Basic Skills Initiative - Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools

Academic Learning Strategies

Stress Busters

Dear Colleagues:

It’s incredibly hard to believe that spring is here and summer is just around the corner. During this time of year, our focus is often on finishing up and juggling all the many demands on our time. As you complete your IEPs, prepare for the SOL testing, finish your grades, and attend all the many spring school events, please take time to refresh yourself. As our Spring Conference Keynote Speaker, Harvey Perkins reminded us; far too often we have an imbalance between our professional obligations and our personal well being. Our Spring Conference on March 8th certainly provided us with motivation and humor as well as some great teaching tools and tips. Many, many thanks to Joe Boyle for organizing such a fantastic event. Presentations ranged from collaboration and co-teaching resources and strategies, to information on “No Child Left Behind”, classroom management ideas, technology for reading, writing, and learning strategies as well as Asperger’s, ADHD, and ESL students. We truly appreciate all the presenters and attendees who helped make the day so rich and enjoyable. Pictures from the conference will soon be posted on our website, so be sure to check them out!

A goal of VCLD is to provide opportunities for teachers of students with learning disabilities to collaborate and learn together through regional and state professional development events. We are making plans for our 2004 Spring Symposium. Paula Spady will be our Symposium Chair next year. She is taking proposals for presentations now and you contact her at: pshiker@aol.com

I want to offer very special congratulations to our 2003 VCLD Outstanding Teacher of the Year, Pat Parrott! Pat is currently an LD teacher at Midlothian High School in Chesterfield County. She has been a long-standing member of VCLD and has worked in many capacities for over 20 years in the field of Learning Disabilities. She has served on both the VCLD and the VBIDA boards. She is an expert on collaboration and gives workshops and seminars throughout the state. She is a trained, certified instructor for the Kansas Learning Strategies and has readily shared her knowledge and time in workshops and presentations. After several years serving in a more supervisory capacity, Pat decided to return to the classroom. Her moving, heart-felt acceptance speech reminded us why we are in this profession and what our call to serve is all about. Pat will represent the Virginia Council for Learning Disabilities at the CLD National Conference in Seattle, Washington in October, 9-11, 2003. Thank you Pat for all your work on the behalf of teachers and students!

Although it may seem far away, next school year will be coming soon. Knowing that many, many demands will be made on your available resources, we are again offering a $500.00 mini-grant to support innovative, classroom-based programs/interventions designed for students with learning disabilities. Applicants must be full-time teachers in Virginia schools and current members of VCLD. In the past, we’ve not had many applicants, and would really like to be able to award these grants on a regular semi-annual basis. Please take time to go to our website http://www.vcld.org/pages/awards.htm#minigrant and submit an application.

Finally, I want to recognize all the board members who have worked so hard throughout the year. We meet three times a year and although we get a lot of work done, we also have a lot of fun. It has been both personally and professionally rewarding to join with such a committed, enthusiastic group of people. We say regretful good-byes to our outgoing officers, Ann Fulk, Treasurer, and Helen Barrier, Past-president, and enthusiastically welcome our new officers for 2003-2004, Kathy Roseberry, Treasurer, and Martha Chamberlin, Vice-president.
Wishing you a refreshing spring,

Maggie Kyger
VCLD President

 

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