Re: Good idea?

February 28, 2000

yup, i think thats a good idea

do you have tony's no fail soap?

that may be a good one for a starter, its just crisco with the correct

amounts of h20 and lye, run it through the lye calculator, or i can search it

down for you

September 15, 2008

In a message dated 9/15/2008 12:23:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

leslie-kerrigan@... writes:

any suggestions are welcome

is communication log in her IEP? If it is than you should be going

to the principal and Superintendant about this " lack of compliance " with her

IEP> This is just baloney in my opinion. You can GET them to do what they

are suppose to do. If you start saying that you really dont want to file a

Stat

e complaint but that you have been trying to get them to comply for SIX

years. I believe also that you get more flies with honey but sometimes they

don't know anything other than money/ State fine will hit them where they

don't

want to be hit.

Loree

**************Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog,

plus the latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com.

(http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014)

September 15, 2008

I guess I will have to detail how the communication log should be filled

out, and what information must be included daily.... I will write up my

ideas and get that ammended to her IEP on Wednesday! At the moment, the

log is in her IEP, but I don't think there are any details about what it

must contain.... it will now :-)

They do fill out a communication log every day, so according to them

(and probably the state), they would be in compliance. And they

probably think I shouldn't complain because I do get a lot of

information, probably more than a lot of people. But, they spend time

detailing minute stupid things to document what isn't doing,

how they are working with her 1:1, etc. It comes up at every meeting,

but the bottom line is, the aide doesn't change, and I think that they

all know that no matter how much they tell her, it won't change. She's

been with since kindergarten, where as we've had 6 different

Resource teachers (who act as case managers and should supervise the

aide, but she's intimidating and been around longer than any of them

have/were), 3 different principals (the most recent has potential, but

she's been with us less than 6 months, so she has to get up to speed),

and of course, a different teacher every year. Luckily, this aide won't

be going to middle school next year with , and boy, I know I'll

be addressing this issue for next year right from the transition meeting!

As I review the sheets from this year so far, it seems to me like on

days that works hard on everything and is cooperative on

everything, I get actual information. For example, last Wednesday there

was a lot of useful information and no " negative " comments.... it did

say that the class answered questions in social studies workbook by

themselves and E couldn't do that, so aide gave her the answers (which

is another problem :-) I'm fine hearing that she tried, but couldn't do

something, and she did give the Lesson # (and I have finally received a

social studies book for home.... huge issue, but they werent' sending

hers home every day).... this will be one I hold up as a good example

(well, except for the aide giving her the answers).

However, most days I'd get something like " Math - did one page, refused

to do second page " .... they can't understand why I'd like to know what

math she was doing??? Addtion, subtraction, regrouping, word problems,

what? And from what... her regular math book, a worksheet from

teacher/RSP? Was it important.... should they have sent it home for

HW? Maybe they were asking her to do decimals or something.... who

knows, not me :-) Or, " wrote 2 sentences " ..... well, what was the

expectation, was that OK, or was she supposed to write an essay?? I

mean, 2 sentences seems like a small assignment for 5th grade, so my

guess is, she didn't do everything.... but then again, they are very

good a documenting " picked up her pencil but wouldn't write " or " stared

at paper, played with eraser shavings, etc. " so I could also assume that

since I wasn'' informed of her uncooperative behavior, that 2 sentences

was OK :-)

We've tried having the teacher fill it out instead of the aide, but they

don't have the time to really give the info I want. We've tried having

them send home a photocopy or email of their weekly lesson plans (and

I've said " Oh, I know these might change, but it gives me and idea of

what will be covered this week. " ). We've altered the form (and that's

one thing I'll be insisting on at the meeting, and that I get to approve

the new form... I've offered to make it, but been turned down :-), and

each version gets better, but it still needs to be filled out completely.

Thanks for the suggestion about filing a complaince complaint.... I

never think about doing that, and I should have that closer to the front

of my brain than I do :-) I should probably write that inside her IEP

binder that I take to meetings, just for my own reminder!

Loree5@... wrote:

> In a message dated 9/15/2008 12:23:14 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

> leslie-kerrigan@... writes:

>

> any suggestions are welcome

>

> is communication log in her IEP? If it is than you should be

> going to the principal and Superintendant about this " lack of

> compliance " with her IEP> This is just baloney in my opinion. You

> can GET them to do what they are suppose to do. If you start saying

> that you really dont want to file a State complaint but that you have

> been trying to get them to comply for SIX years. I believe also that

> you get more flies with honey but sometimes they don't know anything

> other than money/ State fine will hit them where they don't want to

> be hit.

>

> Loree

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Psssst...Have you heard the news? There's a new fashion blog, plus the

> latest fall trends and hair styles at StyleList.com

> <http://www.stylelist.com/trends?ncid=aolsty00050000000014>.

September 15, 2008

Best of luck - really like the idea but somehow don't think it is going to

go down well.

Keep smiling

Jan, mother of Trent 24yo w/DS from the LandDownUnder

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf

Of Kerrigan

Sent: Tuesday, 16 September 2008 2:22 AM

Subject: good idea?

Hi All,

You know when you are perpetually frustrated about something (for

example, the communication from school to home), and you just try and

try to fix the problem, and feel that perhaps they are " not getting

it? " Or, you've been saying the same things over and over every year,

and yet still have to say them " just one more time? "

Well, I have got a brainstorm here that I believe will be quite

unpopular at our upcoming IEP Addendum meeting (they scheduled us for 35

minutes before school starts.... hope they don't have anything on the

agenda, LOL, because mine is at least that long!). I am creating (drum

roll please) a " Home to School Communication Log " . Basically, I am

going to do a similar sheet, critiquing the information I have got

home. The team has all agreed they are supposed to tell me about

curriculum, what she's doing in each subject, how much did she do, was

it modified, time on task vs. not, was she cooperative, etc. That's in

the IEP, yet the aide who fills it out is more concerned about

documenting how many times looked around the room when given a

writing task, yet never tells me if she actually picked up her pencil

and did the assignment (or started it, tried it, etc.) My goal is that

when I read this sheet every night, I will know what we need to work on,

what we need to discuss (which could include behavior issues), and what

is coming up. I know, you are all laughing hysterically now.... you

think I've gone nuts.

So, for example, the first question on MY sheet looks like:

My understanding about the material was presented with in:

Math Excellent Good Fair Poor N/A

Social Studies Excellent Good Fair Poor N/A

Science Excellent Good Fair Poor N/A

(etc. list of all subjects)

So, when I get " did science " without any information what the science

material covered that day was, I will circle " Poor " . Should I get

something like " covered pages 12 - 20, discussed weather " I will give a

" Good " , and if I get " covered pages 12 - 20, did small group activity

on clouds, did 1 page worsheet on rain (in binder), please review

clouds'; quiz on Thursday " I will happily circle " Excellent " Or, maybe

I should change it to Crystal Clear, Somewhat Clear, Totally Unclear......

I am going to have a section on my impression of 's behavior

for the day overall, and hope that they will add this to her official

communication log as well.... what I find is that after reading an

entire page of " didn't want to start her writing assignment " or

" wouldn't read paragraph 2 standing up in front of class " etc., I feel

like she didn't nothing all day because they never say what she did do.

When I inquire, I almost always get " Oh, well she didn't want to start,

but she finally did, and actually wrote an entire paragraph on her

favorite birthday party " OR " well, she wouldn't read standing up in

front of the class, but when we let her sit at her desk, she was fine

and did it. " Maybe something like:

Thinking back to everything that happened today, Overall 's

behavior was:

Excellent Good Fair Poor

Although I will present it nicely, I know everyone will be really ticked

off, but I don't care.... this is the 6th year we've had this aide, and

she STILL does things her way rather than the way the team says, and no

one can seem to change that. I generally believe that you catch more

flies with honey, as long as they know that the beehive is made of steel

and full of Africanized killer bees!

Off to finish my sheet.... any suggestions are welcome!

, mom to (12), (10 DS), and Sammy (9)

September 15, 2008

You already seem to be moving in this direction, but you might want to

stress even more clearly that you are looking to do positive behavioral

support and therefore need positive information-not how many times she did

something not desired, but how many times she did what she was supposed to/

what helps her learn, etc.

Having the clear extra info about curric presented, adaptation, supports,

etc. obviously would be invaluable in determining what works with educating

her.

Judi

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