Tuesday evening was our final meeting of the 2018-19 school year, but we definitely ended it on a fantastic note.
Michelle started us off with just a bit of SEPTA business. We had to review and approve the proposed budget. This was exciting in and of itself, as we were better able to project what funds might look like in the upcoming year based off this year, so we were able to set aside a chunk for Mini-Grants from the get-go. If you’re a CPS employee and have an idea of a way to better support our students who access special services, don’t hesitate to apply for a Mini-Grant from us. It can be used for so many things – library books featuring characters with disabilities thus increasing representation, sensory supplies for your room or for a space in your school where any student can go to calm down, reinforcers for your students, supplies to support an activity where special ed and general ed kids work together (i.e. a games club or a coffee cart). The possibilities are endless.. we know you have ideas, we want to help make them a reality.
Also mentioned at the meeting was the fact that many parents enjoyed our social outing at the beginning of May. We’re going to try to have another one or two get-togethers over the summer, so keep an eye out for e-mails or posts over the summer!
Next came what was seriously the highlight of the year for me: the presenting of our first annual SEPTA Awards. Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations, and I can’t wait to do this again next year, even though narrowing it down to one winner per category was almost an impossible task.
Each winner was invited to come up and receive a mini-grant, a gift card, an award certificate, and a free membership to SEPTA for next school year, as the kind words left by their nominees were read aloud to them. There was some tearing up, and some had sweet words they had prepared back to the parents of special needs students. It was all around just an amazing moment.
We finished off the meeting with a presentation by Lena Sheets, counselor at Grant Elementary. It was so timely as it was centered around how to deal with Big Emotions, which I know can especially rear up in the chaotic months of summer break. I learned a lot (breathe!), and I think my favorite take away was “be the thermostat, not the thermometer” (i.e. embody the “temperature” that things should be, not escalate your actions to match theirs.) That’s sometimes hard for me, and I’ll be refocusing my efforts there.
And I’ll leave you with one final pic of all of our amazing educator winners. From left to right:
Melissa Wasicko, Learning Specialist
Abby Wurdack, First-Year Learning Specialist
Rebecca Cramer, Paraprofessional
Christi Obermeier, Speech-Language Pathologist
Jordan Johnson, General Education Teacher
(not pictured)
Jessie Starbuck, Specials Teacher (art)
Amy Wilson, Administrator