Energy Balance 101

Energy Balance 101 - Healthy Schools. Healthy Kids.

Okay is this timely or what! Engery balance - Active, Healthy Lifestyle ---- Halloween 3 days away, Thanksgiving in less than a month, December Holidays on the way! Take a hike! No seriously, check out the Energy Balance 101 at http://energybalance101.discoveryeducation.com/ and DISCOVER (no pun intended, HA HA) all the ----- get ready ----- FREE resources for teachers, parents and community to support kids for an active and healthy lifestyle. For teachers a free k-5 wellness curriculum with lesson plans, resources, and videos aligned to national standards. There are resources for family and community extension to help with learning beyond the classroom. Besides you might learn something too! So why are you still reading ---- check out the link and the lunchbox sandwiches they'll love under the Families/Parents tab!

Red Ribbon Week - October 23 - 31, 2010

Red Ribbon Week is the nation's oldest and largest drug prevention program in the nation reaching millions of Americans during the last week of October every year. The US Drug Enforcement Administration in conjunction with the National Family Partnership sponsor this week. Check out the US Drug Enforcement Administration's web site at www.justice.gov/dea/ongoing/redribbon_factsheet.html for information on Red Ribbon anti-drug campaign facts and the National Family Partnership web site at www.nfp.org/ for information on Red Ribbon Week. By participating in this campaign, young people pledge to live a drug-free life and pay tribute to DEA Special Agent Enrigque "Kiki" Camarena.

School Bus Safety Week

Yes, it is School Bus Safety Week!!! Yikes, there has been alot going on this week ---- yes, I know School Bus Safety Week is almost over ---- sorry! Well, this year's theme is "Cross in View, It's the Right Thing to Do!" Okay, so to make up for the fact that this posting is sooo late, how about thinking of getting your kids ready to come up with a poster? Yes, this year's poster contest was suppose to be submitted by the third week in October for consideration for the poster for 2011, however, now you can get a jump start on the poster for 2012 --- well you can get started as soon as you check out the National Association Pupil Transportation site at https://naptonline.org for lots of neat stuff including, yes you have guessed it ---- free resources on bus safety and info on the poster contest. So this winter when the kids have to stay indoors on bad weather days ---- start those posters! Get out those crayons, markers, color pencils, paints --- okay, you get the idea now all you have to do is wait for the theme for 2012! The wheels on bus go round and round --- everybody sing...

Character Counts Week

Character Counts! Week ---- October 17-23, 2010

According to the Josephson Institute Center for Youth Ethics web site, http://charactercounts.org/, this year's National CHARACTER COUNTS! Week will be celebrated by nearly 8 million kids in 52 countries --- that's a big party! The web site mentions parades, themed dress days, T-shirt design contests, writing contests, classroom-door decorating contests, all kinds of parental involvement, CC! assemblies, Role Models of the Day, Pillars of the Day, art projects, class mentoring, surprise guests, and several versions of Celebration Friday. Check out the web site where you can get ---- yes, yes ---- free lesson plans, Red Ribbon Week tie-in activities and much more!! Get into CHARACTER and check it out!

Teen Read Week

Happy Teen Read Week - October 17-23, 2010

Teen Read Week is an intiative of the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)! YALSA started the week in 1998 and each year there is a theme ---- this year's theme ---- Books with Beat @ the library, which YALSA hopes to encourage teens to read poetry, audiobooks, books about music, and more. Help celebrate Teen Read Week by checking out what your town libraries are going to help celebrate this week. Teens have many entertainment options ---- we librarians don't want them to forget about all the entertainment they can find within the library! Reading is fun and we need to encourage fun reading for teens! Okay and for folks who need to hear about research ---- "Research shows that teens who read for fun have better test scores and are more likely to succeed in the workforce." Yes, taken verbatium from YALSA's page on ALA's website. Now get out there and ENCOURAGE TEENS TO READ! --- and don't forget to check out our library!

Some of the latest Transition and Career resources at the SERC Library

Check out some of these recently added new resources:


Work and disability: Contexts, issues, and strategies for enhancing employment outcomes for people with disabilities edited by Edna Mora Szymanski and Randall M. Parker, 2010.

