Together We Can

I want to thank all of the staff, families, and community members who have participated and provided input on the Special Education Action Plan 2021-2024. For anyone who was not able to attend, the virtual town hall meeting was recorded and can be viewed here.

On November 30 at 6:30 PM, there will be an additional meeting to further review each objective and the action steps in the Special Education Action Plan. This is open to all staff, parents and community members. The meeting link is: meet.google.com/vwg-ucqf-rse

I also invite anyone who was not able to attend one of the community meetings to reach out to me directly. The final version of the Special Education Action Plan will be presented to the Board of Education at the December 16 meeting.

Best,

Stacey Heiligenthaler, Ph.D.

Interim Chief Officer of Special Education and Student Supports

stacey_heiligenthaler@greenwich.k12.ct.us

I am pleased to introduce Mr. Minotti, the newest addition to the Office of Special Education and Student Supports. Mr. Minotti will be supporting students K-8 in Out of District Placements, the liaison for special education supports for the private schools as well as monitor and provide support in compliance around the evaluation process and IEP document.

Mr. Minotti has worked in special education for over 20 years in various teaching and administrative roles. His most recent positions were with the Ridgefield Public Schools and EdAdvance. In these positions, he led and supported student-centered district and statewide initiatives which included: ensured collaborative PPT processes; provided a structure for inclusion, Multi-Tier System of Supports (MTSS), and co-teaching; led special education compliance; collaborated and delivered various statewide trainings with the most recent being the new statewide Individualized Education Program (IEP) and the Connecticut Special Education Data System (CT-SEDS), and many more.

Mr. Minotti is excited to meet and collaborate with the Greenwich community to help all students reach their full potential while celebrating their accomplishments along the way.

Dr. Marissa Love works on fine motor skills with a student at Community Connections, GPS's 18-22 Transition Program. The student is working on soft skills in preparation for a job site. Soft skills include interpersonal (people) skills, communication skills, listening skills, time management, and empathy.

Kindergarten teacher Ms. Harris and special education teacher Ms. LoConte, are doing a Kindergarten reading lesson with Fundations. Fundations is the adapted early literacy program of GPS.

Students are working in small groups during their resource time to work on their IEP goals with the special education staff.

Ms. Cittadino, our special education teacher, is teaching her students welded sounds using the Wilson Reading System materials. Welded sounds are chucks of words that are not easily sounded out as separate letters such as ang, ing, ong, ung.

Be on the lookout for the application in the Superintendent's Family Note to fill vacant seats on the Special Education Advisory Council. The vacant seats are: Community Member, GPS Administrator, Alternate Parent, and Alternate Educator.

A random lottery will be held on Wednesday, December 15 at 4:00 PM to determine which applicants will fill these vacant seats. A full description of these positions can be found in SEAC's bylaws.

The purpose of a Special Education Advisory Council is to build full, equal and equitable partnerships between families, the school District and community partners, on a council that gives advisory opinions to the Board of Education on matters pertaining to the education and safety of students with disabilities.

Please note that general membership is open to any interested GPS parent or guardian of a child with a disability, previously known to have a disability, or suspected of having a disability, under the IDEA or Section 504, or who is currently eligible to receive Special Education or 504 accommodations and services, from ages 3-21, and who are both residents of the Town of Greenwich.

Visit the SEAC website for details

A “sensory friendly” performance is a theatre production that is modified to accommodate individuals with sensory-input disorders, including autism spectrum, anxiety, and a range of cognitive abilities. At this performance, you will notice relaxed “house rules” – people may need to get up, move around, and leave the theatre during the performance. There is no expectation that the audience will be completely quiet during the performance.

Please share our newsletter with your friends and families. Anyone can easily subscribe by opening the newsletter through its link and hitting the "Follow" on the right.

Email: stacey_heiligenthaler@greenwich.k12.ct.us
Website: https://www.greenwichschools.org/teaching-learning/special-education
Location: 290 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT
Phone: (203) 625-7493