Winter, 2024 Issue 13

Welcome to the OSS InSight published by the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit's Office of Student Services. So many amazing things happen every day in our work with young people that we have to spread the word!

We are proud to serve our students and their families and strive for excellence each and every day!

For more information about the services we provide visit https://www.mciu.org/offices/office-of-student-services/.

We wish everyone a healthy and prosperous year in 2024!

Sincerely,

Dr. Brittany Lourea-Waddell, OSS Director & The Administrative Team

Anderson School welcomed three new staff members this year. Mrs. Knox co-teaches math, Mr. Kierod teaches high school science and Mrs. Neil is a new teacher assistant. They have been great additions to the Anderson team!

Mr. Serrao, former Anderson teacher, transitioned into a new role and is now the Dean of Students. Changes to the building include a new quiet room and renovated recreation room that the students love to use!

This year, students, staff and families can track expectations and behavior on the PBIS Rewards system online. Students and families can see points earned, referrals and tickets as well as shop in our school store using this new system. Anderson added a Student Advisory Council that plans events like the Halloween Celebration and the Thanksgiving feast. Students from each homeroom contribute ideas to make improvements to the school community and demonstrate their leadership skills.

Down on the farm week @ Arrowhead means we got to milk cows today!!

Reading Specialist, Mrs. Sharon Reynolds, is reading with kindergarten students during daily reading class while our Teacher Assistant, Mrs. Jamie Enders, prepares a fun, reading-related activity for the students to complete after the story is finished.

ELA had its very own Tom Turkey greeting and encouraging students as they jogged around the ELA building, courtesy of Dr. Tom Sowers. Staff and students gathered for a group picture before returning to their classrooms for Thanksgiving-themed activities.

Students from the MCIU Hearing Support Classroom at Upper Merion Middle School are LOVING their ASL 1 course. This is a year-long course which will provide them with a World Language Credit!

“What I like about my ASL class is that it is challenging, and you can communicate without talking. I like learning about Deaf culture too. I am looking forward to meeting and communicating with a deaf person someday.”

“I like ASL class because it is interesting to learn. I like learning a new language. I can communicate with deaf and hearing people. I like learning about Deaf culture. I am excited to be part of Deaf culture now.”

“ASL is fun because I am learning a new language and you can communicate with a deaf person. I like learning about Deaf culture. I am looking forward to using ASL in the future because I have hearing loss too.”

Each school year, 4th graders at St. Philip Neri (SPN) apply to be a Peer Mediator. SPN Peer Mediators are selected students who act as problem solvers for other students and help support a peaceful school environment. The students chosen to be Peer Mediators for the 2023-2024 school year participated in a full-day Peer Mediation Training led by MCIU School Counselor, Amy Winheld. During this training, the Peer Mediators learned the purpose and expectations of being a Peer Mediator as well as the Principles of Peer Mediation. With Ms. Winheld’s guidance, students were taught Steps for Problem Solving and skills for Active Listening, Paraphrasing, and I-Statements. These fully trained Peer Mediators are now ready to help make a positive difference in the SPN school community!

First through third grade at Our Lady of Mercy received a guidance lesson designed to help identify and express their fears. School Counselor, Kim Gawthrop, read The Very Hungry Worry Monster and made each class their own Worry Monster. Students can write or draw what’s worrying them and feed it to their worry monster. The idea is to have students identify a fear and recognizing that expressing it is the first step of helping it go away. Counselor and teacher’s check the worry monster and can meet individually with students as needed.

MCIU has been busy providing PREPaRE and Threat Assessment Trainings for Montgomery County Schools!

MontcoWorks Now participants have the opportunity to engage in paid work experiences throughout Montgomery County with a plethora of local businesses. These businesses offer training and development opportunities. Our students gain invaluable on the job training during these experiences. All participants are paid through MontcoWorks Now WIOA funding and not the business so it is a win-win-win for all parties involved!

