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Special Education Committee
The Special Education Committee, nicknamed "Special Ed Parents" (www.westfieldnjk12.org/specialedparents), is a sub-committee of the Westfield Parent-Teacher Council . We are dedicated to bridging the gap between special and general education. We act as an information resource, a support network, and a watchdog on local issues for parents of classified children and other concerned individuals. We advise the Westfield Board of Education on Special Ed matters. This webpage is organized as follows. Click on any item below to hop to that part of the page.
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Membership in the Special Education Committee is open to parents and other concerned individuals. For schedule updates:
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The Special Education Committee sponsors monthly presentations and workshops on a variety of issues such as:
The presentations and workshops are open to the public and free of charge. This year various workshops will offer Professional Development Credit Hours. (Check the individual meeting notices. Most workshops last 1.5 hours, from 7:30-9:00pm. Advance registration is not required.) We also hold periodic "round table" meetings to enhance communication on Special Ed issues among parents, teachers and school administrators, or to discuss other topics of interest or concern. Our meetings are held at Edison Intermediate School, 800 Rahway Avenue, Westfield. We convene in the Library on the 2nd floor. The first part of each meeting, starting at 7:00 pm, is devoted to committee business and our informal parent "support group". A presentation or workshop then follows at 7:30 pm. (Check the individual meeting notices to confirm the exact times, locations and agendas.) The meeting dates for the 2012-13 school year are as follows:
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Every year, the Special Education Committee sponsors an AWARENESS EXPO, consisting of multiple workshops presented by the professional community. The Expo is open to the public and free of charge. This year's Expo was held on March 20, 2013. [Click here to see a detailed announcement.]
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The Inclusion Working Group was recently formed within the Special Education Committee.This working group aims to promote Inclusive Education in the Westfield Public Schools. "Inclusive Education" means thatstudents with disabilities are supported in chronological age-appropriate general education classes in their neighborhood schools;the students receive the specialized instruction described in their individualized education programs (IEP's) within the context of the core curriculum and general class activities.For more information and to get involved, visit the Inclusion Working Group's webpage (www.westfieldnjk12.org/inclusion) or contact Miruna Stratan (miruna_stratan@yahoo.com).
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KATHERINE E. CUTHBERTSON SPECIAL EDUCATION MEMORIAL FUND The Special Education Committee sponsors this fund to provide: Scholarship awards to high school seniors receiving special services, Barrier-free initiatives, and other Special programs. The committee conducts an annual fundraiser to support the fund. For more information about donating to the Cuthbertson Memorial Fund, click here. For more info about applying for a Cuthbertson Scholarship Award, click here. The scholarship application deadline is May 1, 2013. The Scholarship subcommittee is headed by Gina Totino (ginatotino@yahoo.com).
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The school representative serves as a liaison with that school, its PTO and the Special Education Committee. It is anticipated that the school representative will:
The current School Representatives are listed below:
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We advise the Westfield Board of Education on Special Ed matters. Our Liaison on the Board of Ed is
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The Special Education Committee need volunteers for our Kindred Spirits List. From time to time every parent has questions and feelings about the choices they made or are about to make regarding their child's growth and development, education, and alternatives. Therefore, we put together a short list of local resource parents available upon a parent's request. The information will not be posted on the web site, but will be provided to a parent upon request. If you are willing to be contacted, please e-mail our committee co-chairs at: specialedparents@westfieldnjk12.org . The following information is needed if you will be on our list:
Parents frequently discover the need for an out of district placement and have no time to investigate schools so we really need input from parents who have had experience outside the school district. It does not have to be experience as a parent of an out of district child; it can be as an educator, advocate, professional, etc. Thank you for your help.
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OTHER ORGANIZATIONS OF INTEREST
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For further information, email Co-Chair Helene Bergman ( hbernsteinbergman@gmail.com )
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