Back to School Resources - Day 3 Parent Communication

Welcome to my BACK TO SCHOOL resource series! Through August 1st, I'll be sharing some of my hottest and newest resources with you for back to school in six different categories! 

Day 3 - Parent Communication

Yesterday I shared many classroom management tools with you, but I have so many more that fall into the "parents" category for today's line up!

I love these newsletters for sharing important information with parents. It's a great visual for parents that they can easily pin to their fridge that is much more user friendly than a list. Easy to edit and easy for parents to read! 

These behavior logs  are perfect for communicating daily behavior with parents and are simple to use. Choose from several templates to meet your needs. 

These instant notes are so great to have on hand! No more trying to type up last minutes notes to send home for parents!

Now you can print on your carnival wristband bracelets with my new template! An easy way to make sure reminders and announcements are seen!

Communicate meetings with your families easily with no stress with these ready-to-go meeting forms.

Add these to your take home folders for an easy reference tool for your students to have at home.

Keep these positive notes on hand for students! Students love getting them and parents love seeing them!

 Stay tuned tomorrow for more than a dozen of reading and writing resources that you'll love!

 

PECS Storage System & Giveaway!

Hi friends! I'm dropping in briefly today to show you how I organize my PECS using a toolbox from my local hardware store...AND to offer you a giveaway opportunity!

 This is the toolbox that I use. It is a 39-drawer toolbox and you can find it from Ace Hardware here. Other sizes could work too, but I like this one due to it having both large and small sized drawers. Some of our more frequently used PECS require larger drawers, and this toolbox is very deep, so even the small drawers store alot of pictures and also have a divider in each allowing you two sections if needed.

I then organize my PECS into categories. So some examples of the categories I have are:

nouns

verbs

people

toys

clothing

school supplies

colors

attributes

snacks

sentence starters....and so on.

The PECS you see in the picture above are from this set. I highly recommend this purchase if you are just starting PECS. You will have just about every symbol you could imagine right at your fingertips without the stress of having to create symbols you find you need as you go or worrying about what program you will need to create them. While I do occasionally still need to make a symbol from "Smarty Symbols" or "Symbol Stix," this set has been a major timesaver and is worth every penny. The symbols are all pre-cut and ready to use!

You can find this symbol set here and it is currently $15 off!!

Here is a close up look. I just love this system and I know you will too! I've tried binders with trading card pockets, hanging plastic shoe pockets, and cigar boxes even! This is the first system that has worked well and lets me easily retrieve my PECS easily and quickly as I need them!

If you're interested in the PECS Toolbox labels they are available here, but don't go anywhere just yet! 

I'm giving away one 39-drawer toolbox just like this one, to one lucky winner and I'm even throwing in a bonus! You'll also receive a set of my labels for FREE!

To enter, just pin the image below or pin from here and leave your pin URL in the comments! I'll choose a winner this weekend!

 Good Luck!

WINNER ANNOUNCED: Mrs. Bloemer

Smarty Symbols Giveaway!

Have you heard the news!? The Bender Bunch is giving back every single day from now until Christmas Day! That's right...25 days of giveaways, offers, and prizes! So far I've given away a laminator, a Starbucks gift card, held a BOGOF day, and tomorrow, thanks to the generosity of Smarty Symbols, I'm giving away a personal Smarty Symbols yearly subscription! 

As special education teachers, we have to create visual schedules and communication boards for our students. Smarty Symbols makes this so easy to do! 

Smarty Symbols features over 19,000 high quality symbols to choose from...and they even take image requests! You can download unlimited images and save them to your own computer or even create visual materials directly on their website. Let me show you just how user-friendly Smarty Symbols is.

Simply go to the "Download Hub" and search the category you are looking for.

Click on the image you'd like and download. That easy! I love that you also have the option to choose PNG or JPEG and you can choose color or B & W for your image. This is a great feature if you are creating worksheets or don't have access to a colored printer.  

You can also create visuals right on their website by visiting the Printing Center. Choose from many pre-made templates or design a custom template.

Choose your template and simply drag & drop your images where you want them. Save your creation and print.  