This year, we have experienced exponential growth in this aspect of our programming. To date, participants have been paid out over $100,000 in wages while working at over 20 local businesses across the county! The following businesses should be recognized for their outstanding contributions to our program and participants: Living Hope Farm, Trellis for Tomorrow, Democratic Black Caucus, Birches at Harleysville, The Blessing Shop, Elkins Park Library, CADCOM, Electro Soft, Girls Fix It, Sunrise Mills, CVS Pharmacy, Northwest Victim Services, Farm Park Pediatric Dentistry, Elmwood Park Zoo, Indian Valley YMCA, Norristown Public Works, Habitat for Humanity ReStore, Mishock PT, Montgomery County IT, Ladi Icon, Kingdom Builders Camp

Students took their first field trip to Friendly Helping Farm and it was amazing! The experience met all the student's sensory needs and everyone had a smile on their face the entire day! They can’t wait to go back. Check it out!

Students at Merion Mercy Academy practice annotating with color coded strategies to differentiate between main idea and details. They discovered that good readers need a purpose to read so they turn headings and subheadings, which are main ideas into questions. The students then read to answer the questions with details.

Students in the Hearing Support classrooms at Upper Merion Area Middle School and High School have been working hard during their speech sessions on their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. In the middle school classroom, students have been reading about ancient civilizations and writing paragraphs to share their opinions. In addition, they are reading, and discussing The Revolutionary War and the Constitution, as well as practicing speaking presentations on sustainability. Students at the high school level are reading and discussing classics, such as The Crucible, using context clues to learn new vocabulary and better understand figurative language. They are off to a great start with learning new skills!

“R” is one of the most common sounds we treat in speech-language therapy! This is because it is hard to see where the tongue is placed, which makes teaching the “R” sounds difficult. Other sounds influence the tongue placement for "R", resulting in several variations and allophones. Students are motivated by using the iPad during sessions to work on their speech-language goals. This year, /r/ speech students are using the free staRt app from BITS Lab (Biofeedback Intervention Technology for Speech Lab @ NYU Steinhardt). It uses visual-acoustic feedback to teach correct tongue placement for the “R” sounds which keeps students engaged during the activities. Using real time displays of the acoustic signal helps the student find the correct tongue position for the challenging “R” sounds!

Never underestimate the power of the playground. Every opportunity we have, the students in the MDS and Communication and Learning Support classes at Evans Elementary take advantage of outside play and experiences on the playgrounds. From a related service provider’s perspective, this experience is all-encompassing. Gross and fine motor skills, sensory experiences, problem solving, teamwork, and communication are all addressed in a short burst of time that also provides an often needed sensory break. The experience is different for all students and the range of abilities, interaction with the equipment, and level of independence varies. Some students sit and work on balance on climbing structures with support, while others run to the top of a slide structure independently. With the supervision of related service providers and classroom staff, the playground experience is one that is an integral part of an elementary school student’s world, and it is one that we wholeheartedly implement whenever the weather cooperates.

Our Transition Students Spread Sunshine with their Smiles! We are so proud of the achievements of our students each and every day!

Teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs) at the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit want to spread the word about the importance of braille literacy. Supporting our students who are learning or using braille need to be surrounded by a community providing opportunities to have access to braille.

Braille is fun to learn and we want everyone to have opportunities to learn and celebrate braille. TVIs support their students learning braille by providing teachers, support staff, librarians, classroom peers, and families with training, understanding, and inclusion in learning braille.

• Crisis Team - Upon request, MCIU will send out teams of mental health specialists to support at times of crisis.
• SAIP -The Student Attendance Improvement Program (SAIP) provides a comprehensive school and home-based assessment and treatment plan, as well as ongoing mental health supports and social work services, for students who present with school refusal behavior and related challenges.

  
  

Email: bwaddell@mciu.org
Website: www.mciu.org
Location: 2 West Lafayette Street, Norristown, PA, USA
Phone: 610-755-9433
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mciu23
Twitter: @mciu_oss