February 2010                                                                                                      שבט תש"ע

Dear Parents, Our children are about midway through the school year and most of us are now turning our attention to preparations for Purim.  Although it is only the middle of the winter, if you have a child who may need any type of special education placement for NEXT YEAR, you must apply NOW.   In this newsletter we provide you with information from the Israeli Ministry of Education regarding the process and deadlines for application for services. You will notice that the deadline for beginning the application for a Vaadat HaSamah (a meeting to determine eligibility for special education) passed just a few days ago. Don't panic!  As long as you get your completed application in soon you should still be able to get an appointment.   If you have friends planning on aliyah with a child with special education needs, then please send them this newsletter. These rules apply to them as well, even if they are not yet living in Israel.   This newsletter also offers you guidance on how to be an effective parent advocate. Empowering parents with information and skills to work the system and help their children succeed in school, is an important part of our work. Let us know if we can help you.   Best wishes,   Gayle and Esther   Did you miss our Chanukah Newsletter?  Click Here

 

Articles:                            From Our Website: Becoming Better Parent Advocates for Your LD Kids     By Gayle Shimoff, MA  Here are some strategies which have been helpful to me both as a parent and as a professional educational advocate. They can be helpful for any parent, but are essential for parents of LD children.  Using the approaches and strategies described in this article can help you successfully apply for and receive services for your child.  These suggestions can also help you make sure those services work for your child once he begins to receive them.  From the World Wide Web: תהליך הפניית תלמיד לוועדת השמה The Application Process for a Vaadat Hasama This hebrew language article from the website מקום מיוחד describes the process that parents need to go through in order to schedule a meeting (Vaadat Hasama).  This meeting determines a child's eligibility to study in a special education gan, a self-contained special education classroom within a regular school (כתה מקדמת), or a special education school.  לקראת שילוב ילדכם בשנת הלימודים תשס"ט This hebrew language article, also from the website of מקום מיוחד, describes the process that parents of children with special needs studying in regular classrooms need to follow in order to receive special education services, such as shaot matya - horaah metakenet.  While the timeline for a Vaadat Shiluv is later than for a Vaadat Hasama, it is important to know that by the spring you should make sure your child's school is scheduling a Vaadat Shiluv in preparation for the upcoming school year.