pathways newsletter

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

Attached is the Newsletter for April 2009. We will be having our Annual

Public Board of Trustee Meeting April 29, 2009 from 7:30pm-9:00pm at

the Lazar Middle School Library - 123 Chanegbridge Rd. in Montville.

We invite everyone to attend as we will be discussing the impact of

economic conditions on education and I will be speaking on " Reading

Between the Lines of the IEP. " Please come and show your support by

giving us your input for the up and coming year. Elections will also be

held for Board members and Officers. All of the details are in the

attached newsletter.

Thanks,

Melinda Jennis, President

Pathways for Exceptional Children

PATHWAYS FOR Exceptional

Children will be having its annual

public Board of Trustee meeting on

April 29, 2009. At this meeting, we

will be reviewing financial and

business plans for Pathways for the

upcoming year and conducting our

annual elections. However, most

importantly, I will be speaking about

the dedication and passion we each

must have in the present economic

environment to continue to keep the

education of our children in the

forefront.

First, we must understand the reality

of special education outcomes that

have occurred for many years, even

when we were not experiencing

difficult economic times. In New

Jersey, 78.3% of students with

IEPs graduated from high school in

2007 with a regular diploma.

However, in 2007, students classified

with special needs in the 11th

grade scored at 44.68% average

proficiency or above for language

arts and literacy, and 32.55% for

math. New Jersey was far from

reaching the target rates they set

for 2007, which were 85% for language

arts and literacy and 74%

for math. Unfortunately, New Jersey

does not tell a much different story

than many other states in America.

The question remains, which statistic

reflects outcomes associated

with the investment in special

education - graduation rates at

78.3% or employment at 38.1%?

Irrespective of statistics and state of

the economy, the goal of special

education should always be to

blend proficiency with academics

into functional skills required for

employment, not trying to force bottom

lines into budgets that ultimately

cost society more in the

long run paying for unemployment.

Lack of funding for special education

has always been a reality that

parents and schools districts face. In

the light of harder economic times

and budget cuts, these pressures

will become greater. However, even

more disturbing than economic

factors is that, having worked with

and known these children, I am very

aware that they have always been

capable of far more than these

proficiency scores or employment

outcomes are relaying. I have seen

children with disabilities consistently

rise up to higher standards when we

not only raise the bar, but also teach

them to consistently set higher

expectations of themselves. Low

outcomes are not only a product of

disability and lack of funding, but

also of mindset.The failure of the

disabled more often than not comes

about when we as a society set the

standard at bare minimums, or

only what is required by law, not to

the standard that is set for other

children, which is " excellence, " or

to raise them to their potential.

Governor Corzine gave the charge

to the Commissioner of Education,

Lucille Davy, to prepare the 1.4

million children in New Jersey with

the " tools necessary to compete

and succeed in the 21st century

workplace. " With an employment

rate of only 38.1% for the disabled,

we must question our educational

system. As a result, parents must

become more familiar with formulating

an IEP that has an expectation

of progress and reaching

successful outcomes, not one that

complies with the limitations of only

" basic rights. "

Pathways for Exceptional Children

invites the public to our annual

Board of Trustee meeting on April

29, 2009 to begin to read

between the lines of the IEP.We

invite you to get involved in this

process and come with the mindset

to not only expect more for

your child, but to get involved in

developing innovative ways we

can all work together to network

and tap into resources that can

assist us to do that. Some of the

most resourceful and courageous

people I have known are parents

having children with disabilities.

It is time to for us to realize our

potential, combine our resources,

and begin by raising our standards

to the level of our children's

potential. Bottom line, disability is

not a predictor of success, but

parental mindset often is.

-Melinda Jennis,

President, Pathways

Next Steps

The Monthly Publication from Pathways for Exceptional Children April 2009

Pathways for Exceptional Children

announces its

Public Annual

Board of Trustee Meeting

" Reading Between the Lines

of the IEP "

April 29, 2009

7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Lazar Middle School Library

123 Changebridge Rd, Montville, NJ

Pathways is a statewide organization with a

vision that goes far beyond Montville Township.

