The Connection

Hopefully you had a wonderful spring break and you are ready to be back and finish the school year well! In this edition of The Connection you will find a reminder to register your student for next school year, some fun events coming up like The Very Special Prom and Autism Connect 2024, as well as, an opportunity for your youth to apply to participate in the SC Youth Leadership Forum!

We hope you'll take some time to read through these resources, and don't forget that if you need a question answered or just aren't sure where to turn, you can contact our Parent Liaison, Erika Chapman, at 843-292-1008 or echapman@f1s.org. She would love to connect with you!

Registration opened March 4, 2024, for the upcoming school year. Snapcodes will be used for returning student registration at f1s.org.

Parents/guardians will be provided their child/children’s snapcode in two ways:

• Via email on March 4th when registration goes live

• In the mail with Quarter 3 report cards around March 25th

𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐬𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭/𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤.

This year, to simplify the process, there will not be a separate link for registering Pre-K students and their registration will open at the same time as registration for older students. Don’t have a device at home? Registration opens when students are still in school so district-issued Chromebooks can be used to complete registration online!

Registration opened March 4th for next school year! Our goal is to have 70 percent of all students registered by May 24th. Help us reach our goal and get entered to 𝙬𝙞𝙣 𝙖 $100 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙜𝙞𝙛𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙙!

The earlier you register, the more chances you have to win. Register by March 26th to be eligible for all three drawings: March 27th, April 24th, and May 22nd (one elementary, middle and high school level winner per day). Winners will be announced via email and on district social media. Families earn one entry per child registered.

Register now at F1S.org!

Join South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs and Carolina Autism & Neurodevelopment Research Center on April 23rd for an in-person day of learning at Autism Connect!

Learn more! Visit: https://ddsn.sc.gov/ddsn-divisions/autism/autismconnect

Have you checked out the Parenting Special Needs Magazine? It is a digital newsletter FULL of helpful information for families of students with special needs! They publish it every other month. You can access their website at Parenting Special Needs Magazine or sign up to receive it via email.

The South Carolina Youth Leadership Forum is an opportunity for young adults with disabilities living in South Carolina to cultivate leadership skills and learn how to become an advocate in their community. Selected delegates typically stay on a college campus for three nights to learn about independent living and advocacy in a safe and supportive setting while building relationships with other young adults from around the state.

The South Carolina Youth Leadership Forum (SC YLF) is a unique 4 day, 3 night summer leadership experience that builds advocacy skills for young adults with disabilities. This year it will be held July 21-24. This program is funded by the South Carolina Developmental Disabilities Council. The SC YLF is open to anyone that is 15-23 years old, has a disability, shows leadership potential in school or their community, and lives in South Carolina. That’s it!

Apply here!

Deadline is April 30th!

Save the Date!

Join us for A Very Special Prom!

When: May 18th fromm 6pm-8pm

Where: Staybridge Hotel

150 Westpark Drive

Florence, SC

Save the Date for Special Olympics Area 1!

It will be on Wednesday, April 24, 2024 at West Florence High School.

Exceptional Education students ages 8 & up may participate.

You will receive more details from your teachers soon. It does require that you submit two forms, including paperwork from your student's doctor. Those forms must be returned before your student will be cleared to participate. You may ask your teacher about more details!

Erika Chapman is the Florence One Schools Parent Liaison for our Program for Exceptional Children. Erika serves as a liaison between teachers, parents, students, support staff and the community regarding educational programs, services and student issues in areas of Programs for Exceptional Children.

You will receive our PEC parent newsletter, The Connection, twice a month. It's full of helpful information, announcements and the dates for all upcoming parent training events. Erika can help parents/guardians to connect to resources both within and outside of the district; as well as get connected to agencies like DDSN, fill out paperwork for Medicaid and understand your child's IEP.

The Parent Liaison website also has lots of helpful resources for families. On the website you can find all past PEC newsletters and helpful webinars on Understanding Your Child's IEP and All About Resources in the Florence area. Check it out!

Please feel free to reach out to Erika if she can assist you in any way! Her email is echapman@fsd1.or and her phone number is 843-292-1008.

Do you want to know what your student's school is offering for breakfast and lunch during the month of April? Find out here!

We would love to hear from you! If you have a question or comment you can contact our Parent Liaison, Erika Chapman, at echapman@f1s.org or 843-292-1008 or visit the Parent Liaison website for helpful resources.

You also can contact us at exceptionalchildren@f1s.org or at 843-673-1161.

Email: exceptionalchildren@f1s.org
Website: f1s.org
Phone: (843) 673-1161