March 15, 2022 | Issue 20 (View newsletter as webpage)

Important News

Should Kids Take Mental Health Days?

When taking a break is helpful (and when it's not)

A recent article from Child Mind Institute provides answers to these questions:

What are mental health days?
When should kids take them -and when shouldn't they?
How can you help kids make the most of mental health days?

A mental health day is a day off from school to rest and recharge. It is important to talk to your child about why they are asking to stay home. Mental health days should not be used to avoid a tough assignment or a problem at school. Avoiding things that make kids anxious makes the anxiety worse.

If taking a mental health day makes sense, it should only be one day, once in a while. It is important to set limits.

Read the entire article here

Learn more about SPAN's role as the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health NJ State Organization here

Resources

Noteworthy Newsletter - A Child and Family Update

Noteworthy is a quarterly electronic newsletter that provides a very brief introduction to a specific resource in each of the following areas:

Monitoring Child Development and Developmental Milestones.
Helping Children Cope with Stress,
Parent Self-Care
Staying Healthy
Reading Corner - a brief message with families about the benefit of reading with their children.

Noteworthy also highlights a book that families can read together.

Read the March 2022 Edition of Noteworthy here

Earlier Editions of Noteworthy are archived on the SPAN website here

Special Education, English Learners and Beyond: A Discussion on Equal Education Access in New Jersey

Many NJ families are experiencing inequities in education, including:

racial bias
lack of language resources for multilingual learners
lack of inclusive education

NJ Together is organizing an initiative to eliminate educational inequities in New Jersey. The current focus is on Essex, Hudson, Morris, and Monmouth counties.

Students of color and immigrant students often experience the highest referral rates to special education (Losen, 2015.) Minority students with disabilities in New Jersey are also overrepresented in restrictive or self-contained settings (Korobkin & Miller, 2017).

All of these factors have caused New Jersey youth and their families to experience challenges in receiving appropriate services. NJ Together is gathering people virtually to discuss special education services and/or English language services.

Special Education, English Learners and Beyond: A Discussion on Equal Education Access in New Jersey

Monday, March 21, 2022

7:00 PM

Learn more about New Jersey Together

Upcoming Events

See what's happening

SPAN offers a variety of learning opportunities for families and the professionals who work with them. Check out our Event Calendar for details and registration links

Upcoming Events include:

More events

Tecnología de Asistencia

Assistive Technology for Spanish Language Speakers

Tues Mar. 29. 2022

12PM(EST)

Esta es una introducción a la tecnología de asistencia para estudiantes de K-12 con discapacidades. El enfoque será el apoyo para las habilidades de lectura, escritura, matemáticas, comunicación y organización. Este seminario web, incluidos los recursos y materiales, se proporcionará en inglés y español.

This is an introduction to assistive technology for K-12 students with disabilities. The focus will be on supports for reading, writing, math, communication, and organization skills. This webinar, including the resources and materials, will be provided in English and Spanish.

Presenters: Adam Krass, Assistive Technology Consultant, and Maria Flores, Parent Advocate/Live Interpreter

Co-Sponsored by DRNJ's Assistive Technology Advocacy Center and SPAN Parent Advocacy Network

Share your SPAN testimonial story! CLICK HERE

SPAN Parent Advocacy Network | spanadvocacy.org

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