SEPTEMBER 2025 SEDOL

Pictured from left to right:

Dr. Yesenia Jiménez-Captain, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services

Jessica Palmer, Instructional Services Supervisor

Lisa Gjelsten, Administrative Assistant to Instructional Services

Karen Schreck, Academic Specialist

Smita Chatlani, Academic Specialist

Adam Rivera, Paraprofessional Liaison

Formerly known as Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment (CIA), our department has rebranded as Instructional Services to better reflect our expanded scope and support. With new team members on board, we remain committed to advancing SEDOL’s mission of providing Exceptional Services to Exceptional Students by Exceptional Staff. Instructional Services will continue to lead in key areas, including supervision of school principals, curriculum and assessment development, and high-quality professional learning for staff—all with the goal of ensuring strong outcomes for students with disabilities. Please click HERE for an infographic of roles and responsibilities.

DATE: September 18th, 2025

TIME: 4:00 - 5:00 PM

LOCATION: SEDOL Administration Building, Bay Room

COST: Free for SEDOL employees, $50 for member districts

PRESENTERS: Samantha Kozlowski (LASSO 2 Teacher)

DESCRIPTION OF EVENT: The PCI Reading Program is a scientifically research-based curriculum created specifically to teach students with developmental disabilities, autism, and significant learning disabilities to read. Join us to learn more about implementation, specifically how to utilize the program with students who are nonspeaking.

DATE: September 23rd, 2025

TIME: 4:00 - 6:00 PM

LOCATION: SEDOL Administration Building, Bay Room

COST: Free for SEDOL employees, $50 for member districts

PRESENTERS: Karen Schreck (Academic Specialist) & Adam Rivera (Paraprofessional Liaison)

DESCRIPTION OF EVENT: This training is geared towards teachers and paraprofessionals. This session explores strategies for strengthening collaboration between teachers and paraprofessionals to maximize student success. Participants will learn practical approaches for clarifying roles, improving communication, and building effective partnerships in special education settings.

DATE: September 24/25th & October 29th/30th, 2025

TIME: 3:45 - 7:45 PM each evening

LOCATION: Gages Lake School

COST: Free for SEDOL employees, $50 for member districts

PRESENTER: Alex Letto (Behavior Specialist Assistant)

DESCRIPTION OF EVENT: Nonviolent Crisis Intervention (NCI) Training prepares staff to prevent and de-escalate medium to high-risk behavior using both restrictive and non-restrictive methods. This training is for staff looking to receive their initial certification in NCI.

DATE: September 30th, 2025

TIME: 4:00 - 5:30 PM

LOCATION: SEDOL Administration Building, Bay Room

COST: Free for SEDOL employees, $50 for member districts

PRESENTERS: Karen Schreck (Academic Specialist) & Adam Rivera (Paraprofessional Liaison)

DESCRIPTION OF EVENT: Participants will discuss how to monitor and interact with students to ensure their safety & well-being. There will be a focus on staying engaged throughout the day to build relationships and get buy-in from students who may be challenging to reach.

DATE: October 7th, 2025

TIME: 4:00 - 6:00 PM

LOCATION: SEDOL Administration Building, Bay Room

COST: Free for SEDOL employees, $50 for member districts

PRESENTERS: Andre Probst (Laremont Teacher) & Karen Schreck (Academic Specialist)

DESCRIPTION OF EVENT: Participants will learn how to make basic visual supports, including, but not limited to, single- and multi-image support cards, picture schedules, Bingo boards, and more. An active Boardmaker account and laptop are required to attend this event.

DATE: October 14th, 2025

TIME: 4:00 - 5:30 PM

LOCATION: SEDOL Administration Building, Bay Room

COST: Free for SEDOL employees, $50 for member districts

PRESENTERS: Lyn Edwards (SEDOL Speech-Language Pathologist)

DESCRIPTION OF EVENT: Lyn Edwards will provide a deep-dive into the STAR Media Center: a comprehensive classroom toolkit for supporting the daily curriculum. It includes visual supports, themed monthly units, routine supports, training videos and a scheduling tool to help educators and families implement research-based instruction for students with autism and other developmental disabilities.

DATE: October 16th, 2025

TIME: 4:00 - 6:00 PM

LOCATION: SEDOL Administration Building, Bay Room

COST: Free for SEDOL employees, $50 for member districts

PRESENTERS: Smita Chatlani (Academic Specialist)

DESCRIPTION OF EVENT: Participants will learn practical and creative strategies to support executive functioning skills—such as organization, planning, self-regulation, and working memory—for students with disabilities across both high- and low-incidence populations. Educators will gain tools to better understand these critical skills and apply interventions that foster independence and success in diverse learners.

DATE: September 26th, 2025

TIME: 8:30 AM - 11:30 AM

LOCATION: The Chapel, Grayslake

DESCRIPTION OF EVENT: Calling all human service providers! This fair will feature a wide range of community service agencies and vendors, highlighting supports and programs available to students and families. This event provides an excellent opportunity to network, learn about local resources, and strengthen connections that benefit our school community. A keynote panel presentation will soon be announced and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) and Professional Development Hours (PDHs) will be available.

If you are a SEDOL employee who wishes to participate in a external professional learning opportunity that requires payment, please complete form 307A prior to the event and form 307C after the event.

🆓 Let’s Talk About It: Puberty, Hygiene, and Adolescence by STAR Autism Support

🆓 AAC and Literacy: Supporting Emergent Literacy Learners by tobii dynavox

🆓 Essential Sensory Strategies for SLPs to Boost Engagement in Your Autistic Students by AbleNet

🆓 Effective & High-Leverage Practices for Paraeducators by CEC

🆓 Things We Don't Say - Part 1 by Hope for the Day

💲 Emotional Poverty Workshop by Lake County Regional Office of Education

💲 Making Vocational Assessment Meaningful: Practical Tools and Strategies by ICTW

Last night (September 4th), each building hosted their annual 'Curriculum Night' inviting families to learn about the instructional programs, services, and supports designed to help students succeed. It was a great opportunity to highlight the strong practices already in place and share upcoming initiatives that reflect our commitment to providing exceptional services and high-quality instruction for all students.

We want to hear from YOU! Please submit this form to request professional learning on certain topics, speakers, companies that you'd like to see offered. Likewise, if you are the expert on a certain topic or would like to provide professional learning opportunities to your colleagues, please submit this form. Any staff from SEDOL or Member Districts can offer feedback; we will do our best to accommodate.

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT