October 6, 2023 Volume 11 Issue 6

Welcome to Optimistic October!

Download the FREE Action for Happiness app for iOS or Android

• Gives you friendly nudges with an action idea each day
• Sends you inspiring messages to give you a boost

"World Mental Health Day 2023 is an opportunity for people and communities to unite behind the theme ‘Mental health is a universal human right” to improve knowledge, raise awareness and drive actions that promote and protect everyone’s mental health as a universal human right." Read more at https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day/2023.

If you need mental health, financial, legal, or other assistance, try out our new EAP. Your participation is totally confidential.

"School buses are the safest way for children to get to school. Their design was meant to be safer than any passenger vehicle in avoiding crashes and preventing injuries. Teaching children to follow safety rules on the bus is just as important as informing drivers about the laws regarding school buses."

Random Moments in Time Study (RMTS)

RMTS is used to calculate direct medical service costs and assists in determining potential reimbursement for each district. The RMTS is a five-question online survey administered quarterly to a subset of staff who have been submitted on the LEA staff pool list. If selected for a moment, participants will be asked to respond to what they were doing at a particular minute in time. These are to be completed regardless of whether the participant was working at that moment or not. Reminders of upcoming moments will be sent in advance.

• This is not optional. We are mandated by the state to participate.
• Changes this year include a shorter window in which to respond. Please take note of when you get an email relative to a Random Moment and complete the Random Moment in Time survey on the day of your moment.

Many thanks for your assistance with this!

September 26th marked the 50th Anniversary of the Rehabilitation Act. See the brief video below. "In the video, former Senator Tom Harkin recounts the history behind the Rehabilitation Act; guitarist George Dennehy performs his song, "Work Makes the World Go Round," featuring individuals with disabilities at work; and OSERS Assistant Secretary Glenna Wright-Gallo discusses the impact of the Rehabilitation Act."

October was originally designated in the United States as Learning Disabilities Awareness Month in 1985 through a proclamation by President Ronald Reagan.

See the great resources about learning disabilities from Reading Rockets below.

Wow! Love this office/classroom designed by Kelly Crowder at the Shaner School! What an awesome space to practice social skills and learn about feelings🙂

"If you expose early learners to diverse, reflective texts, it is more likely they will embrace lifelong reading. Learning Ally’s audiobook library is filled with required textbooks, literature, and culturally relevant titles to meet any student's interests and aspirations." Browse the Learning Ally Library.

The video below does a nice job of explaining how to approach teaching behavioral skills in the classroom. The first 30 minutes contain good content. (Then it goes into an advertisement for the company sponsoring the webinar.) This information pairs well with PBIS.

Jen Clisham, school social worker at Davies, had a beautiful baby boy on Sunday! (pictured below)

*I love to share new baby information and pictures but I only do so with the permission of the parent. If you have a baby and would like me to share, please let me know😊 🍼🤱

Membership

Don't forget to join the PTA! For just $5 for the year, you can support our wonderful PTA! Click on this link - https://hamiltontownshippta.memberhub.com/store#.

Grants

Here is a link to the PTA Grant form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeyq902otUMJT5nLl3ktAAetrQpfB01YVrLCAfAEUGgBrKTVQ/formResponse

Trunk or Treat

Come out and support the PTA! You can bring your own kids OR sponsor a trunk OR come out to interact with students and families!

The Hamilton Township School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, affectional or sexual orientation, ancestry, disability, age, or social or economic status in its programs and activities.

The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:

Marylynn Stecher

Affirmative Action Officer

609-476-6313

stecherm@hamiltonschools.org

HAMILTON TOWNSHIP SCHOOL DISTRICT GRIEVANCE PROCEDURE

For further information on notice of nondiscrimination, visit https://ocrcas.ed.gov/contact-ocr for the address and phone number of the office that serves your area, or call 1-800-421-3481.

September 1, 2023

September 8, 2023

September 15, 2023

September 22, 2023

September 29, 2023