Re: moving to Weston this summer from Alaska

April 12, 2012

Our agency advocates for many many children in Weston and all over Broward county. We work on a sliding scale fee (if any) based on income guidelines. Our advocates are amazing and really know their stuff. Please call me for further information and I will be happy to answer all your questions.

Warm Regards,

Robin LevineIntake CoordinatorFamily Network on Disabilitiesof Broward County, Inc.P.O. Box 260909Pembroke Pines, Florida 33026Phone: Fax: 1-www.fndbroward.com

Hi all,We're a military family moving from Alaska to Florida this summer. It looks like we're going to rent a place in Weston and the neighborhood school is Everglades. Well, we have 2 boys, the oldest of which is 9 years old and has autism. He is high functioning and currently attends a regular classroom with assists. I tried to google Everglades to see how it rates with other schools and a parent review really scared me. It said basically that the special needs program at this school is broken. Anyone else know anything about Everglades Elementary? Or about alternatives, other options for schooling in the area? Or any other advice regarding Weston?Sincerely,Tai Clare

April 12, 2012

Our agency advocates for many many children in Weston and all over Broward county. We work on a sliding scale fee (if any) based on income guidelines. Our advocates are amazing and really know their stuff. Please call me for further information and I will be happy to answer all your questions.

Warm Regards,

Robin LevineIntake CoordinatorFamily Network on Disabilitiesof Broward County, Inc.P.O. Box 260909Pembroke Pines, Florida 33026Phone: Fax: 1-www.fndbroward.com

Hi all,We're a military family moving from Alaska to Florida this summer. It looks like we're going to rent a place in Weston and the neighborhood school is Everglades. Well, we have 2 boys, the oldest of which is 9 years old and has autism. He is high functioning and currently attends a regular classroom with assists. I tried to google Everglades to see how it rates with other schools and a parent review really scared me. It said basically that the special needs program at this school is broken. Anyone else know anything about Everglades Elementary? Or about alternatives, other options for schooling in the area? Or any other advice regarding Weston?Sincerely,Tai Clare

April 12, 2012

Hi and welcome to the neighborhood!I am an autism case manager in Weston as well as a parent of child with Asperger's. I highly recommend looking into Country Isles Elementary in Weston. It is a cluster school main # ESE # .Please visit my website and facebook page for current information and resources.Good Luck,Adriene Fern M.S.E., E.S.E.Advocacy Managementwww.sofladvocacy.comfacebook: Advocacy Management To: sList Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 8:50 PM Subject: moving to Weston this summer from Alaska

Hi all,

We're a military family moving from Alaska to Florida this summer. It looks like we're going to rent a place in Weston and the neighborhood school is Everglades. Well, we have 2 boys, the oldest of which is 9 years old and has autism. He is high functioning and currently attends a regular classroom with assists. I tried to google Everglades to see how it rates with other schools and a parent review really scared me. It said basically that the special needs program at this school is broken. Anyone else know anything about Everglades Elementary? Or about alternatives, other options for schooling in the area? Or any other advice regarding Weston?

Sincerely,

Tai Clare

April 12, 2012

My child currently attends this school. Please email me off list and I'd be happy to share our experiences with you.

AP

Subject: moving to Weston this summer from AlaskaTo: sList Date: Wednesday, April 11, 2012, 8:50 PM

Hi all,We're a military family moving from Alaska to Florida this summer. It looks like we're going to rent a place in Weston and the neighborhood school is Everglades. Well, we have 2 boys, the oldest of which is 9 years old and has autism. He is high functioning and currently attends a regular classroom with assists. I tried to google Everglades to see how it rates with other schools and a parent review really scared me. It said basically that the special needs program at this school is broken. Anyone else know anything about Everglades Elementary? Or about alternatives, other options for schooling in the area? Or any other advice regarding Weston?Sincerely,Tai Clare

April 12, 2012

My child currently attends this school. Please email me off list and I'd be happy to share our experiences with you.

