Sara Ward has over 14 years experience in diagnostic evaluations, treatment and case management of children, adolescents and adults with a wide range of developmental and acquired brain based learning difficulties and behavioral problems including:
Attention Deficit Disorder
Verbal learning Disabilities
Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities
Asberger Syndrome
Other Social-Cognitive Learning Disabilities
Traumatic Brain Injury
Acquired Brain injury
Basic Rights: This workshop provides families with an introduction to their rights and responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Massachusetts Special Education Law and No Child Left Behind (NCLB). It is designed to help parents learn how to be effective partners with the school, to decide the child’s eligibility for special education, to plan, make decisions and to monitor the educational progress of their child. Workshop materials are also available in Spanish, Portuguese and Russian.
Elizabeth Bostic, Founder of The Parent Coach, is the mother of two special needs children; one with Cerebral Palsy and other medical issues, the other with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Through her own experience of navigating through the special education system, she was inspired to empower parents by helping them develop strategies for effectively advocating for their childrens’ academic needs.
Pupil Personnel Director,
Kathy Fink and her staff will discuss the procedures
in place to ensure smooth transitions for
students and families as they move up to the next
level within the Andover School System (preschool
to elementary, elementary to middle school and
middle school to high school).
Staff from each school as well as SEPAC will be available to answer
questions. This informative session will provide
the groundwork for helping prepare your child as
he or she moves through their school years.
MCAS: The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) is a tool to measure progress in the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks or general curriculum. This workshop will help parents understand how their children with disabilities can participate in a meaningful way in MCAS. It will discuss accommodations and alternate assessments available so that students can demonstrate what they have learned.
Helen Higgins from the Federation for Children with Special Needs will conduct this workshop. Federation workshops are free to parents and open to the public. Feel free to attend any workshop in or outside of your immediate community.
Speaker
Jeff Q. Bostic, M.D., Ed.D
Consulting Child Psychiatrist
Andover Public Schools
Mental Health struggles are a very common aspect of the human experience, and are among the health conditions that parents need to know about in raising their children. Come for an informative and enjoyable evening to learn about the kinds of emotional and behavioral difficulties that sometimes show up in childhood, and how to help your child continue to grow and connect with others.
Dr. Bostic will explain what is going on physically in the developing brain, how to access good care for your child, and helpful ways to intervene with and for your child. We will touch on advocacy skills for parents when dealing with school and community, and family and parenting routines that are helpful for maintaining the mental health status of your children. This presentation is appropriate for parents of preschool through Grade 12 students. There will be plenty of opportunity for discussion and questions. Facilitated by Janet Yedinak, LICSW, Program Head, School Adjustment Counselors.
In September of 2001 Andover lost a real leader with the sudden death of Selectman Mary French. Many of us also remember Mary as the former Pupil Personnel Director, a position she held for many years. In memory of Mary, the Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) sponsors an award we call the Mary French Yellow Rose Award. There’s a story behind the name.
A few years ago a group of Andover teachers, headed by Mary, visited the Glastonbury school system to observe programs designed to improve delivery of services to special needs children. Educators whose contributions provided improved programming, as well as a more inclusive environment, for special education students were rewarded with a yellow rose. Thus the yellow rose became a symbol of excellence.
Nominations for the Mary French Yellow Rose Award
The nominee can be Special Needs or Regular Ed teacher, as well as an instructional assistant, coach, or therapist. The nominee will meet the following criteria: