News & Resources for North Dakota Parents & Professionals |
|
|
Back to School Greeting from Our Executive Director
August marks three months with Pathfinder Services of ND for me, and boy have we been busy! We have participated in conferences, booths, the fair, and many, many, many meetings. I have had the pleasure of meeting numerous individuals in the field of special education and have truly observed the passion that these individuals have in the work that they do. I am blessed to be among such hard working and dedicated people. I am thankful that everyone has greeted me into my new role and am looking forward to working collaboratively with others within the state.
While the Pathfinder Services team works diligently on preparation for the upcoming school year, I found myself thinking about preparation for the school year as a parent of a child who has severe anxiety.
For those parents who live with children who are anxious, the beginning of the school year starts before the back to school shopping occurs. I have already begun to see the signs of stress that befalls my daughter and I knew that I needed to begin the process for transitioning back to school NOW. (After all "there are only 26 moons and suns until the first day of school"). Each year we try to plan an introduction to the school year and reflect on what did or did not work the year before. This year I happened to come across a parent resource from Understood.org (LOVE THIS SITE - Mom Approved!). Check out this resource I found... It's a " Back-to-School Worksheet to Plan for a Better Year". My daughter loved the questions and really put a lot of thought into her answers. Plus, how great is it that I can bring it to her MTSS team and school counselor?! It also allowed me to have a better understanding of what I can say to the MTSS team about her needs, but also what I can do at home to help prepare her for success. Pathfinder Services also has information (books, DVDs and handouts) on anxiety. " When My Worries Get Too Big" by Karl Dunn Buron is a great book that we have used as a family. Wishing everyone the very best as you enjoy the remainder of the summer, and a happy (and especially smooth) transition back to school. |
|
|
 Library Focus
|
When My Worries Get Too Big!
by Kari Dunn Buron
A relaxation book for children who live with anxiety.
|
Experienced Parent
Program
Have you heard about our Experienced Parent Program?
To learn more, click below:
|
|
|
Interested in Joining Our Board?
Pathfinder Services of ND is looking a new board member.
|
 |
Meet our New Support Specialists!
Cassie Tofteland, Family Support Specialist
 Cassie Tofteland has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Early Childhood from Mayville State University, and a certificate in strength-based coaching. Cassie has over ten years of experience working in the early childhood field in many roles such as a program staff member, supervisor, assistant director, and as an early childhood consultant. She also has conducted multiple trainings over the past six years. In the past six years she has mainly been working on program creation and implementation and data collecting through technical assistance and coaching with her clients. Cassie has also worked directly with families and parents with the development of early intervention plans and implementation of these plans.
Brenda Boehler, Youth Support Specialist  Hello! My name is Brenda Boehler. I am the new Youth Support Specialist at Pathfinders Services of ND. I earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Work from Minot State University. I have lived in Minot for 30 years. I have worked in the community and through my employment experience I have worked with families in the field of mental health and have also work in public housing, assisting families with resources to live independently. Though being a military dependent I have experience working with parents as a trained parent aide, through this role I assisted parents with the transition into military life. I have had the pleasure of both attending and presenting at local and national conferences throughout the years, on a variety of topics. I am proud to say that I am also a graduate of Partners in Policy Making, through this training I have developed a better understanding of how to support persons with disabilities become self-advocates. I enjoy working with people!
|
 Early Childhood |
 Developing School Readiness Skills Learning begins at birth. By the time children turn three, they have already begun laying the foundation for life-long learning and success.
Making the most of early learning moments can be the difference between a fragile beginning and a strong start at school. Discover more about how to support early learning in babies and toddlers, including Language & Literacy Skills, Thinking Skills, Self-Control and Self Confidence.
Developing School Readiness Skills From 0-12 Months
|
 Elementary Students (Back to School Special) |
 Back-to-School Tips for Parents of Children with Special Needs A new school year means a new grade, new teachers, new goals, and maybe even a new school! In order to help you and your child with special needs be as successful as you can be, Reading Rockets has put together a list of eight helpful back-to-school tips to make the transition into a new school year a little easier for you and your child. These tips emphasize communication, organization, and staying up-to-date on special education news.
|
 Back-to-School Worksheet to Plan for a Better Year Summer is a good time to hit the pause button and think about what went well at school last year-and how to make the next school year better. Help your child get ready to go back to school by filling out this worksheet together.
|
 Create a Teacher Information Packet for Your Child with Special Needs Worrying about the upcoming school year? Wondering how a new teacher will react to your child? This article offers ways parents can create a packet that delivers useful information about their child with disabilities without making the teacher work for it. There are five parts to include, while still keeping that packet as slim and helpful as possible.
|
 Resources for Working with Schools
With the new school year approaching, we would like to highlight a few resources from our collection on the topic of working with your children's school.
|
 Youth & Young Adults |
 7 Things to Know About College Disability Services If your child has had an IEP or a 504 plan in high school, you've been able to play a role in the process. You've had access to the people who are providing supports and services. And you've been able to monitor how well those supports are being implemented. College is a different story-starting with the fact that there are no IEPs or special education in college. For some parents, that can be hard to adjust to at first. Still, almost all colleges have a disability services office for students with learning and attention issues.
Here are seven things to know about college disability services, and how they differ from high school.
|
 Training Opportunities & Upcoming Events |
|
Event
|
When
|
Where
|
Cost
|
Link
| Handwriting Without Tears Camp
| Through Aug 10 | Anne Carlsen Center
701 3rd St. NW
Jamestown, ND
| $125 | More Info | 1-2-3 Magic Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 (Session 1)
| Aug 2
5:30 am to 7:00 pm | Bismarck, ND
| | More Info | NDVS/SB Summer Kids Camp
| Aug 5-8 | 500 Stanford Road
Grand Forks, ND
| $50 | More Info | Active Parenting (Session 1)
| Aug 7
1:30 am to 3:00 pm | Ft Yates, ND
| | More Info | Integrating Assistive Technology into Adapted Physical Education to Achieve Healthy Outcomes (CTD Webinar)
| Aug 7
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm | Online
| Free | More Info | 1-2-3 Magic Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 (Session 2)
| Aug 9
5:30 am to 7:00 pm | Bismarck, ND
| | More Info | Sign Language Bingo
| Aug 9
6:00 pm to 8:00 pm | Minot Public Library
516 2nd Ave SW
Minot, ND
| Free | More Info | 2018 Special Education Summer Institute
| Aug 9-10 | Baymont Inn & Suites
2611 Old Red Trail
Mandan, ND
| Varies | More Info | Active Parenting (Session 2)
| Aug 14
1:30 am to 3:00 pm | Ft Yates, ND
| | More Info | 1-2-3 Magic Effective Discipline for Children 2-12 (Session 3)
| Aug 16
5:30 am to 7:00 pm | Bismarck, ND
| | More Info | Zot Artz
| Aug 17
10:00 am to 3:00 pm | Intl. Peace Gardens
10939 Highway 281
Dunseith, ND
| ? | More Info | Active Parenting (Session 3)
| Aug 21
1:30 am to 3:00 pm | Ft Yates, ND
| | More Info |
All listed times are in Central Time.
|
|
Pathfinder Services of ND
|
|
|
|
|
The contents of this newsletter were developed under a grant from the US Department of Education, #H328M110021. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the US Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
|
|
|
|