AP

Subject: moving to Weston this summer from AlaskaTo: sList Date: Wednesday, April 11, 2012, 8:50 PM

Hi all,We're a military family moving from Alaska to Florida this summer. It looks like we're going to rent a place in Weston and the neighborhood school is Everglades. Well, we have 2 boys, the oldest of which is 9 years old and has autism. He is high functioning and currently attends a regular classroom with assists. I tried to google Everglades to see how it rates with other schools and a parent review really scared me. It said basically that the special needs program at this school is broken. Anyone else know anything about Everglades Elementary? Or about alternatives, other options for schooling in the area? Or any other advice regarding Weston?Sincerely,Tai Clare

April 12, 2012

Hi,

If you provide a little info on your child, I may be able to give you some

relevant info. Is your child fully mainstreamed? In an autism cluster? Is he on

academic level, wants to make friends or mostly withdrawn, verbal? Ida

>

> Hi all,

>

> We're a military family moving from Alaska to Florida this summer. It looks

like we're going to rent a place in Weston and the neighborhood school is

Everglades. Well, we have 2 boys, the oldest of which is 9 years old and has

autism. He is high functioning and currently attends a regular classroom with

assists. I tried to google Everglades to see how it rates with other schools

and a parent review really scared me. It said basically that the special needs

program at this school is broken. Anyone else know anything about Everglades

Elementary? Or about alternatives, other options for schooling in the area? Or

any other advice regarding Weston?

>

> Sincerely,

> Tai Clare

>

April 14, 2012

Hi! I have been on vacation but I wanted to answer your email. We moved to south Florida when our son was 9 years old as well. He is also high functioning. He was mainstreamed through the end of High School. He went to Eagle Point Elementary, Tequesta Trace Middle School, and then Cypress Bay for High School. We decided to take him out of public school for 9th grade because our son was on the small side and we also didn't like the schedule with the annex during 9th grade. We put him in the Koala School which is a virtual school located in Weston. He did well there. You can attend classes from 8:00-2:00 or do school using a laptop. He went back to regular high school when he caught up growth wise. Anyway, we had a relatively good experience-but as far as shaows, therapies, etc., don't

count on much here. The IEP teams are supportive to a point, but they don't have good funding for special needs. We came from East Brunswick NJ which was the best for special needs, so Florida was not as good as we hoped for. All in all though the children were nice and the education was good. I also didn't feel that the Dan Marino was all that great...lots of luck. If your child is high functioning then things should go well. Sandy

To: sList Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 8:50 PMSubject: moving to Weston this summer from Alaska

Hi all,We're a military family moving from Alaska to Florida this summer. It looks like we're going to rent a place in Weston and the neighborhood school is Everglades. Well, we have 2 boys, the oldest of which is 9 years old and has autism. He is high functioning and currently attends a regular classroom with assists. I tried to google Everglades to see how it rates with other schools and a parent review really scared me. It said basically that the special needs program at this school is broken. Anyone else know anything about Everglades Elementary? Or about alternatives, other options for schooling in the area? Or any other advice regarding Weston?Sincerely,Tai Clare

April 14, 2012

Hi! I have been on vacation but I wanted to answer your email. We moved to south Florida when our son was 9 years old as well. He is also high functioning. He was mainstreamed through the end of High School. He went to Eagle Point Elementary, Tequesta Trace Middle School, and then Cypress Bay for High School. We decided to take him out of public school for 9th grade because our son was on the small side and we also didn't like the schedule with the annex during 9th grade. We put him in the Koala School which is a virtual school located in Weston. He did well there. You can attend classes from 8:00-2:00 or do school using a laptop. He went back to regular high school when he caught up growth wise. Anyway, we had a relatively good experience-but as far as shaows, therapies, etc., don't

count on much here. The IEP teams are supportive to a point, but they don't have good funding for special needs. We came from East Brunswick NJ which was the best for special needs, so Florida was not as good as we hoped for. All in all though the children were nice and the education was good. I also didn't feel that the Dan Marino was all that great...lots of luck. If your child is high functioning then things should go well. Sandy

To: sList Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 8:50 PMSubject: moving to Weston this summer from Alaska