Everyone is invited to attend.

Reading Between the Lines of the IEP

What a child needs to be exceptional.

For the latest news and information about Pathways for Exceptional Children,

visit www.montvillepec.org

© 2009 Pathways for Exceptional Children

The Annual Board of Trustees Meeting:

Creating a New Mindset for the Coming Year

1) Creating Parent

Action Centers (PACs)

Information about IEPs is essential, but we must

move beyond just disseminating information into

compelling people to action. Pathways piloted

our first " Parent Action Center " or PAC made up

of 12 parents who met for an intensive threehour

IEP workshop. The workshop spent time

going over specifics about the law, but more

importantly, taught the parents how to understand

their child's needs and translate them into

an action plan for progress. An IEP is a plan,

but even the best plan means nothing if it does

not translate to action and meaningful outcome.

The parents in the PAC will continue to meet and

share in a small group to get specific answers

and learn to more consistently chart the progress

that the IEP is meant to bring about.The annual

meeting on April 29th will discuss the interest

other parents have in creating additional PACs

and how to sign up for these workshops and

small group sessions.The expectation is to train

these PACs to " pay it forward " and teach other

PACs to form and begin to empower each other

to help their children.

2) Strengthening

After-School Programs:

Our goal has always been to assist schools and

community by providing more academic and

functional outcomes for children with special

needs through summer camps and after-school

programs. In difficult economic times, families

may not be able to afford personal tutoring. At

our annual meeting on April 29th, Pathways will

be exploring ways we can support families by

creating small after-school homework programs

staffed with teachers and trained mentors.We

are also looking to expand our Magic of Reading

program to include a combination of writing and

reading for children above the second grade

level. Pathways will also continue to make social

skills and employment programs a priority.We

will need your help and input to chart our course

and set our organizational priorities for these

programs. All of our programs are designed to

proactively get children ready to meet the real

world and coincide with Governor Corzine's

charge of preparing children with the " tools

necessary to compete and succeed in the 21st

century workplace. "

3) Focusing on

" Train the Trainer " Concepts

Pathways has spent the last six years piloting

and building a strong foundation of programs,

and we will continue to work toward improving

what we do. So much of our success has come

from exploring new concepts and applying what

we already know. A simple, common sense

approach is often the key. However, the time has

come for Pathways to put our ideas and successes

on paper. Our goal this year is to begin

publishing guidebooks and videos and provide

formalized trainings to teach others to duplicate

programs we have successfully implemented.

Embedded in this, we will be discussing our new

" Dream It Forward Challenge, " which promises

to help communities get back to the basics of

supporting each other with volunteerism and

service. Many may not have the economic means

to help but can give a few hours of time each year

to promoting our children's success. Our exciting

" Dream It Forward " concept will be introduced

at our annual meeting where the emphasis will

be on strengthening community, which has

always proven to be our greatest resource.

Recreation Programs: Upcoming programs are posted

on our website at the beginning of each month.You can visit

www.montvillepec.org and click on " Children's Programs, " or the

Recreation Department's website: www.montvillenj.org, Click on

Municipal Services, then Parks & Recreation, then Forms & Flyers.

Pathways for Exceptional Children

Announces Available Board of

Trustee and Officer Positions

The following are positions that will be open and voted

upon on April 29, 2009:

a) Six Board of Trustee positions - 2-year term

Vice President - 2-year term

Secretary - 1 year term

c) Treasurer - 2 year term

You do not have to be a Montville resident or parent of a child with

special needs to be elected. Everyone is welcome to submit a small

biography or resume for the above positions. Names of applicants for

elected positions will be posted on our website www.montvillepec.org

by April 19, 2009. You must be a member of Pathways to vote for

board of trustee members or run for any position. Membership forms

are posted on our website. If you have questions or would like a job

description of any available position above, email mvtpec@....

Pathways'

Annual Meeting

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

7:30pm - 9:00pm

Lazar Middle School Library

123 Changebridge Rd, Montville

New Low Prices on Dell Laptops - Starting at $399