Uncategorized Archives - Page 26 of 30

The 2023-2024 MOST School Year Program registration will open for the third registration period on August 21, 2023 at 10am for families to create an account and add their student(s) to the waiting list. The waitlist is monitored throughout the school year and we continue to add students as seats become available.

Chinese Culture Connection

MALDEN OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR K-6 REGISTRATION

Read the MOST Session 1 (Sept.-Dec. 2022) NewsletterRead the MOST Session 2 (Jan.-Mar. 2023) Newsletter

2023-2024 MOST School Year Registration

Download (PDF, 47KB)

2022 MOST Adventure Summer Program Slide Show

Click here to view the program slide show

EZChildtrack Parent Portal

Office Phone
781-870-7684
Office Location
Salemwood School 529 Salem Street, Room A222
Office Hours
by appointment only
Contact Us
Jennie McGoldrick, Director

Juliana Reznichenko, Assistant District Director
MOST Office email
mpsafterschool@maldenps.org

Title 1 Family Resource Center

September 24, 2015/in News, Uncategorized/by jraymond

Title I Family Resource Center

Mission

The mission of the Title I Family Resource Center is to support parents and other caregivers in getting involved in their children’s education. We hope to strengthen communication between home and school.

Goals of the Title I Family Resource Center

Provide family friendly activities where families can learn and interact together.
Outreach to all parents including those who may speak other languages and those with children with disabilities.
Provide parents and guardians information about how they can support their children at home and in school.
Use multiple forms of communication to outreach to parents.

Who are our Title I Family Coordinators? What do they do?

Patti Amirault and Lisa Hammersley are our Title I Family Coordinators. They help organize and facilitate all of the parent workshops, classes, and family events we hold all year long. They also develop and distribute printed materials for parents throughout the school year. They also are available to any parent or guardian to help answer questions or facilitate communication with the schools.

Where is the Title I Family Resource Center located?

The Title I Family Resource Center is located at 110 Pleasant Street (side entrance). We are often traveling between schools and at various events and meetings. Please email Patti Amirault at pamirault@maldenps.org or Lisa Hammersley at lhammersley@maldenps.org.

What activities can I get involved in?

Every month you’ll find us at monthly morning breakfast workshops or family night events. Please come and introduce yourself to us.
We are always looking for parents who are willing to help other parents and at our events. Please email us or give us a call.

Join us on Facebook!

Like Malden Families Facebook page. We update the page with pictures, resources for parents, and links to family friendly activities in the community. https://www.facebook.com/Malden-Families-141563825915572/

Read our School and Community Resource Guide

School and Community Resource Guides

Contact Us:

Victoria Mulkern	Director of Literacy and Title I	vmulkern@maldenps.org
Kerri Surette	Administrative Assistant	ksurette@maldenps.org
Patti Amirault	Title I Family Coordinator	pamirault@maldenps.org
Lisa Hammersley	Title I Family Coordinator	lhammersley@maldenps.org

Related Files

2021-2022

Parent Connection: Creating Holiday Learning Traditions

Parent Connection: 7 Great Ways to Encourage Writing

Parent Connection: Reading for Meaning With Your Child

Parent Connection: How Parents Can Support the Common Core Reading Standards

Archive

School and Community Resource Guide

September 24, 2015/in News, Uncategorized/by jraymond

School and Community Resource Guides

The goal of the Malden Public Schools’ Title I Family Involvement Program is to provide support to families in becoming involved in their children’s education. The purpose of the School and Community Guide is to provide information to families on services available in the schools, the city of Malden, and additional social service agencies. Please call or visit their offices to assist you in any concerns your family may be facing.

We would love your feedback on this resource guide. Please email Patti Amirault or Lisa Hammersley, the Title I Family Involvement Coordinators, at pamirault@maldenps.org or lhammersley@maldenps.org with any feedback. We will continue to revise and add to the document each year to make it the best possible resource for families.

School and Community Resource Guide – English
School and Community Resource Guide – Portuguese
School and Community Resource Guide – Spanish
School and Community Resource Guide – French
School and Community Resource Guide – Chinese

Food and Nutrition Guide

Many families may need assistance with finding food and meals. Use the following resource to identify local food banks who can provide assistance.

Food and Nutrition Guide

Join us on Facebook!

Like Malden Families Facebook Page. We update the page with pictures, resources for parents, and links to family friendly activities in the community

Follow us on Twitter

We’ll share tweets of upcoming events and resources for parents including local community resources.
Follow @MaldenFamilies

Assistive Technology Program

September 24, 2015/in News, Uncategorized/by Stirling Brandworks

Assistive Technology Program

The Malden Public Schools Assistive Technology Program is full of resources and services to support students, teachers, specialists, administrators and parents working to ensure access to and success in navigating curriculum.

For additional assistance, please contact Jeanette Beal, Assistive Technology Specialist.

What is Assistive Technology?

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 2004, Assistive Technology is “any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of a child with a disability.”

AT is a broad term that covers a wide range of tools from pencil grips to computers. Simple or low-tech AT tools include laminated communication boards, removable highlighter tapes, reading guides and Velcro. There are also more complex, “high-tech” AT tools like specialized software, talking word processors, and Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC) devices. Ultimately, AT helps to “level the playing field” so that people with disabilities can do things that would be extremely difficult or potentially impossible for them to do otherwise. The key element of any successful AT tool is that it is the right match for the needs of the person using it.

AT is not only a tool – it also includes many services. An AT service directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition or use of an Assistive Technology device. This may include evaluation, customization, repair, maintenance and training on how to use the device.

What are “functional capabilities”?
Functional capabilities are the abilities to participate in tasks of learning and daily living as independently as possible. As noted above, AT is meant to address one or more areas of a person’s functional capability. Here are some of the areas that can be supported and enhanced through the use of AT:

Activities of daily living
Computer proficiency
Control of the environment
Math
Mobility
Study Skills
Position and seating
Reading
Recreation
Hearing
Communication
Vision
Motor aspects of writing
Composing written material

Assistive Technology and the Law

AT is an important consideration in the Individualized Education Program planning process for students with disabilities. When appropriately considered, AT plays an essential role in a student’s ability toaccess the general education curriculum with greater success and independence. In fact, this role is so important that student use of AT is addressed in both federal legislation and state regulations.

Federal Legislation
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 focuses on:

Improving the academic progress of all students with disabilities.
Aligning IEP content to the general education curriculum.
Increasing states’ accountability for the academic performance of students with disabilities by requiring their inclusion in statewide assessments.

As part of ensuring academic progress for students with disabilities, IDEA 2004 includes several provisions that specifically address the issue of AT. This important law:

Provides that AT devices and services required for a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) be provided to students at no cost to the family and be available for use wherever needed.
Includes definitions of AT devices and services.
Requires that IEP teams consider the student’s possible need for AT devices and services during the development of the IEP.

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 also provides for students with disabilities. This section:

Is a national civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities.
Ensures that a child with a disability has equal access to an education through accommodations and modifications.
Includes fewer procedural safeguards for children with disabilities and their parents, but has a broader definition of disability. Under Section 504, individuals with disabilities are defined as persons with a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. People with a history of, or who are regarded as having a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, are also covered. Major life activities include caring for one’s self, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, working, performing manual tasks and learning. Although AT is not mentioned in Section 504, case law indicates that students eligible under Section 504 may have a right to Assistive Technology if the need is proven.

The following websites have useful information about the legal requirements for AT:
National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

Wrights Law

The Federal Register for IDEA 2004 addresses all aspects of Special Education. The following are some of the sections that specifically deal with AT:

Definition of AT: page 218
Required Contents of the IEP: page 249
AT Consideration requirement: page 252

AT and the Individualized Education Plan (IEP)

Determining if a student might benefit from AT is not an isolated decision made by one individual. By law, students eligible for AT under IDEA 2004 must have an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) that includes a comprehensive plan of instruction and support services needed to meet the student’s unique educational needs. The IEP team, which includes general and special education teachers, family members, the student (as appropriate), and others the school or family have invited, develops the student’s IEP. Together, the team members should know about:

The student
The general education curriculum and state proficiency assessments
Internal and external sources of assistance
Available services
The IEP process itself

Several sections of the IEP relate to Assistive Technology. In addition to the Special Considerations question that specifically asks the IEP team to address the student’s need for AT, questions about the student’s present level of academic achievement and functional performance, goals, and supplementary aides and services all also require that team members consider AT.

In Malden Public Schools, many examples of AT are found in the list of acceptable accommodations for instruction and assessment. Sometimes these readily available tools (calculators, books on tape or software to read text) are thought of only as testing accommodations. Yet to be used during testing, AT devices and services must be part of the student’s daily academic program. According to federal law, they are both accommodations and AT if the student needs them to increase a functional capability.

Resource: The QIAT Consortium
The QIAT Consortium is a nationwide grassroots organization that serves and connects educators, parents, consumers and professionals in need of Assistive Technology information. Hundredsof individuals provide input into the ongoing process of identifying, disseminating and implementing a set of widely applicable Quality Indicators for Assistive Technology services in school settings.

The QIAT website includes:

Quality Indicators, Matrices and QIAT in Action documents
The QIAT Listserv and searchable archives
Upcoming QIAT events
The QIAT Resource Bank and an online form for sharing resources and links of interest
Frequently Asked Questions about QIAT

Beginning the Process: SETT Framework

The SETT Framework is a tool that helps teams gather and organize information that can be used to guide collaborative decisions about services that foster the educational success of students with disabilities. Originally developed to support assistive technology selection and use in educational settings, the principles of the SETT Framework have been used to guide decisions about a much broader range of educational services, and also, with minor adjustments, have been successfully used in non-educational environments and service plans.

SETT stands for….

S for the student
E for the environment
T for the tasks
T for the tools needed for the student to address the tasks

Here’s the rationale:

To get the best shot at putting together a system of “useable” tools, the team needs to explore the student, the environments in which the student is expected to use the tools, and the tasks which are an inherent part of communicating, participating and being productive in those environments! These are all considered before attempting to identify the features or components of the tools needed.

SETT’s questions are designed to generate thoughts and discussion. They’re intentionally broad in order to catch all ideas and possible solutions. The team will need to sort out the data that is pertinent and most helpful. The worksheet on the bottom will guide the process by helping you to find out what you know about the student, the environment, task and tools and what information you may need to find out to make the best decisions. This process can be used to identify any useful intervention, not only AT.

SETT Framework
Step 1: Collect Info
Step 2: Generate solutions
Step 3: Implement Plan
Step 4: Integrate AT In IEP

MPS AT Program SETT Framework Form

Creating Visual Supports Outside the cardBOARD box! from Jeanette Beal