Special Education November 2026

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Hi everyone! My name is Megan, and I’m excited to begin this new chapter and get to know everyone after joining the IU29 TaC Team on November 9th.

I have a background in special education and educational leadership, with a bachelor’s degree in integrated Elementary and Special Education and a master’s degree in educational leadership. I hold a Principal Certification, a Special Education Supervisory Certificate, and a Superintendent Letter of Eligibility. Throughout my career, I’ve worked as a special education teacher, including at the high school level, and have served in special education supervisory and district administrative roles. Most recently, I served as the Director of Pupil Services, where I supported students, families, teachers, and administrators across a variety of programs and services. I am so excited to add TaC to my resume and support every school in the Schuylkill County area!

Throughout my career, I’ve especially enjoyed collaborating with educators, developing programs that support student success, building positive school cultures, and finding creative ways to meet the needs of students. One of my favorite professional experiences was organizing Boo Bash Bingo, which raised $10,000 to support the Boo Mountain Bash, a districtwide event for students with low-incidence disabilities. I’ve also enjoyed providing training for autistic support and life skills support teachers and helping enhance gifted education programming.

Outside of work, family is incredibly important to me! I’m married and have a young son and three stepchildren who keep life fun and busy. I enjoy spending time with my family, traveling, and making memories together. I also enjoy walking, massages, and reading. I love organizing, planning, and taking on creative projects, and I’m always looking for new ideas and opportunities to learn something new.

I’m looking forward to this next chapter, building new relationships, learning from others, and being part of a team that makes a positive difference in the lives of students. I’m excited to see what this new experience brings and to get to know all of you!

• AAC Community: November 3, 3-4PM
• Certified Orientation & Mobility Specialists (O&M): November 18, 11AM-12:30PM
• Corrections Education Staff: November 20, 10-11AM
• ECRI Implementers: November 11, 6-7:30PM
• Emotional Support Teachers: November 17, 4-6PM
• Healthy Relationships: November 4, 3:15-4:30PM
• PAMS: November 20, 11AM-12:30PM
• Related Services (OT, PT, SLP Practitioners): November 18, 3-4:30PM
• Teacher of the Visually Impaired (TVI): November 4, 11AM-12:30PM

Best Practices in AAC Assessment: registration l ink

📅 Friday, December 11

🕗 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM CST

💻 Online

🎟️ Hosted by Easterseals DuPage & Fox Valley

What you'll learn:

This full-day course walks through the steps to selecting appropriate communication systems for children with complex communication needs — and you’ll walk away with a copy of the AAC-STAT, a clear, practical framework you can bring straight back to your caseload on Monday.

Tobii: Dynavox Winter Conference: Learn more here

📅 Nov 4-5, 2026

💻 Online

🎟️ TobiiDynavox

Tobii: Dynavox Learning Hub: Learn more here

Autism and Low Incidence -November/December Smore

Trainings through PaTTAN & PDE/BSE

Title: Introduction to Universal Design for Learning: The Why, the What, and the How

Dates:

September 15, 2026 - December 10, 2026
January 26, 2027 – April 22, 2027

Location: Online Schoology Course

Registration Information: https://www.pattan.net/events/

Why Can't Johnny Calm Himself? Rethinking Regulation for Student Success

November 17, 2026 ~ 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Students may struggle to regulate their behavior for many reasons, including challenging or uninteresting tasks, sensory experiences, frustration, or difficulty accessing preferred activities. This session will explore why common approaches to teaching students to just “calm down” is not always effective and introduce calm counts as a flexible approach for developing regulation repertoires. Participants will examine the role of motivation, practice, shaping, and context in supporting regulation and discuss common strategies when introducing calm counts.

Presenter: Steve Ward

Registration Link: PaTTAN-Session-43492

Upcoming Trainings:

November

• Pennsylvania Autism Training Conference (PATC) (virtual)- November 4-5, 2026

• College Autism Summit - (Baltimore) November 8-11, 2026

• College Autism Network

• World Autism Conference (virtual) - November 12-14, 2026

• The Think Sensory Summit (virtual/free) - November 16-19, 2026

• Think Sensory Resources

• OCALICON (virtual ) -November 17-20, 2026

• Resources created by the OCALI center/Central Ohio

December

• 2026 TASH Conference - (Philadelphia) - December 3-5, 2026

For individualized training and/or support:

Contact: Randy Lattis, Board Certified Behavior Analyst

BCBA Consultation Request Form

• Make a referral at www.brainsteps.net

• CMT (Concussion Management Team) training: training platform is currently unavailable - please stay tuned for update

• What is the Framework for Access & Belonging? Find out HERE

• What is Check & Connect? Find out HERE

• PaTTAN Intensive Interagency Initiative Padlet https://padlet.com/pattan/pattan-intensive-interagency-initiative-padlet-aj5afp5baq09silz

• School Social Workers’ Meeting - Thursday, November 12, 2026 (8:30am) - STC South

• Schuylkill IU29 (Larissa Russell & Gretchen Witman) has become an Approved Provider for SAP Team Training

• A SAP Team Training is in the planning phase for January 26, 27, 28, 2027 (It is a 2 day training, but a weather day is built in). Please communicate among your building SAP Teams and prioritize staff in need of training. Send names to Larissa Russell russl@iu29.org. There is a cap of 30 participants.

