Friday, December 13, 2019

Busy time of year!

I hope everyone is enjoying the colder weather and all of the activities that occur at this time of year.

Staffing Changes

Our special education teacher in the ACCESS program at Wheelock left for a position with the Newton Public Schools. We were very fortunate to have Brook Cote join us. She has a plethora of experiences with a majority of her time spent with the Hopedale Public Schools. 

One of our district BCBAs, Catherine Casey, chose to stay home with her growing family as well. We are sad to see her leave but very happy for her to have this opportunity. There has been a new hire for this position and contact information will be shared shortly.

Professional Development

The district had an early release day on November 8 and the Department of Student Services was able to capitalize on this time greatly. One such opportunity was for the counseling staff pre-k to 12 who all worked together with an outside presenter to delve into therapeutic supports and strategies. There was great discussion amongst the group and I am excited to see the work in action.

New to this year, the teaching assistants and behavior technicians stay for professional development. It has been a wonderful addition to our programming and I am thrilled to have everyone joining in this effort. During the first early release day, groups met together to discuss their jobs and develop norms and expectations. They also provided potential areas of interest for future professional development sessions. As a result, both elementary and secondary worked on de-escalation and behavior management strategies at the professional development in November. 

Medfield Talks



Please join us on December 18 at 7pm at Medfield High School for a presentation: "Learn it Today, Use it Tomorrow! Practical Strategies to Develop Independent Executive Function Skills" by Sarah Ward. Sarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP has over 25 years of experience in diagnostic evaluations and treatment of executive dysfunction.  Ms. Ward holds a faculty appointment at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. Sarah is an internationally recognized expert on executive function and presents seminars and workshops on the programs and strategies she has developed with her Co-Director Kristen Jacobsen. Their 360 Thinking Executive Function Program received the Innovative Promising Practices Award from the National Organization CHADD. She has presented to and consulted with over 1200 public and private schools in the United States, Canada and Europe. This presentation is part of Medfield Talks and is graciously funded by MCPE. 

Ms. Ward will also be presenting to all staff members during the early release portion of the day. She will be presenting skills in a similar manner at both presentations so that we can continue to support students with consistency in skills and language between school and home. 

Civil Rights Self-Evaluation Committee

Many thanks for all of you that reached out with interest in the Civil Rights Self-Evaluation Committee. The first meeting was this week and I am excited for the work that will be coming as a result of this group. 

Best wishes for a restful and rejuvenating December break,

Mary Bruhl 

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