join the CAC, please contact your school district student services/special education department. The members of the CAC are appointed by the local school district governing boards to represent the districts. Members of the public are always welcome to attend CAC meetings and events and give input. For more information, please visit our website.

Sweetwater Community Collaborative

Whether you are a parent of a Sweetwater Union High School District student, former student or employee, you have a unique opportunity. Sweetwater Union High School District if offering a Trainer of Trainers professional development hosted by Family Leadership Inc. to enable participants to provide workshops throughout the South Bay Community promoting positive and healthy relationships. If you’d like to hear more and receive an invitation to the next informational meeting, please complete this survey.

Sept. 18 — How to Navigate SSI Benefits and Save for the Future Without Affecting your Benefits

The Sweetwater Union High School District Special Services Department welcomes

Charlene Autolino from Outreach Consulting Services and Marty Williams from 

Primerica Shareholder Services, to present in person about Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability Insurance. Training will be held at the Professional Development Center located at 680 L St. Suite C, Chula Vista, 91911 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Register now.

Sept. 19 — Transition to Preschool: Resources for families of students with special needs

Ideal for families with children who are currently being assessed for special education services and transitioning to preschool in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. Training will be held at the Chula Vista Elementary School District from 10 to 11 a.m. Register for event: English Spanish

Oct. 12 — NSD Family Summit

National School district will be hosting the NSD Family Summit with resources and workshops for the family. Event will be at Olivewood School located at 2505 F Avenue National City, CA 91950 from 9 a.m. to noon.

Oct. 16 to Nov. 20 — Parent IEP Academy Fall 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 at from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Spanish Registration /English Registration

Oct. 19 —10th Annual FERIA Partnership Conference

The FERIA Partnership Conference is a culturally and linguistically appropriate, meaningful, and useful one-day conference for 300 Latino parents, caregivers and professionals working with special needs students from Pre-School, K-12 and Adults. Event will be at Otay Ranch High School, located at 1250 Olympic Pkwy, Chula Vista, CA from 8 a.m. to 3:30 pm. For more information visit FERIA Partnership website.

Oct. 24 — CAC Meeting

Meeting will be at the South County Regional Education Center located at 800 National City Blvd. National City, CA 91950 from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information visit CAC website.

Nov. 2 — 29th Annual CABE65 Mini-Conference

All workshops are designed for Parents, Teachers, Para-Educators, and Administrators focused on maximizing parent engagement and increasing the achievement of English Language Learners. In-person Conference will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Otay Ranch High School located at 1250 Olympic Parkway Chula Vista, CA 91913. For more information visit CABE website.

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

Get up-to-the-minute information about what's happening at South County SELPA.