Partners with Parents Winter Newsletter February 2007                                שבט תשס"ז Dear Parents, Our children have received their first report cards and we have concrete information on how the school year is going.  Now is the time to use that information.  The results of the first report card are important both to help you consider if changes should be made to make the remainder of the school year more productive and to help parents and professionals plan (and if necessary apply for) appropriate accomodations or educational options for the next school year. Sincerely,    Gayle and Esther Did you miss our Chanukah newsletter?  Click Here Featured Topics: School Accomodations: Did the grades on your child's report card not reflect his true potential?  Consider if there are classroom accomodations that can make learning easier for him.  Below are links to two articles listing suggested classroom accomodations.   Choose the three to five accomodations that would be most helpful to your child and practical to implement. Talk to his teachers and work together to make positive changes. התאמות לתלמידים בעלי הפרעות תקשורת ולמידה (Accomodations for Students with Communications Disorders or Learning Disabilities) A list in Hebrew of classroom accomodations for students with learning difficulties and suggested steps for parents and teachers.   School Accomodations and Modifications An English language list of school accomodations and modification for students with learning disabilities from the Families and Advocates Partnership for Education (FAPE) website.   Early Childhood Tip! When deciding if your child is ready for first grade, don't focus on specific readiness skills.  Instead consider his or her overall developmental and social-emotional readiness.  (See the first grade readiness links in this newsletter for more information.)   School Age Tip #1 If your child's needs a Vaadat Hasaama to determine special educational placement for next year, you need to apply now.   Start the process even if you are unsure what type of placement he will need. For more information, speak to the school's yoetzet. School Age Tip #2 If your child has a diagnosed learning disability, he is eligible to receive classroom and testing accomodations, even if  he is not  receiving shaot horaah metakenet (reource room hours). Review your child's reports and speak to his teacher to ensure that he receives recommended accomodations. Social Skills: Working with Schools to Help Children with Social Skills Challenges   By Gayle Shimoff, MA As parents we worry about our children’s future and wonder how we can best prepare them for “real life”. What will they really need to make it out there, to live independently, find and keep a job and build relationships? A degree from a good university or specialized training in a trade is not enough. The nuances in life and the details of success are more intimately related to how well we get along with others, our social skills. As parents we worry about our children’s future and wonder how we can best prepare them for “real life”.  read more Social Skills Training Partners with Parents is now offering social skills training lessons to children and young teens with social skills deficits.  We would like to welcome Sharon Fishman, MA, an experienced special education teacher whose area of specialty is teaching children and teens with Autism Spectrum Disorders. (ASD) Sharon has recently joined our team as a professional consultant and is  responsible for the social skills training lessons.     First Grade Readiness: ?להעלות או לא להעלות לכיתה א (Is my child ready for first grade?) This article from the Maccabi Health Fund's website, reviews (in Hebrew) the considerations that should be taken into account when deciding whether to enroll your child in first grade or have her repeat gan chova (kindergarten). School Readiness This fact sheet from the Centre for Community Child Health in Melbourne, Australia, gives a general overview in English of factors to consider in the area of  first grade readiness.  While the article is geared to students in Australia, the information can be easily applied to the Israeli school system.  Early Childhood Services Are you get conflicting advice about your young child's development?  Are you trying to decide on the best placement for the upcoming school year?  We can help. Contact Esther for more information. From the Israeli News! A new law has been presented to the Knesset, which if passed, will limit a doctor's ability to prescribe Ritalin for children that have been diagnosed with AD/HD.  You can read about the proposed law at: הצעת חוק: להגביל השימוש בריטלין (Proposed New Law:  To Limit the Use of Ritalin) An article in Hebrew from the Maariv Website Labor MK Moves to Restrict a First-Line Treatment for ADHD  An article in English from Israel National News.com (Arutz Sheva)  Condolences Partners with Parents wishes to offer sincere condolences to our collegue Dr. Rabbi Gil Elmaleh and his entire family on the untimely passing of his brother Yair Elmaleh - יהי זכרו ברוך.   Check out the Partners With Parents Website to read more about Our Services!   Helping Israeli Children with Learning Difficulties Succeed! Educational Consulting Services - יעוץ חינוכי The purpose of our newsletter is to keep you regularly informed about events at Partners with Parents, as well as provide you with tips and information about helping kids with learning disabilities, both in Israel and around the world. Partners with Parents places the highest priority on safeguarding the privacy of all who subscribe to our e-newsletter list. We guarantee that neither your e-mail address, nor any other personal information will ever be disclosed or sold to any third party. Partners with Parents is an educational consulting service, which helps parents help their children, with learning disabilities or other difficulties, succeed in school. ©2006 Partners with Parents, Educational Consulting Services, Gayle Shimoff.  Gayle Shimoff, MA Learning Disabilities & Reading Specialist Esther Wolfson, MA Specialist, Early Childhood Special Education HaChavatzelet Street 17/1 Beit Shemesh 99590 ISRAEL 001-972-2-999-4817 info@partnerswithparents.co.il www.partnerswithparents.co.il

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