Hi all,We're a military family moving from Alaska to Florida this summer. It looks like we're going to rent a place in Weston and the neighborhood school is Everglades. Well, we have 2 boys, the oldest of which is 9 years old and has autism. He is high functioning and currently attends a regular classroom with assists. I tried to google Everglades to see how it rates with other schools and a parent review really scared me. It said basically that the special needs program at this school is broken. Anyone else know anything about Everglades Elementary? Or about alternatives, other options for schooling in the area? Or any other advice regarding Weston?Sincerely,Tai Clare

April 14, 2012

Hi! I have been on vacation but I wanted to answer your email. We moved to south Florida when our son was 9 years old as well. He is also high functioning. He was mainstreamed through the end of High School. He went to Eagle Point Elementary, Tequesta Trace Middle School, and then Cypress Bay for High School. We decided to take him out of public school for 9th grade because our son was on the small side and we also didn't like the schedule with the annex during 9th grade. We put him in the Koala School which is a virtual school located in Weston. He did well there. You can attend classes from 8:00-2:00 or do school using a laptop. He went back to regular high school when he caught up growth wise. Anyway, we had a relatively good experience-but as far as shaows, therapies, etc., don't

count on much here. The IEP teams are supportive to a point, but they don't have good funding for special needs. We came from East Brunswick NJ which was the best for special needs, so Florida was not as good as we hoped for. All in all though the children were nice and the education was good. I also didn't feel that the Dan Marino was all that great...lots of luck. If your child is high functioning then things should go well. Sandy

To: sList Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2012 8:50 PMSubject: moving to Weston this summer from Alaska

Hi all,We're a military family moving from Alaska to Florida this summer. It looks like we're going to rent a place in Weston and the neighborhood school is Everglades. Well, we have 2 boys, the oldest of which is 9 years old and has autism. He is high functioning and currently attends a regular classroom with assists. I tried to google Everglades to see how it rates with other schools and a parent review really scared me. It said basically that the special needs program at this school is broken. Anyone else know anything about Everglades Elementary? Or about alternatives, other options for schooling in the area? Or any other advice regarding Weston?Sincerely,Tai Clare

April 19, 2012

Ida, My kiddo is fully mainstream and at grade level. However, he has significant sensory issues and requires a well run and structured school environment. He is verbal but has no friends. He has trouble with transitions and does better in smaller classrooms. He is also a wonderer... needs supervision at recess if not in an enclosed yard. Any advice you can give would be truly appreciated. Thanks! To: sList Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2012 4:48 PM Subject: Re: moving to Weston this summer from Alaska

Hi,

If you provide a little info on your child, I may be able to give you some relevant info. Is your child fully mainstreamed? In an autism cluster? Is he on academic level, wants to make friends or mostly withdrawn, verbal? Ida

>

> Hi all,

>

> We're a military family moving from Alaska to Florida this summer. It looks like we're going to rent a place in Weston and the neighborhood school is Everglades. Well, we have 2 boys, the oldest of which is 9 years old and has autism. He is high functioning and currently attends a regular classroom with assists. I tried to google Everglades to see how it rates with other schools and a parent review really scared me. It said basically that the special needs program at this school is broken. Anyone else know anything about Everglades Elementary? Or about alternatives, other options for schooling in the area? Or any other advice regarding Weston?

>

> Sincerely,

> Tai Clare

>

April 20, 2012

My son went to Everglades for 3 years. He is very sensitive to sounds and

crowds. I talked to the principal about the need to have a smaller gen ed class

for mainstreamed students with autism because it is almost impossible for those

with severe sensory issues to function in a class of 20 + students. (At the time

he was working at or above grade level.) He said it was not possible. (I saw it

done at a different public school in Broward but I can't recall the name, maybe

Fox Trail?, and thought it was a terrific idea...)

In my experience, academically, my son learned a lot. They have some great ESE

teachers. They also have some great aids ( I want to clone a couple of them!!!)

But socially, they do little for our kids, in my opinion.

