The Voice of …November 2004
Voices Offering Inspiration for all Children’s Educational Support
V.O.I.C.E.S. Steering Committee
Laura D. Mitchell, Co-Chair ...... 238-8605
Ginger Moerschel, Co-Chair ...... 238-5596
Mithra Ballesteros ...... 241-2884
Marcy Baumann...... 242-8058
Carolyn Cutler-Tzeel ...... 512-9043
Bo Dowsett...... 238-9137
Jill Gahn ...... 242-1910
Arlene Litow...... 242-6242
Jackie Mortenson ...... 238-8658
Fran Myers ...... 241-5583
Cathey Ralph ...... 236-4094
Judy Van Handel ...... 242-0568
Dennis Joyce,
Director of Pupil Services ...... 238-8501
Erin Leedom,
HHS Special Education Teacher .... 238-5808
Terri Peckerman-Stein,
School Social Worker ...... 238-4668
Cyndi Comfort,
M-T Special Education Case Mgr ... 238-5663
Judy Staats,
Academic Support Ctr. Director .... 238-5625
Nicole Heller,
School Psychologist ...... 238-7609
What is V.O.I.C.E.S.
Every student struggles from time to time. Some children face significant ongoing challenges socially, emotionally, and/or academically. V.O.I.C.E.S. is a group of parents and staff working together to educate families in the M-T School District. We can show you how to locate and access necessary help for students who are struggling. Our school district provides many resources, which are available to students to help ensure their academic success.
V.O.I.C.E.S. is linked to the M-T School District website. Find it by going to mtsd.k12.wi.us,
click on Parent/Community Programs, then the V.O.I.C.E.S. link.
Family-School Partnership
Dennis Joyce
Director of Pupil Services
I very much appreciate the opportunity to introduce myself in this first issue of the V.O.I.C.E.S. newsletter for the 2004-05 school year. My name is Dennis Joyce and I was pleased to be offered the position of Director of Pupil Services for the M-T School District last May. I formally began employment with the District on July 1, 2004. I have worked in the education field for the past 29 years as a teacher of emotionally/behaviorally disabled students at Nicolet High School, an assistant principal at Whitnall High School, and a Pupil Services Director in the Kettle Moraine School District. I am pleased to share a few thoughts about communication, which is the theme of this newsletter.
While parent teacher communication can be somewhat intimidating and uncomfortable, our goal in the M-T School District is to keep the lines of communication open to facilitate collaboration as a team. It is critical to the success of our students that we operate with the framework of an alliance to provide the best possible school experience. Research suggests that children perform better in school when parents talk regularly with teachers and become involved in the greater school environment.
It is important that parents who would like to have an on-going dialogue with teachers make this wish known early in the school year. The comfort level regarding communication with staff can be greatly enhanced if parents do not wait until there is an issue in the classroom that needs immediate attention. Being open to the suggestions of teachers who work with your child can be very useful in addressing issues that may develop. Your child’s teacher(s) see interactions with peers in a totally different setting at school compared to the home. Staff may provide useful suggestions and insights based upon their observations of your child.
Parents who volunteer or participate in school activities and events will also have more opportunities to interact and communicate with their children’s teachers. Becoming involved with parent-teacher organizations provides opportunities for interaction outside of the classroom environment and allows parent input into decisions that may affect their children. Depending upon parent interests and availability of time and the needs of individual schools, there may be opportunities for
volunteering. This can be a win-win situation for both parents
Family-School Partnership - Continued
and the school in terms of communication and understanding.
While teachers share information with parents to keep them advised of student progress or concerns, parents are encouraged to also contact their child’s teachers with questions and/or information that will assist the teacher to work successfully with the student. If, for any reason, a parent is concerned about a particular situation involving his/her child, the parent should always try first to solve the problem at the level at which is occurred, usually in the classroom. If additional consultation is necessary, the next level of contact is the building principal and lastly the involvement of the district office administrators.
The most important aspect of the family-school partnership to remember is that parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff, and administrators all share the same common goal: to provide the best education possible for the children of the M-T School District. Our hope for all of your children is that we can assist in guiding them to become happy, healthy, and productive adults who will contribute to their communities. A strong partnership between home and school anchored in open lines of communication will help to facilitate this end.
NEW BOOKS
AVAILABLE AT WEYENBERG
Please remember the valuable tips and information contained in the V.O.I.C.E.S. Parent Resource Library housed at the Weyenberg Public Library. The complete list of books is posted on our website, and with a generous grant from the Wisconsin State Parent Educator Initiative, we have added the following books to that collection:
DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS: HOW TO DISCUSS WHAT MATTERS MOST by Douglas Stone
DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR? By Janice Fialka
NEGOTIATING THE SPECIAL EDUCATION MAZE by Winifred Anderson
THINKING IN PICTURES by Temple Grandin
YOU WILL DREAM NEW DREAMS by Stanley D. Klein
WRITING MEASURABLE IEP GOALS by Barbara Bateman
ALL KINDS OF MINDS by Mel Levine
THE DYSLEXIC SCHOLAR by Taylor Publishing, Kathleen Nosek
LEARNING DISABILITIES A TO Z by Corinne Smith, Lisa Strick
SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS WITH ADD OR LD by Kathleen G. Nadeau
WHEN YOU WORRY ABOUT THE CHILD YOU LOVE by Edward Hallowell
FULL LIFE AHEAD (Workbook geared toward transition)
VIEWS FROM OUR SHOES by Donald Meyer (written by siblings of children with disabilities)
CESA CORNER
Welcome to the CESA Corner, a regular addition to your VOICES newsletter. We call this the CESA Corner because Wisconsin has 12 “CESA”( Cooperative Educational Service Agencies) districts… we fall into CESA #1 … and together with the Wisconsin Statewide Parent Educator Initiative (WSPEI) they have staffed each school district with at least one Parent Liaison. My name is Bo Dowsett and, as the Mequon-Thiensville School District Parent Liaison, my job is to assist parents and staff to work as partners by offering information and referral, support, education, and resources. In other words, I am here to help. This column will serve as a vehicle for me to share opportunities and information with you.
As the M-T School District Parent Liaison, I am fortunate to have had training opportunities regarding many types of issues that parents and educators face on a daily basis to help our struggling children succeed. It is my goal to share as much of what I have learned as possible with parents and staff through conversations, phone calls, e-mails and through the V.O.I.C.E.S. quarterly newsletter. Please feel free to contact me via phone or e-mail with any questions you may have, topics you would like to learn more about, as well as information you would like me to share with others. I would also like to establish a list of individuals’ e-mail addresses to which I can send information that is new and/or time sensitive. If you would like to be a part of this list, please send your e-mail address to me at (please type CESA in the subject box).
In the meantime, check out what’s happening by visiting the Mequon-Thiensville SchoolDistrict website and clicking on “parent and community groups”, then “V.O.I.C.E.S.” … this information will be constantly updated throughout the school year to keep you informed as to upcoming learning opportunities and events scheduled in our area.
Voices Offering Inspiration for all Children’s Educational Support