Home
About Us Executive Board Goals Meeting Schedule Our PTA & PTSA Units
Programs Health & Safety Inclusion & Diversity Legislative Advocacy Parent & Community Concerns Reflections Scholarships & Awards Sister School Special Needs
NEWSLETTER
For PTA Leaders Financial How to Revise Your Bylaws Leadership Development Mentors for PTA Units Nominating Committees State PTA Convention
Resources/Links
Special Needs
Special Needs
For Email Newsletters you can trust

Special Needs Locker

PPT, Word, Excel Viewers [Go]
Acrobat Reader [Go]

"Striving for Homework Harmony" Event Flyer
2/14/13 - Marilyn Lucey
2013 Special Needs Summer Resource Fair flyer
3/14/13 - Marilyn Lucey
Ability Awareness presentation
10/31/11 - Kristin Chen
Brown Bag Lunch Series
10/3/12 - Marilyn Lucey
Current SNC Brochure
3/15/13 - Marilyn Lucey
Customizable SNC 2013 Flyer for School Registration
5/6/13 - Marilyn Lucey
Employment: Is It for Me? event flyer
12/17/12 - Marilyn Lucey
Generic SNC 2013 flyer for School Registration
5/6/13 - Marilyn Lucey
I Have Needs Too: Supporting Siblings handouts
12/17/12 - Marilyn Lucey
I Have Needs Too: Supporting the Siblings of Children with Special Needs event flyer
10/22/12 - Marilyn Lucey
Multiple Intelligences Inventory
10/31/11 - Kristin Chen
Special Education Workshop Series
10/3/12 - Marilyn Lucey
Taming the Worry Monster event flyer
10/7/12 - Marilyn Lucey
Taming the Worry Monster Handouts
12/17/12 - Marilyn Lucey
Transition Fair Flyer
10/11/12 - Marilyn Lucey

Resources and Articles

(Dis) Ability Fact Sheets

SRVUSD has compiled fact sheets on many disabilities affecting students in our district. These sheets may be used to share information on common characteristics of a specific disability - great for your child's teachers, your relatives, and more! View the Fact Sheets.

 

 

Resource Library

Over the years, the PTA Special Needs Committee has purchased a collection of books and DVDs, which we store at the library at Iron Horse Middle School.  These books and DVDs are part of the library's Parent Resources, and any parent, teacher or staff member in SRVUSD can check out these materials.  Please check out the Parent Resources section at IHMS.  You can access the list as follows:

Go to http://library.ihms.srvusd.net

Click on the Catalog tab

Click on Copy Categories

Click on Parent Resources and browse the list.

Email the librarian at jlinhar@srvusd.net to request materials.  She will email you back when the materials are ready for pick-up at Iron Horse.

 

Safe Schools Tipline

To report any acts of school violence, bullying or vandalism, students, staff members, parents and community members are encouraged to call the district's anonymous tipline: (925) 820-5632. 

Local Special Needs Organizations 

CHADD Children and Adults with Attention Deficit (Hyperactivity) Disorder

www.chaddnorcal.org

Let us help connect you with AD/HD professionals and resources and, together, we can chart a path for the healthy growth of your loved one and, in the process, make life a little easier.

AspergersResource.org

Group based in Walnut Creek with monthly meetings featuring a variety of speakers. For more information, go to www.aspergersresource.org.

Down Syndrome Connection

Support group based in Danville. Go to www.dsconnection.org for more information.

POISE - Parents of Orinda Individuals in Special Education

Support group based in Orinda with monthly meetings featuring a variety of speakers. Go to www.orindapoise.org for more information.

PRAISE - Piedmonters for Resources, Advocacy, and Information in Special Education

Piedmont parents who support and provide information to fellow parents of children with special needs.  Go to www.piedmontpraise.org for more information.

Tri-Valley Special Needs Fun Group

Group based in Pleasanton that plans playgroups and other social outings for children with special news and their families.  Go to http://www.meetup.com/Tri-Valley-Special-Needs-Fun-Group for more information.

National Society for the Gifted and Talented Connecting gifted and talented children and youth with opportunities and resources.  Go to www.nsgt.org for more information.
Special Needs

News

Additional Online Resources and Articles
The online resources and articles below have been included for your information and benefit.  If you find any of these inappropriate, please provide feedback to the current SNC Chairperson at .   Online Resources: Online magazine for par... Continue
Posted by: Marilyn Lucey
Published: 3/14/13

SRVUSD-SPONSORED EVENTS

-- SRVUSD's Special Needs Liaison presents --

 

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

12:00 – 1:00

Open Topics 

The Brown Bag Lunches are informal, and no registration is required.  Bring a salad or sandwich and pick up some information to help you navigate this journey. Lunches are at the SRVUSD District Office, Boardroom A (699 Old Orchard Drive, Danville, CA 94526). 

Check back next fall for another year of monthly Brown Bag Lunches!

 

 
For more information about events sponsored by the San Ramon Valley Unified School District

 

Events sponsored by other organizations serving special needs children & families

Please note that these events are not sponsored or endorsed by the PTA, but are listed solely for informational purposes.

 

  • 12thAnnual Special Needs Family Camp

https://www.facebook.com/CongregationBethEmek/posts/10151199994315841

Jewish setting but open to all families at URJ Camp Newman from May 3 - 5, 2013, and welcomes all families who have children with autism, Asperger's Syndrome, or other developmental, physical, or cognitive challenges.

 

City of San Ramon Therapeutic Recreation

The City of San Ramon offers a variety of therapeutic recreational programs for children and adults with special needs. Registration is open NOW for classes including Dance & Movement and Bowling.  Please click here for more information on upcoming classes, and click here to register.  If you cannot find classes of interest on the Therapeutic Recreation page, consider registering for other classes using San Ramon's Inclusion Services:

Inclusion Services

The Parks and Community Services Department welcomes and encourages the participation of children and adults with disabilities in all of our programs and services. Our goal is to facilitate opportunities for participants with and without disabilities, and to engage in recreational pursuits together.

  • Select a program or class
  • Complete class registration
  • Register at least 2 weeks in advance to allow us to make arrangements
  • Contact the Therapeutic Recreation Office at 973-3213 or scox@sanramon.ca.gov.  Attn: Therapeutic Recreation Office, and inform them of your registration

Once you contact the office you will be asked to help staff fill out a profile on the participant. After the profile is filled out it will be sent to the supervisor of the program the participant is registered for. The TR staff and the supervisor of the program will work together to meet the needs of the participant and assure the best recreational experience possible.

Services the Therapeutic Recreation (TR) Office can provide:

  • Instructors and other city staff with knowledge of the participant’s needs; a better understanding of the participant; information about the participant’s diagnosis and suggestions on how to assist the participant during the program.
  • Observation of the participant in the program and provide support to the participant during the program. Based on the observations of the participant in the program, TR staff can offer suggestions to family members of the participant to ensure continued success for the participant.
  • If necessary, the TR staff can work to find one-on-one assistance for the participant in the program.

RADD (Recreational Activities for the Developmentally Disabled)

Sponsored by the Town of Danville.  The program provides a range of activities from meals out at local restaurants, bowling, trips to the theater, basketball, and baseball games for people with disabilities ages 15 and up.  These activities are on Friday nights and Saturdays.  For a detailed schedule and registration form, go to the Town of Danville Parks & Recreation Activity Guide.

Special Olympics

Special Olympics offers numerous sports programs throughout the year, free of charge to athletes.  In order to participate, the athlete must have a current application/medical form on file with Special Olympics.  The application form is valid for three years.  If you would like to register your child, contact Robert at robert@sonc.org at the Special Olympics office.  He can send you an application and/or let you know if your child's application is current.

Special Olympics Sports – San Ramon Parks and Community Services Registration

(www.sanramon.ca.gov/Parks/recreation_guide/index.htm)

 

With the winter break fast approaching and everyone getting busy, I wanted to remind everyone to sign up for the upcoming programs starting in January. Special Olympics Basketball and Therapeutic Bowling star the first week in January, so it is important to sign up early.

 

The City of San Ramon together with Special Olympics Northern California provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic style sports for persons eight years of age and older with developmental disabilities. All sports training and competition opportunities are free for Special Olympic Athletes. Special Olympic medical forms must be on file prior to the first day of training.  Sports offered include basketball, bocce, swimming, bowling.

 

Through games and activities our athletes will build self-esteem, develop motor skills, learn proper stretching and basic rules of the sports. The program is a collaboration between the Parks and Community Services Department and the CSU East Bay Recreation Department.  (www.sanramon.ca.gov/Parks/recreation_guide/index.htm)  

Contact the Special Needs Committee:

srvspecialneeds@gmail.com

 

Committee Meetings

Special Needs Committee Meetings are held on the first Wednesday of each month except as noted in January and May.  We meet in Board Room A of the SRVUSD Office, 699 Old Orchard Drive, from 9:00 am - 11:00 am.

September 5

October 3

November 7

December 5

January 9

February 6

March 6

April 3

May 1           

 

Background on the PTA Special Needs Committee

The committee was formed in Fall 2002 to:

  • Provide information and support to parents and staff so they can help children with special needs succeed.
  • Help ALL children and adults understand and appreciate challenges faced by children with special needs.
  • Work legislatively to secure and retain adequate laws and funding for children with special needs.

In 2002, the school district was faced with many parents unhappy with how their children's educational needs were being met, pending litigation, and a long list of compliance issues. The initial committee included seven parents with varying PTA experience, a school board member, and the school district's Assistant Director of Special Education. We knew that parents of children with special needs often feel disconnected from the schools and are craving information and support, and we hoped that this committee could help meet some of this need. We define “special needs” broadly - as applying to any child with learning or processing differences, physical disabilities, speech & language difficulties, social or emotional issues, etc., as well as gifted learners.

Eager to start making a difference, the new committee hosted a series of four educational evening programs.  Each of the schools were encouraged to appoint a PTA special needs representative for the following year, and a handful did. The following year the committee hosted an evening program almost every month as well as a full-day Saturday conference. The committee's events consistently drew large audiences by providing information on a variety of topics to parents craving support as well as educators eager to learn.

The number of PTA special needs representatives has continued to grow and as a result we now have an active, collaborative committee. We host 5-6 evening programs a year and collaborate with PTA's Parent Education group to put on a full-day Saturday conference in February.

The school district has moved from being initially hesitant about our efforts to being fully supportive and appreciative. They now encourage teachers and staff to attend our programs, and provide facilities and support whenever asked. The high attendance at all of these programs, the appreciation from parents and staff members who attend them, and the resulting cooperation and collaboration that has positively changed how parents and educators view one another, prove that this program is helping children.

We look forward to another productive year of providing information and support through our evening programs and other events, and the networking and support opportunities that result from participating in these events. We hope you'll check out our events planned for the 2012-13 school year!

Sincerely,

Marilyn Lucey

Chairperson, Special Needs 

San Ramon Valley Council of PTAs