SUNCOAST NEWS

“Across the grades, when

instruction was challenging,

relevant, and academically

demanding, then all students

had higher engagement and

teachers talked less – and

the greatest beneficiaries

were at-risk students.”

― John A.C. Hattie, Visible

Learning for Teachers:

Maximizing Impact on

Learning

In This Issue

• UDL/SIM

• Co-Delivery Models

• Parent Services

• Professional

Development

Alternatives

• Social Media Article

• Child Find

• Agency Fair

Charlotte & Manatee

The Florida Diagnostic & Learning Resources System (FDLRS) provides diagnostic, instructional, and technology support services to district exceptional education programs and families of students with disabilities. The FDLRS Suncoast team directly serves school districts in the areas of Child Find, Parent Services, Human Resource Development (HRD), and Technology. Retrieved from www.fdlrs.org

The Florida Inclusion Network Facilitator collaborates with all districts and

schools to provide customized services and supports ensuring that all students

with disabilities have the same educational, social and future opportunities as

their peers. Retrieved from www.floridainclusionnetwork.com

Please let us know how we may serve YOU!

Tracey Cardenas, FDLRS-FIN Suncoast Program Manager

941.927.9000 ext. 32247

The FDLRS-FIN Suncoast team is proud to serve Charlotte, Manatee, & Sarasota County School Districts.

FDLRS Suncoast 1960 Landings Blvd Sarasota, FL 34243 941-927-9000

Quarter 2 November 2017

Charlotte County: UDL Over 30 teachers in Charlotte County attended a workshop

in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) presented by FDLRS HRDs, Kim DeGenaro and Donna Marquis-Cox.

UDL is an educational framework based on research in the learning sci-ences, including cognitive neuroscience, that guides the development of flexible learning environments that can accommodate individual learning differences.

Charlotte County Schools’ Strategic Instruction Model Initiative:

The Strategic Instruction Model(SIM) is a comprehensive approach to adolescent literacy that ad-dresses reading and understanding large volumes of complex materials as well as expressive writing strat-egies.

A SIM Sustainability meeting was held in Charlotte with SIM SPDG manager Janice Creneti, Charlotte ESE Director Kristy Johnson, and CCPS middle and high school princi-pals, APs and leadership teams. FDLRS HRD, Donna Marquis-Cox, was there to provide local support with SIM.

Professional Development Alternatives (PDA) FDLRS Suncoast proudly offers Professional Development Alternatives (PDA) online courses. A variety of courses are offered, some with a facilitator; others, independently paced.

For course offerings, go to https://goo.gl/cLZi58

.FDLRS Suncoast is working diligently with local agencies to create opportunities for students and families of students with disabilities. Suncoast has been an integral part in informing staff and parents of upcoming workshops, creating business partnerships and student experience opportunities, and streamlining referrals to local agencies for individuals with disabilities.

Recently, Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) spent several days with FDLRS Suncoast representatives, touring Manatee high schools and streamlining services. This allows schools and VR to provide a consistent and fluid referral process to students and families throughout the district. This is only one example of ongoing agency collaboration that occurs at the FDLRS Suncoast office daily.

For more information on local agencies or contact information for Manatee County, please access the Manatee County School District ESE and Alternative Education Resource Guide at

http://bit.ly/2gymDu2

3-D Project collaboration with students from Braden River High School, Manatee County.

3-D Symbols Project FDLRS Suncoast Technology Specialist has been working closely with Manatee County LATS, Neeli Renda, to begin the implementation of 3D symbols in class-rooms across Manatee County. These symbols are developed for students who are visually impaired or blind. Traditionally created tactile symbols created issues with consistency and possible choking hazards. 3D symbols are created using a file that is compatible in a 3D printer, providing ongoing consistency for students.

Through collaboration with Braden River High School’s Engineering department, a partnership has recently developed. Students in the BRHS Engineering classes are now working to print the 3D symbols as a service project. With the free files from the Project Core website and the assistance of BRHS, there is no cost associated with the implementation of these communication tools. Project Core is designed to develop a comprehensive implementation program for the delivery of Universal Core vocabulary instruction and augmentative communication supports using the multi-tiered system for augmenting language. Project Core provides implementation documents, ready-to-use files, and guidance to individuals interested in starting Universal Core in their classrooms, all free of charge. Additional information regarding Universal Core, Implementation, and tools can be found at http://www.project-core.com/

Homemade Tactile Symbols

NEW

3D Symbols

Examples of Co-Delivery

Instructional Models

Sarasota County:

Collaborative Teaching

Facebook and Twitter

Did you know FDLRS Suncoast has both a Facebook and Twitter page? Find us on Face-book at Facebook.com/FDLRSSUNCOAST and on Twitter at @FDLRSSUNCOAST. There you will find information about upcoming Parent University Workshops as well as events spon-sored by collaborating agencies.

Parent Services

Parent University Workshops FDLRS Suncoast provided the first “Parent University Workshop” for 2017-2018. Through a partnership with the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD), FDLRS Suncoast provided a workshop entitled “Building a Positive Home/School Relationship.” Thank you Ellie Weber, from CARD, for the great wealth of information! Please stay tuned for the next “Parent University Work-shop” offering coming in the New Year!

