EPO Symposium and Site Specialist Summit.

Exciting things are happening at our Exceptional Programs Office this week! We are organizing various events to help our staff better support students with special needs. On Monday, July 24, we started with a symposium at Farmington High School where 95 FMS staff members are attending. The symposium covers important special education topics and assessments, as well as a presentation on the Nurtured Heart Approach by Maria Cisneros.

Throughout the week, we'll have more informative sessions planned. On Tuesday, we'll have a curriculum day, and on Wednesday and Thursday, an EPO/ELD Site Specialist Summit.

One of the fascinating sessions is called "Through the Eyes of Disability." In this presentation by Karen Georgina and Suzanne Kuschnereit, participants engage in activities to understand the challenges some students face. For example, they try to concentrate and answer questions while loud music plays and someone distracts them. Another activity involves our staff trying to delineate a star by seeing its reflection in a mirror, simulating how dyslexia can present challenges for students and how our staff can address it in the classroom.

The sessions are being presented by experienced professionals like Christa Kulidge, EPO Director, who discussed "The Role of the LEA." Laura Huish, EPO Assistant Director, covering "Services and Progress Documentation." Hope Trujillo, Mental Health Coordinator, presented on "Functional Behavior Assessment." Rae Lynn Dearen, DW Instructional Facilitator, discussed "Special Education Placement." Brad Calvert, EPO Facilitator, and Ramona Briones-Moseley, EPO Instructional Facilitator, presented on “EAs in General Education” and “Classroom Management,” respectively. Jennifer Spradling, EPO Diagnostician, and Michelle Thur, FMS Enrichment Coordinator, presented on Reading and Understanding Evaluations,” and “ Dual Identified Gifted,” respectively.

The Nurtured Heart Approach presentation by Maria Cisneros (Mesa View Middle School) is a set of strategies that reframes how we perceive and respond to intense behaviors in children and youth. It is present-focused and relationship based. It is transformative and experiential in nature.

Raul Marquez-Dominguez, Bilingual Facilitator at FMS (center), and Jessica Shay, English Language Development Facilitator (right), presented during the EPO/ELD Site Specialist Summit. The gathering brought together 35 staff members to Farmington High School.

EPO/ELD Site Specialist Summit

During the EPO/ELD Site Specialist Summit, presenters held important conversations about testing and accommodations for students. They also discussed planning with the WIDA (World-Class Instructional Design and Assessment) framework. The event covered various topics relevant to supporting English Learners, the roles and responsibilities of case managers and site specialists, and recent rule changes.

Overall, it was a productive and informative event where educators came together to enhance their skills and knowledge to better support our students.