Grandparents' support group

Are you a grandparent who is raising a grandchild?

OK, you might know what you want and what you need, but do you know what your rights are? Do you have any rights in Illinois as a grandparent?

A support group for you meets on the 4th Sunday of the month at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 932 S. McHenry Ave. in Crystal Lake from 2:00-4:00PM.


The next meeting is tomorrow, Sunday, June 24. The subject? What else? Grandparents Rights!

If you bring the rugrats, there is a carpeted gym next to the meeting room, where the kids can play during the meeting. The notice did not include whether there is actual child care.


If you want more information or have questions, call Peggy O'Connor at 847/772-5158

(This message is also posted on www.WoodstockAdvocate.com 

Now THIS is a school!!!

Check out this school - Lionsgate Academy, in Minneapolis.

A friend sent this to me. Her son is a student there. This is what our schools should be for our children. Not jails. Not prisons. Not torture. (our schools, I mean)

Our schools should be places our children want to go every day. And places where we can trust that they will treated with dignity and respect.

Click on the link above or visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEY53o1oJbQ&feature=youtu.be

Parent Empowerment Call, May 3

The May Parent Empowerment Call of the Child & Adolescent Services section of the Division of Mental Health, Illinois Department of Human Services, will be held on Thursday, May 3, from 12:00-1:30PM.

These monthly calls are normally one hour, but the May call will be 90 minutes. No topic was announced for this call, so perhaps it's a free-for-all.

It is free, and parents of children with emotional and/or behavioral health concerns are invited to join in.

To access the call, dial  (800) 260-0702; then enter Participant Access Code 228115.

The code changes monthly, so don't bother to save it.

 If you have questions, contact Judy Hutchinson, Family Consumer Specialist, Region 5, DMH Child & Adolescent Network at judy.hutchinson@illinois.gov or (618) 838-9382

Kirk Martin at Ill. home-school convention, plus

Kirk Martin and his son, Casey Martin, will present two free parent workshops in the Chicago area, while they are here to participate in the 2012 Illinois Homeschool Convention.

Their workshops will be

Wednesday, May 9     6:30pm - 8:30pm  

Sayre Language Academy, 1850 North Newland Ave., Chicago, IL 60707

Thursday, May 10      7:00pm - 9:00pm

Jefferson Middle School, 1151 Plum St., Aurora, IL 60506  

(Kirk will focus on Defiance, Yelling & Motivating Strong-Willed Tots, Tweens & Teens) 

See the flyer for these workshops at http://library.constantcontact.com/download/get/file/1101440021553-298/Flyer-IL+May+9-10+Multi+Dates.pdf

and more information at www.celebratecalm.com

For information about the Convention, go to http://www.chicagohomeschoolexpo.com/home/2012-workshops

Convention dates are Thursday and Friday, May 10-11, at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Drive, Tinley Park, Ill. Advance registration has closed, but you can register at the door.

The story of Stuart Chaifetz is all over the internet. Stuart wired up his son, Akian, who has autism, and sent him to school. The recording proved that Akian was being verbally abused by his special ed teacher and the teacher's aide.

The aide was fired; the teacher was re-assigned, not fired.

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/23/stuart-chaifetz-father-wire-son-records-teacher-abuse_n_1447330.html?ref=mostpopular

We entrust our children to schools and staff for important hours every day.

I have witnessed verbal abuse of a child in Special Ed. My stepson experienced it in Woodstock District 200. He took a tape recorder to school in eighth grade and promptly got in trouble for it. It was a worse "crime" to take a tape recorder to school than it was for the bullying to occur.

Then, a year later and in summer school after a change in placement, he didn't want to go to school because of bullying. After he missed the bus one day, he agreed to go to school, if I would drive him there. So I left Woodstock, drove to Wonder Lake to pick him up and drove him to the therapeutic day school on the north side of Elgin, near I-90 and Illinois Route 31.

He wanted to take a tape recorder to school and record the bullying. Now, this is from a 9th Grade student. Pretty savvy, right?

To get him out of the house and into the car, I agreed to his taking a tape-recorder. On the 40-minute drive to school, we discussed what was happening at school, and I suggested that there might be a school rule about tape-recording. When I suggested that we ought to talk with the principal upon arrival about the use of a tape-recorder, he agreed that this would be a good idea.

When we arrived, we asked to meet with the principal, and the special ed director and she came to the school entrance. I explained about the tape-recorder and the rule I suspected was in place. Instead of listening and complimenting my stepson on coming to school and asking for permission, they went ballistic. Right in front of me.

I let him stand up for himself and he did a good job of remaining polite. Finally, they went "over the top" and I intervened and called a halt to their bullying. Even so, I hated to think what was likely to occur after I left.

No wonder he didn't want to go to school.

How do we protect our kids from bullying by teachers and staff?

Autism Fair - this Friday, April 20

Like to know more about autism? Interested in finding new or additional resources? Want to meet other parents who have (or need) information to support living with those affected by autism?

There will be a fair this Friday evening, April 20, from 5:30-7:30PM at Spectrum Support, located at 1575 W. Lake Shore Dr., Woodstock. Spectrum Support is located just east of Woodstock on U.S. 14 across from Culver's Restaurant. Turn north at the traffic light and then take the first left. Then it's the first building on the right. Got that?

Spectrum Support is teaming up with Options & Advocacy and Crystal Lake District 155 for Friday's event. Approximately 30 organizations and vendors will be represented, so you can get  most or all of your questions answered.

And it's free.

For information about Spectrum Support, visit www.spectrumsupportllc.com/

Need an advocate for your kid's IEP?

It seems to be getting harder and harder to find educational advocates to help parents with their kids' IEPs. Maybe that's because it's the parents that have to foot the bills to get their schools to provide the services that the schools are legally required to provide.

Why should it be a battle?

The IEP Team is supposed to be a 'team". That "team" includes the parent and, often, the student. Also on the team are all the school personnel and others on the school payroll. Often, the line-up looks like this:

Principal
Special Ed Director
Special Ed teacher(s)
Regular Ed teacher
Social worker
Occupation therapist
Language therapist
Reading specialist
Parent
Student

The order ought to be Student, Parent, ...

And too often it feels like

Principal, Special Ed Director, Special Ed teacher(s), Regular Ed teacher, Social worker, Occupation therapist, Language therapist, Reading specialist
vs.
Parent, Student

If you need a professional, experienced educational advocate, call Pam Labellarte at (847) 401-5053 or email Pam at plabellarte@gmail.com

Pam's website is at www.fromadvocacy2action.com

I first met Pam in January 2006, when she was a Parent Advocate at the Lake County Center for Independent Living. Do you have questions? Call Pam before more of the school year passes. This is IEP season. Know your your rights under Federal and State law to stand your best chance of getting all the services to which your child is entitled.