And the gen ed teachers.....with VERY FEW exceptions...well, a nightmare...do

not respond to emails, do not create accomodations or adaptations to the

materials, unless you are after them all the time, and even then, in a very late

fashion, if at all. One teacher stood me up at a parent-teacher conference!! A

couple of months later, the one that replaced him, did not show up at the IEP

meeting... I sent my son's therapist to observe in the gen ed class only to find

outthat their idea of inclusion was so sit the students from the autism cluster

at a table at the back of the room with an aid and work on a different task!!! I

was horrified. I shared it with the ESE specialist, the autism coach and the

Principal, also with other parents. They agreed this was unacceptable but

nothing was done to change it! well, you get the idea... I changed my son to a

private ESE school where the approach is different...

Unfortunately, I have observed at Everglades that the kids that have difficulty

socializing, often just sit by themselves at the playground. No staff is

available to encourage and support our kids during recess time to help them play

with others. (Even if it is a goal on the IEP, trust me, they just have enough

staff to make sure everyone is safe in the playground and that is it.) I created

a " friendship club " (based on a famous ESE inclusion book I bought and shared

with the teachers) one year, but only 2 moms and I volunteered. It was a success

but the following year, it could not be continued without volunteers. The third

year, I informed the principal and the autism coach of a grant that could

provide money to train volunteers and helped them write the grant. We got $2,000

in Dec. but three months later, no one would do anything to create the program

eventhough I provided them with all the tools and they had the check. *sigh* I

told the principal that since in 3 years my son had not made any progress

socially, I was going to pull him out and I did.

But all in all, for Florida, this is a very good school...yeah, I can imagine

what you are thinking...

> >

> > Hi all,

> >

> > We're a military family moving from Alaska to Florida this summer. It looks

like we're going to rent a place in Weston and the neighborhood school is

Everglades. Well, we have 2 boys, the oldest of which is 9 years old and has

autism. He is high functioning and currently attends a regular classroom with

assists. I tried to google Everglades to see how it rates with other schools

and a parent review really scared me. It said basically that the special needs

program at this school is broken. Anyone else know anything about Everglades

Elementary? Or about alternatives, other options for schooling in the area? Or

any other advice regarding Weston?

> >

> > Sincerely,

> > Tai Clare

> >

>

April 21, 2012

My son attends Everglades. He's fully mainstreamed in the supported Gen Ed and

gets pulled out for V.E. and speech. Our overall experience with Everglades has

been positive especially with academics, with the ESE team, with the Gen Ed

teachers he's had over the years (always willing to challenge him and to

communicate with us), and the very devoted TAs that were assigned to his

supported classes (which always had 2 to 3 kids with an IEP.)

On the social skills and interaction levels, however, I do wish it could have

been better. The typical kids in his Gen Ed class classes have been generally

supportive and accepting of him over the years. However, as the

social/developmental gap increased between him and them, so did the quality of

interaction. To achieve the perfect or at least a better balance of academics

Vs social interactions, more qualified staff preferably with behavioral

experience (including for the Gen Ed teachers and the TAs) would be needed in

ALL supported classes I think, to guide both typical and special needs kids

during the interactions. Smaller supported classes would help too (all of his

classrooms have been in the 20+ kids range.) But with school district budget

issues and increasing population in public schools, that's hard, if not

impossible now, to get. I try to involve him in extracurricular activities

(e.g. private social skills group on weekends) to stimulate social interactions.

So in all, while it could have been better (re social), I'm personally fine on

how they are handling him at in Everglades. He's still thriving and making

progress there, which for me is important. In anticipation of transitioning to

public middle school where services levels are different, I've tried a private

school that advertised a smaller class ratio and " know-how " (on both academics

and social levels) with kids with special issues. But it didn't work out as

they couldn't accommodate his needs. He even regressed there. I had to pull

him out mid-year and put him right back to Everglades. Meanwhile, a friend with

a child in that same private school just loves it.

Bottom line is, not all schools (public or private) will be a perfect fit for

our kid, and therefore different experiences will be reported for any given

school. Unfortunately we often won't know for sure until we've tried the school

we have in mind, so there is always a risk involved for our kids.

If you need more information about our experience at Everglades, I can email you

more privately.

Keep patient in your search.

April 21, 2012