• Reminder to use the most updated CASSP referral form. If you have questions/inquires about Intensive Interagency and/or the local CASSP Process, please contact Larissa Russell (russl@iu29.org or 570-544-9131 ext. 1219).
• School District Re-entry Plans Resource Guide

• IU29 MTSS Consultants are available for on-site support for districts implementing MTSS frameworks

• Contact Amanda Leshko lesha@iu29.org to request training opportunities and/or onsite support

• Check out this comprehensive Padlet resource hub designed to support new teachers entering Schuylkill County's 2-year induction program! It consolidates all the essential district-level information, policies, best practices, and tools new educators need to succeed—all in one easy-to-access location.

https://padlet.com/iu29/remake-of-new-teacher-mentor-padlet-fabw47h46xsqbk41

• MTSS Series started October 8, 2026. 12 county schools attended.

• 2nd In-person session is November 9, 2026

• Self-Paced Training Modules for Paraprofessionals

• Self-Paced Training Module for Transportation Drivers

Paraprofessional Entry Level Credential of Competency Training Series has moved to the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE), Standards Aligned System (SAS) website!

Previously offered on the PaTTAN Framewelder site, this training series is a pathway for paraprofessionals to reach "qualified status" as required by PA state regulations. For more information and user instructions, visit the PaTTAN website.

• Handouts/recordings from previously held Secondary Transition sessions can be accessed here: https://www.iu29.org/departments/special-education-services/special-education-services/training-and-consultation-tac/transition-past-parent-sessions-resources
• PA Family Network: https://www.visionforequality.org/events/
• Topics include: Caregiver Support Groups, Waiver Funding, Chair Dance & Chair Yoga, Life Planning
• PEAL Center: https://www.pealcenter.org/events
• The Arc of PA: https://thearcpa.org/event-calendar/
• My Kid is 14+: What Now Padlet
• PA Secondary Transition Events: https://www.pasecondarytransition.com/event

• Please share the *NEW*August 2026 PBIS Pulse Newsletter with your building staff!
• Visit IU29’s PBIS Coaches Site: http://www.tinyurl.com/IU29PBISCoaches

Schools interested in learning more about PBIS implementation - contact Annie Grabowski graba@iu29.org, Amanda Leshko lesha@iu29.org

• PaTTAN's Resources related to Post School Outcomes

• Check out the PA Planning for Your Future Checklist - a comprehensive resource to add to your existing mapping guide that will help you plan a coordinated set of activities to support youth transition from HS to adult.

• Transition Council -

• Transition Related Announcement Flyers
• Next Meeting - December 11, 2026, 9AM-11:30AM
• Transition Fair -
• Held on October 15th at North Schuylkill High School, 91 students attended, 28 vendors, 8 breakout sessions focused on post-secondary goal areas, and closing keynote by Ben Hartranft!
• Conference Platform
• Thank you for all the help and support!

• Project SEARCH:

• Information for the 2027-2028 program year is posted on the IU website here
• Please let Doreen and Rene know if you are considering students for participation, we can join the discussion and attend the IEP meeting if invited
• Applications for 2027-2028 program year are due by March 1st
• Cyclical Monitoring for 2026-2027: Mahanoy Area, North Schuylkill, and Tamaqua Area
• EBR Padlet of Resources
• Contact Doreen if EBR training is needed, session take 1-2 hours
• Indicator 13 Preparing for Cyclical Monitoring: Schuylkill Haven
• Padlet of resources
• Indicator 14/MP4S (My Plan for Success) Exit Surveys:
• Gillingham Charter, Mahanoy Area, Pottsville Area, and St. Clair
• LEAs are encouraged to communicate with any student leavers about the post survey that will be sent one year after leave date - MP4S Student Flyer
• PaTTAN Resources - related to EXIT surveys and the MP4S Platform
• Indicator 14/MP4S (My Plan for Success) Post Surveys:
• 2026-2027: Minersville Area and Tamaqua Area
• Webinar will be April 7, 2027 from 9AM-11AM, registration will be on PaTTAN's website
• P2P Transition Systems Framework Grant:
• Pine Grove Area High School was selected as the LEA partner for the P2P Grant.

• Transition Assessment Planning - resources to create a comprehensive plan for assessment can be found here: https://sites.google.com/gapps.iu29.org/iu29milottap2022/home

Contact: Doreen Milot, dlm@iu29.org

Visit the event calendar on the Schuylkill IU 29 website.

• Conferences: https://www.pattan.net/training/conferences/
• PaPBS & MTSS Implementers' Forum - November 4-6, 2026
• Events: https://www.pattan.net/events/
• Family Engagement - https://www.pattan.net/Supports/Family-Engagement
• PaTTAN POD Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCkBP2csbOssi3rUsfM-yQT1DVGUihxg2