The Connecticut State Department of Education has developed a valuable downloadable resource for parents when considering kindergarten for their child. This family resource is available in both Spanish and English and addresses why your child should attend kindergarten and includes frequently asked questions about kindergarten entry, enrollment, and attendance.

You may view it using either of the following links:

https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/KindergartenBrochure.pdf  (ENGLISH)

https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Early-Childhood/KindergartenBrochure_SPANISH.pdf  (SPANISH)

For additional information contact Andrea Brinnel, Ed.D. at andrea.brinnel@ct.gov

NEPSY-II® & D-KEFS® Training: Flexible Neuropsychological Measures for School Psychologists sponsored by SERC – The State Education Resource Center of CT

(Full description and registration information at https://22-15-139.eventbrite.com)

This is a three (3) day event – Tuesday, March 29th, Wednesday, March 30th and Thursday, March 31st, 2022

Audience: Grades Pre-K to 12; School Psychologists

Presenter: Alexander E. Quiros, PhD, MBA

Description:

The NEPSY-II® (Korkman, Kirk, & Kemp, 2007) & D-KEFS® (Delis, Kaplan, & Kramer, 2001) measures allow clinical and school psychologists to create a tailored assessment across various domains: Executive Functioning & Attention, Language, Verbal vs. Non-verbal, Memory & Learning, Sensorimotor, Visual Processing, and Social Perception.

The Connecticut State Department of Education (CSDE), in collaboration with the RESC Alliance, is offering several FREE, virtual sessions of an Introduction to Customized Employment (CE) in Connecticut for special education teachers, providers, and administrators working with transition-age students with the most significant disabilities. Participants will understand the CE process in CT, learn about the components of CE, and become familiar with job discovery activities.

For additional information about this training and to register for one of these virtual sessions, please see the attached flyer: CSDE-RESC Alliance Introduction to Customized Employment in CT.

Please contact one of the RESC CE Trainers for questions or assistance with registration. Contact information can be found on the flyer.

The Southern Connecticut State University Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders is hosting a virtual conference of panel discussions, Voices Across the Spectrum: The Transition to Adulthood from Various Perspectives, to bring together individuals on the spectrum, educators, parents, and professionals to discuss their experiences.

Date: April 1, 2022

Time: 8:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Location: VIRTUAL

Registration: https://bit.ly/2022ASDConference  

Questions can be directed to: Eileen Farmer, University Assistant, Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders, Southern Connecticut State University by phoneat203-392-5929 or by email at farmere2@southernct.edu.

The Connecticut State Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education is offering a series of brief “IEP Preview Sessions” to highlight the improvements to the IEP and special education processes in preparation for the transition to the new IEP document beginning July 1, 2022.

For a schedule of sessions and links to attend, please see

The free Sparkler app can help Connecticut elementary schools and kindergarten teachers get to know incoming students, identify needs, and prepare for the new school year. Learn how your district can use Sparkler for FREE as part of your Kindergarten registration process to offer mobile Ages & Stages Questionnaires® as well as fun, off-screen, play-based learning activities that families can use to spark summer learning before school starts.  Please register using the link on the flyer found here: .

The CT 7^th Annual Secondary Transition Symposium will continue to build the capacity of educators and other professionals, in partnership with middle and high school students with disabilities and their families, to improve secondary transition planning and services for students with disabilities in order to Build Tomorrow’s Leaders Today.

The Symposium will be held virtually, over the course of three consecutive Tuesdays to break up the event. 

• Tuesday, January 25, 2022: 8:30 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. – Keynote & Breakout Sessions
• Tuesday, February 1, 2022: 12:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. – Breakout Sessions
• Tuesday, February 8, 2022: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. – Film Screening + Facilitated Q&A/Panel Discussion

Each of our breakouts offer sessions within three strands, based on the audience (i.e., youth, families, and educators/professionals). Please see the attached schedule of sessions for the event. 

See the symposium schedule here:

Click here to register for the Symposium.

If you have questions, please contact: Missy Wrigley, Consultant at the State Education Resource Center, by phone at 860-632-1485, ext. 397, or by email at wrigley@ctserc.org.

Applications are now open for the Twenty-Fourth Annual Connecticut Youth Leadership Project, Inc. (CT-YLP), Youth Leadership Forum (YLF).  The 2022 YLF is scheduled to be held July 25 – July 28, 2022.  Student Applications for the 2022 CT YLF can be found on the CT-YLP website at https://www.ctylp.org/student-applications.  The deadline is February 21, 2022.

Questions can be directed to Stephanie Barksdale, CT-YLP Executive Director, by phone at 860-689-6868 or by email at execdir@ctylp.org <mailto:execdir@ctylp.org> .

On January 5, 2021, the Bureau of Special Education released a memorandum to Directors of Special Education regarding IDEA Requirements related to Annual Reviews and Reevaluations. Please visit IDEA-Requirements-related-to-Annual-Reviews-and-Reevaluations-1-5-22.pdf (ct.gov) to review this important guidance.

UPDATE and REVIEW of the NEW FY23 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) PART B Section 611/619 LEA Subgrantee Application in the EGMS – DATE 2/17/22 (Session A. 9:00-10:30am) or (Session B. 1:00-2:30pm)

A statewide training for Special Education Directors and Grant Managers around the upcoming FY23 IDEA Part B Section 611/619 LEA Subgrantee Application on the electronic grants management system (EGMS).

Choose from one of two virtual 2-hour presentations by Tom Boudreau, Education Consultant/IDEA Part B Fiscal Manager.  The training will focus on completing the application with fidelity in a timely manner through an examination of the requirements the FY23 LEA subgrantee application, highlights of any updates or changes from last year’s application, budgets, Maintenance of Effort (MOE), tips on navigating the EGMS, and specific set aside time for any questions. 

If further information is needed, please access the SERC website at www.ctserc.org. or register:

• https://serc.info/idea0217a – Update & Review Session A (a.m.) 9:00am-10:30am

OR

• https://serc.info/idea0217b  – Update & Review Session B (p.m.) 1:00pm-2:30pm

Hope to see you there!!