Special Ed Connection Please remember to ask families to sign up for Special Ed Connection! This online resource gives in-depth information on special education issues, case law, and definitions. In addition, they release current and developing news stories as well as other informative resources. Signing up gives families a plethora of resources to assist them with their ESE students!

It's Complicated: Teens, Social Media, and Mental Health How teens use social media shapes its impact on their mental health.

Walsh, E. (2017, September 28). It's Complicated: Teens, Social Media, and Mental Health. Retrieved November 28, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/smart-parenting-smarter-kids/201709/its-complicated-teens-social-media-and-mental-health "I know there is a lot to be excited about, but I can't help but feel depressed about all the time that kids are spending online," a father of a middle schooler said at a workshop last week. Another parent added, "Well, you aren't alone. I am not sure that social media isn't making my daughter depressed too!" Parents everywhere are expressing similar concerns about how digital technolo-gies impact the social and emotional lives of their children. News headlines are quick to reinforce our fears with top stories in-cluding, "How Facebook Makes Us Unhappy," and, "Docs Warn Teens about 'Facebook Depression.'" To make things confusing, however, these headlines also gained traction within the same year: "Being on Facebook Can Actually Make Us Happier" and "Facebook Isn't Addictive, It Just Makes People Happy." Headlines like these reflect the divergent out-comes of the research itself. A recent study of Australian teenagers showed that the heaviest social media users experience the greatest amount of anxiety related to FOMO (fear of missing out). A University of Michigan study also found that the more col-lege students used Facebook, the worse they felt, reflecting a similar association found among high school age students in the U.S. But before we throw social media out the window, a more recent study found no association at all while another found that when college students interacted with others on Facebook, their "bonding capital" actually increased and feelings of loneliness decreased.

Young people themselves are quick to defend their socially networked lives. The majority of teenagers report that social media helps them feel more connected to their friends and provides critical support during difficult times. Yet, at the same time, one out of five teens disclose feeling worse about their own life because of what they see on social media. If you are waiting for a definitive study telling us whether social media are "good" or "bad" for teens' mental health, you are go-ing to wait for a long time. Instead, we are likely to start fleshing out the very picture that young people themselves report when you ask them. "It's complicated." That's not to say that we can't learn anything from the research that has been done about youth and social media. Here are some of the consistent findings: How Teens Use Social Media Matters. The divergent outcomes of the research are in part due to differences in how young people spend their time on social media. Not all social networking is created equal. It seems that when social networks and the Internet are used largely to communicate with family and friends, the resulting social support actually benefits young people's mental health. Conversely, extensive use of social networking with "weak ties" outside of close circles can increase feelings of loneliness and anxiety. In other words, passively scanning the profiles of happy acquaintances could be the depressing equivalent of sitting alone at a party where everyone else seems to be having the time of their lives. Your teen matters. Not all teens respond in the same way even to social networking and not all teens use the same tools and sites. Facebook is the focus of most current research yet many teens are quickly adopting new platforms. The best thing we can do as parents is to ob-serve, stay connected, and ask questions. Some teens may be feeling sad and turn to the Internet for much-needed support. Oth-ers may find that the Internet increases feelings of sadness or loneliness. Some may feel creative and inspired while others be-come angry and irritable. These signs are more important than any study. Be in conversation with young people about their socially networked life. Ask them,

Why do you use social media? How does it make you feel? Who do you hang out with? What do you like best? What isn't so great?

Face-to-face time matters. Regardless of whether or not social media is lifting your teen up or holding them down, it is clear that face-to-face time with peers is key to their mental health. Social media can provide much-needed support, strengthen existing friendships, and offer a sense of belonging for some teens. But if it becomes a tool to avoid the messy and important work of learning how to navigate relationships, it robs them of critical practice right when they need it most. Make sure that face time isn't just an app on your child's phone. If your teen is expressing concern or anxiety about being "always connected," there are some protective factors that benefit all young people in the digital age:

Carve out screen-free time. It is more and more difficult to manage screen time by counting minutes. Instead, focus on carv-ing out consistent times to connect without screens. Consider mealtimes, before breakfast, during homework or during car rides.

Lights off, screens off. Sleep deprivation has a clear and detrimental impact on young people's mental health. Make sure that teens unplug before bed and stay off all night.

Build bridges. Encourage your teen to build bridges between their online and offline lives. If they are deep into an online com-munity look for groups in real life that can fuel this passion as well.

References Australian Psychological Society. (2015). Stress and Well Being. Psychology Week (8-14) November. Kross E, Verduyn P, Demiralp E, Park J, Lee DS, Lin N, et al. (2013) Facebook Use Predicts Declines in Subjective Well-Being in Young Adults. PLoS ONE 8(8): e69841. Moira, B., Cameron M., and Thomas, L. (2010) Social network activity and social well-being. In Proceedings of the SIGCHI Confer-ence on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 1909-1912.

Pam Massey, Child Find Specialist in Charlotte County participated

in a Community Awareness Walk-about at the Baker Center in Punta

Gorda Florida. We were able to reach over 50 families!

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Give us a call for more information about

our services, products, and trainings.

FDLRS Suncoast

1960 Landings Blvd

Sarasota, FL 34243

941-927-9000

Tracey.Cardenas@sarasotacountyschools.net

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Sarasotacoutnyschools.net

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