Get School Psych'd

Hello LSSPs,

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving and a relaxing break.

I have always found this time of the school year to be a strange time. We just get back from a break, then we have another long break in three weeks. Between the condensed timeframe and the dreadful weather (you would be hard pressed to find someone who hates the cold more than me) it can be a challenge to get motivated. For me, I found that trying to use the time to get myself ready for the future was helpful. When I was working in schools, that meant getting myself Spring ready, but with the way things go at the Region, that is too short-term. So here I am, in December 2019 working on my plans for September 2020 and beyond.

Combining my love of feedback and my need to get planning rolling, I have put together a brief (5-15 minutes) survey about professional development offerings here at Region 10 for LSSPs. It would be a great help to me if you could spare a little time at some point in December to complete the survey so that I can get start to formulate a plan for next year. I feel like we were able to make some great strides in our training offerings for LSSPs this year and I want to build on that momentum for next year as well.

You can complete the 20-21 PD Survey here.

Keep Being School Psych'd,

Keya Saleh, LSSP, NCSP

Region 10 Educational Service Center

Try the 5-3-1 Practice

The Center for Healthy Minds (University of Wisconsin-Madison Research Group) shares some quick strategies for mindfulness and self-care.

The Let's Try Box: A New Tool for Regulation

A great strategy for supporting co-regulation of emotion with students.

8 Must-See Movies for Special Education Teachers

Quick list of some movies that features individuals with disabilities in prominent or leading roles.

Language Matters: Why We Don't Say "Committed Suicide"

Blog Post from International Risk Management International on the importance of the language we use when discussing suicide

So I have been thinking about the links that I post in this newsletter and it dawned on me that 'Hey, wouldn't it be nice if all of these links that show up every month could be pulled together into one easy to find place?" Well, that idea is now a reality. Presenting:

The Get School Psych'd Good Reading and Research Collection

This is a permanent resource that will house all of the links that I share every month in the newsletter. I will do my best to catalog them alphabetically by content area. Enjoy!

I have always gotten a lot of questions about the books I am reading (mostly because approximately 84% of my sentences start with "you know I just read this book..."), so I decided to start sharing some of my personal favorites that I have recently read (or in some cases, reread).

This month: Unequal City: Race, Schools, and Perceptions of Injustice by Carla Shedd. Drawing from the lived experiences of youth across four Chicago-based schools, Dr. Shedd provides a rich, in-depth examination of race, geography, and inequity built within the educational system.

NASP has some excellent resources for forming a book study group or engaging further with the material on your own, check out the NASP Companion Resource page for more details.

The Child Find, Evaluation, and ARD Supports Network, an initiative from TEA and the Region 4 ESC, have announced a series of free webinars related to ARDs and FIEs. See the attached flyer for more information.

TEA has recently published their new Summary and FAQ document related to Senate Bill 712 (the 'aversive techniques' bill).

This document is designed to help LEAS in understanding the function and goals of the legislation and to aid with compliance with the new regulation.

The Summary and FAQ can be found here.

In an attempt to get information more organized, I am moving toward a Google Sheet for listing out upcoming training sessions here at Region 10 that would be of interest to LSSPs.

(NOTE: Sessions that I am facilitating have been bolded.)

This link will take you to the live spreadsheet. Check out the list every month to see what new offerings are coming up at Region 10.

HIGHLIGHTED TRAINING OF THE MONTH:

Trans-Disciplinary Play-Based Assessment

Session # 2623825

2 Day Training - 2/6/2020 - 2/7/2020

Trans-disciplinary Play-Based Assessment is a comprehensive, holistic functional assessment for young children from birth to six years of age. A TPBA team that includes family members observes cognitive, sensory-motor, communication, and emotional and social development. This dynamic assessment process involves use of observational guidelines, age tables, and intervention planning tools.

If you have a training coming up at our newly reopened spring valley training site, you should be aware that the building has been slightly reorganized and the parking situation is a little different. Check out the brief video below from Region 10's Dr. Williams and Dr. Burns for more information.

Mental Health America of Greater Dallas hosts an annual symposium on adolescent mental health. Check out the information below to find out about this great training opportunity.

The Adolescent Symposium of Texas 2020 will take place at the Plano Event Center (2000 East Spring Creek Parkway) in Plano, Texas, on February 13, 2020, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This year the conference will take place on a Thursday!

Designed for anyone who works with teenagers and adolescents, the Adolescent Symposium of Texas features a wealth of programming and learning opportunities specific to youth-related mental illness. Conference attendees can qualify for six CEU/contact hours, access the exhibit area and participate in a dedicated ethics session. This year, participants will choose from 33 workshops aimed at providing practical skills that can be implemented immediately. More than 800 people regularly attend the event from across the state.

More Information can be found on the MHA of Greater Dallas page here.

One of my biggest goals of GSP is to get information about our LSSPs. I know your time is valuable and I don't want to ask you to spend half a day filling out tons of information, so I have settled on what I am calling the Two-ish Question Quiz. Every so often, I humbly ask for you to answer two questions about yourself to help us get a better picture of the LSSPs in Region 10.

If you have any questions or need support in your campus/district, give me a shout!

Email: keya.saleh@region10.org
Website: www.region10.org/programs/evaluation-special-education/overview/
Location: 904 Abrams Road, Richardson, TX, USA
Phone: 972-348-1598
Twitter: @getschoolpsychd