Another awesome feature is the Activity Library! You can save yourself time by downloading tons of visual supports already created by other Smarty Symbols users in the Activity Library. 

And as you can see, new visuals are continuously being added! These were just added this week.

Another plus is that they offer both a personal and a commercial subscription!

This is a huge plus for those of us that sell resources on Teachers Pay Teachers! Boardmaker and Symbol Stix have very strict limitations about selling resources that use their symbols and are not near as user-friendly either! So if you're planning to create and sell resources on TpT, then the Smarty Symbols commercial subscription is most definitely the way to go! 

You can learn more about Smarty Symbols and purchase your subscription here. If you'd love to use Smarty Symbols to create visuals for your own personal use and for your classroom, I'm giving away one personal subscription to one of my readers (courtesy of Smarty Symbols)!  

Entering is super easy! Just pin the image below on Pinterest and leave your pin URL in the comments below along with your email so I can contact you if you're selected!

Be sure you follow my advent calendar every day through Christmas on my FB page for a new giveaway or offer announcement every.single.day! Happy Holidays and good luck!

***Winner Announced*** 

Jean1Brown is the winner! Thanks everyone for entering!! I wish everyone could win, but stayed tuned as I have 21 more days of offers & giveaways coming your way!

Reflect & Refresh {Part 1}

I have been jonesing to dive back into some steady blogging and join all the fun linky parties happening now that I am officially on summer break, but the unexpected arrival of my new nephew three weeks early has not allowed that to happen. He is doing good, a little jaundice, but other than that....I finally have some time to sit at my computer this evening to join a linky party!! 

I'm joining Mrs. D's Corner for "Reflect & Refresh." I'm always reflecting, but as soon as school is out I begin reflecting back on the year as a whole and at what went well, what didn't, and what I'd like to do differently next year. Generally, the moment something isn't working in my class, I change it up immediately if I can. Some things can't be changed on a whim though. So that's why I am thankful for summer breaks. I also know that through trial and error and all of the awesome collaboration I get through the blogging community, I become a stronger teacher each year and my summer to do lists aren't as long as they used to be!  

Communication
I feel this area has grown over the last few years and I feel is a strength for me. For the last 3-5 years, I have sent home a daily behavior report and a monthly newsletter. Last year I started a classroom website (that I carried on this year) and this year I also began using Scholastic's Messenger to communicate with parents. I also did a parent survey this year that was successful and I plan to do this again each year. 

One of my goals for next year is to send home an academic progress report. While my students receive special Ed progress reports on their IEP goals quarterly, I want to provide parents with an overview of their child's daily grades and overall academic progress in the classroom. 

Organization
I am extremely organized and have pretty good classroom management skills, but I have yet to master my data system. Now when it comes to behavior data, I refer to myself and my aides as the queens of behavior data....we've got this down! Everyone is always amazed with our behavior documentation. However, I continue to struggle with keeping data on IEP goals and other academic progress. EVERY year, I reflect on this, and EVERY year I try a new method and have yet to find the perfect solution! I plan to try again this summer to work on a solution. I'll get it right eventually! :)

Content
My content is forever changing due to the dynamics changing in my class drastically from year to year. But two things on my mind for next year are writing and News-2-You. I really want to place more focus on writing structure next year. I'm also concerned about how I will use New2Y next year. This year I used New2Y with only two students and one of those students transitioned to the middle school. So I am wondering how that is going to work, trying to use it with only one student when these girls made up a rotation group during our centers and worked as partners. 

Big Summer Project
As you can see, I have a few summer projects from every reflection above, but I have two BIG summer projects I'm really excited about! A dear friend (that I met through blogging) and I have been working on a Year Long Interactive Notebook Reading Curriculum for Special Education Students!! We are super excited! We have been working on the project for over a month and hope to kick it off for BTS!!! I won't mention her name yet, as this is the first time I've mentioned our project and I want to get her permission first!!! It's going to be awesome!

I also have plans for the "Ultimate Behavior Kit!" The kit will have everything you need to manage disruptive behaviors in your classroom and will include forms for charting and documenting, behavior plan samples, daily reports, clip charts, token boards, and more! Super excited to put this together as there is such a need and especially for general Ed teachers. 

I'm glad you stopped by! Thanks a bunch... 

8 Ways to Communicate With Your Speech Impaired Students

 While I have done many posts on communication in the classroom, I use many different sources, so today I'd like to combine all of these sources into one post to share with you! 

1. PECS 

(Picture Exchange Communication System)

Probably one of the most popular communication supports used in classrooms with these special needs children is PECS. Pictures can be easily made using the software, "Boardmaker," or from the web-based program "Symbolstix." Both must be purchased.

Pictures are typically stored in an individualized binder or folder that the student can easily access, and are categorized and/or color coded. Now don't expect to just hand all of these pictures to a student just learning this system. It has to be explicitly taught (check your district or with your SLP for possible trainings) and pictures are introduced gradually! Students will begin with 1-2 pictures. 

While I have both Boardmaker and Symbolstix, personally, I prefer real life pictures like you see above. I feel that my students respond better to real life photos and I've noticed that one thing all non-verbal children seem to have in common is that they LOVE looking at real life pictures! I'm gradually converting my entire classroom to real life photos for my rules, centers, token system, everything! 

2. GO Talk

I currently use the Go Talk with one student. As you can see, it comes in many different sizes, and even larger than shown. My current student uses the 9+. You can program it for up to 5 different inserts. She currently has only 3 in use; one for coin naming, number naming, and requests. Now, one important thing I must stress with this and really any communication device.....is DO NOT ALLOW THE DEVICE TO TAKE THE PLACE OF THEIR WORDS!!! IF THEY CAN SPEAK, REQUIRE THEM TO SAY THE WORD SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH PRESSING THE BUTTON, GRABBING THE PICTURE, WHATEVER. AND.....don't use pictures or supports for ANY word that they can say intelligibly!!! If they can say the word intelligibly, they don't need a picture!

3. Proloquo 2Go App/iPad

I was very fortunate to get this for two of my students two years ago! To me, it is the most powerful communication device out there for the non-verbal student (other than not having real life photos :-)). The sky is the limit with this app! But unfortunately it was not for these two students! One of the students was so tech-savvy that she would somehow manage to wipe it out almost daily. She would get into the settings and mess all kinds of things up! It became a nightmare. On the other hand, the other student just simply refused to use it, because he didn't see himself as different. He didn't get that people couldn't understand him. 

4. Picture Wallets 

I currently use these with the same two students mentioned above and they love them! They each have two; one for home and one for school. They have been very successful with this support! These each hold 24 photos, but I'm sure you can get them to hold more! These seem to work well with the older boys especially, as they feel important having their own wallet!

5. Communication Scripts

For communicating with my students that have the ability to speak intelligibly, but just don't know how, I use communication scripts. These typically work well with Autism students that do not know how to express themselves or engage in dialogue.

This is a script that I use with my student Zoe every morning. She is now able to greet me without the script, so we are working on changing it up. This is important as she only knows what to say if the person speaking to her says, "How's it going?" If they say, "How are you?" she doesn't know what to say. This support introduces them to dialogue exchange and the nature of back and forth conversation, while also decreasing the verbal prompting. This child has a binder with scripts for just about everything. You can read on this in greater detail by visiting this blogpost. 

6. Knock Knock Jokes

Yes, you read right!

Knock Knock jokes are a fabulous way to engage students in dialogue! I introduce a new Knock Knock joke every Monday in my classroom and then we practice it each day that week and take turns doing each part! If you have a subscription to News-2-You, they provide a new knock knock joke each week that coincides with the weekly theme. 

7. Question of the Day

I started "Question of the Day" just this year and I'm loving the results! Each day I post a question on the board. For example, it may be "What did you have for dinner last night?" I start! I choose a student and I ask them the question. They must answer me back in a complete sentence in a clear and sound appropriate manner. They practice good speaking skills by keeping their hands away from their mouths, sitting up straight, and so on. So they would say, "I had _______ for dinner last night." Then they get to choose a classmate to ask the question to and we go around until everyone has had a chance. Students may create their own question if they like. Students that are non-verbal, participate with prompting or by using one of the communication device/supports that I discussed above.

I also use many of Super Duper's games and fun decks to engage my students in communication. They have some really great communication resources!

8. Sign Language

Now....I saved sign language for last! Why?? When I first started teaching in my current classroom, sign language was heavily used. I quickly ran out and purchased the book and began teaching myself all the signs! I was also teaching new words to my students daily. Then, I received a visit from our area Assistive Technology rep and began to inquire with her about sign language training. She immediately replied, "Oh, our district doesn't support sign language in SDC classrooms." I immediately thought, "WHAT? That's not right!" But then she explained it....and it made sense...and has now changed my opinion of using sign language for my students! What she said is that while we understand sign language in the classroom....do their parents and family members at home? And while I said, "Yes, I've sent home the signs we learn each week. I've taught them." She then said, "What about the community? Will McDonald's know sign language? Will Walmart know sign language? Will their local grocery store understand sign language?" I was speechless for a moment, but then realized how right she was! I was enabling my students! While some of my students still use signing in my room because they previously learned it....I no longer teach it or use it myself to communicate with my students.

As for communication in the classroom, there is no "one size fits all." As you can see, some students may take off with a system, while another student wants nothing to do with it. It's all about finding what engages each student and individualizing it to meet their needs. 

What supports have been the most meaningful means of communication in your classroom?

Do You Survey Parents On Your Performance?

Do you ever wonder how your students' parents see you? Do they think you're a good teacher? Are they happy with the progress their child is making? Do they wish you would communicate more? Do they complain every night about the homework you send? I know many of us only see a parent once a year....at conferences or the annual IEP meeting....and sometimes not even then. 

Well this year my district is implementing the new teacher evaluation system using the Nevada Educator Performance Framework (NEPF). Here are standards 4 and 5 from the professional standards. 

While looking at standard 4, I thought, well I'm not lacking in communication. I send home daily behavior reports, a monthly newsletter, I have an updated class website, I use class messenger to send them reminders on their cell phones. I welcome parents to visit anytime, although they rarely do. But then I thought, how often do I really seek out their input, other than at the annual IEP meeting?

And then when I looked at standard 5, I thought, now how am I going to achieve this? My students are MR, Autistic, and some non-verbal. I mean sure, I know my students know I value and care about them and I know they feel safe with me, but how am I going to provide evidence for this standard?? It can't just be what I know in my heart, it's all about the EVIDENCE! 

After sharing my thoughts with my principal, she came up with the idea of a parent survey. What a great idea?? I mean many of us do parent surveys at the beginning of the year but we are surveying their child. And schools do surveys surveying overall school performance. But what about a survey that allows parents to survey you and provide input??! Even when I googled it and searched TpT....nothing! 

So I've created a parent survey to improve my professional standards in this area and as part of my evidence for standards 4 and 5.

You are welcome to snag it up and use it for free to survey your parents!

CLASS MESSENGER

Have you heard of Class Messenger? I just started using it this year and I love it!! I just used it right before this blog post to remind all of my parents that tomorrow's picture day!! How often do you find reminders and notes still in the backpacks the next day; never even seen by the parents? Me.....quite often! But how many parents do you know that don't have a cell phone in their hand everytime you see them?? Not very many. Backpacks may not be checked as often as they should, but text messages seldom go neglected! 

Class Messenger is a private two-way message service and it's free! With Class Messenger you can send parents, families, and even students- reminders, messages, homework, surveys......and even pre-filled forms like volunteer requests, material requests, or conference requests in less than a minute right from your phone or computer. Class Messenger does not use your cell phone number; therefore it remains undisclosed and your parents receive your messages right from their phone in a text message. How awesome is that??  

Below is a short video about Class Messenger.

You can choose two ways to use class messenger. You can download their free app and send your message right from your phone.....or you can sign up online and send text messages right from your computer! 

Another thing I love about CM is there is no sign up required from the parents. I tried the "Remind" teacher app last year and because it required parents to sign up, I had a disappointing response. With CM they will immediately begin receiving your messages!

With Class Messenger your parents will never miss another notice or reminder from you again!! Or realize after you send them home for the day that you forgot to put that reminder in their backpacks.....and the event is tomorrow....yikes!!! No longer a problem with class messenger! 

Give it a try! I know you'll love it!