This 492-page third edition, written by several contributing authors, covers the latest in legislative background and other contextual matters regarding employment of people with disabilities: vocational theories and research related to disability; counseling interventions, multicultural issues, vocational assessment, labor market information, and accommodation of people with disabilities in the workplace; job placement and job development; outreach through business consultation; and supported employment for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Think college!: Postsecondary education options for students with intellectual disabilities by Meg Grigal and Debra Hart

This 342-page resource uncovers the big picture of today's postsecondary options and reveals how to support students with disabilities before, during, and after a successful transition to college. It will help readers understand the current models for postsecondary education (PSE), overcome the common challenges to PSE for students with intellectual disabilities, plan effective person-centered transition services, and support students as they manage all the practical aspects of a positive PSE experience.

Transition strategies from adolescents & young adults who use AAC, edited by David B. NcNaughton and David R. Beukelman, 2010.

This 228-page book will help professionals who provide critical supports to young people who use AAC make a smooth transition to a fulfilling self-determined adult life by providing effective services that meet the young people's individual needs and make the most of advances in technology. Combining the best research-based practices from diverse fields - including special education, vocational rehabilitation, and communication disorders - this resource covers every aspect of transition planning for young adults with a wide range of disabilities. Guidance from top experts is woven together with personal stories of young adults who use AAC, shedding light on the challenges of transition and the research-based strategies that lead to positive outcomes.

Universal design for transition: A roadmap for planning and instruction, by Colleen A. Thoma, Christina C. Bartholomew and LaRon A. Scott, 2009.

This 238-Page guide applies the principles of universal design for learning to transition for students with disabilities. This concept is called UDT or universal design for transition and can support the planning for transition from school to adult life. This book provides practical guidance and teaching tips and information on technology supports, the assessment process, IEPs, employment, secondary education, community living and recreation and leisure. Includes case studies and reproducible pages.

These are just a few of the many resources that can be found at the SERC Library. Check out all the resources available in the Library catalog at http://serc-verso.auto-graphics.com/iluminar.

Welcome to Connecticut CEC DCDT Conference Attendees

Welcome to Connecticut - we hope you enjoy your stay!

In honor of your conference down in Mystic, our blog post is featuring transition and school to work sites you might like to check out or revisit! There are lots of listings on the web, however, we decide on a few we like or visit. Some have resources (some you can download), links, info for parents, students, professionals and lots of other stuff.

Here goes:

DCDT's own site (big surprise here!) www.dcdt.org/transitionresources.cfm
NICHCY's site: www.nichcy.org/educatechildren/transition_adulthood/pages/basics.aspx
ILI (Independent Living Institute): www.independentliving.org/
LifeSkills4kids.com: www.lifeskills4kids.com/acorn.php
NCSET (National Center on Secondary Education and Transition): http://ncset.org/
JAN (Job Accommodation Network): http://askjan.org/
AHEAD (Association on Higher Education and Disability): www.ahead.org/students-parents/transitions
PACER Center Champions for Children with Disabilities: www.pacer.org/publications/transition.asp
Support for Families of Children with Disabilities: www.supportforfamilies.org/internetguide/transition.html
NCWD (National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability): http://www.ncwd-youth.info/
LDonline: www.ldonline.org/indepth/transition
AccessCAREERS: www.washington.edu/doit/Careers/k12.html
Disability.gov: www.disability.gov/home/i_want_to/learn_about_transition_services_for_youth
Think College! College Options for People with Intellectual Disabilities: http://thinkcollege.net/


You might also want to check out this series of article recently from Edutopia:
How Career Tech is Merging with College Prep: www.edutopia.or/stw-career-techincal-education-resources

In addition, check out the previous posting. We listed some of the newer resources in the SERC Library.

Enjoy your conference and we hope you get to see some of the uniqueness of Mystic and Connecticut!

National School Lunch Week

October 11 - 15, 2010 is National School Lunch Week!

Yes, there is an organization for this celebration --- www.schoolnutrition.org/ and yes, there are some ---- get ready ----free resources to help celebrate this week! There are even recipes----I know, school lunch recipes -- are you daft -- who would want school lunch recipes, so apparently you have not been reading previous posts? If so, you would by now recognize the themes here!

Okay, back to National School Lunch Week, in addition to activities check out their catalog --- I love the teddy bear (cute grin, watch out about making eye contact) but the shirt with "Ketchup is not a vegetable" ---- what is up with that----notice it is not listed for sale----listing goes from D to F but no E for the shirt (they either got some nasty emails or sold out--I'm going with sold out!). Check out the pins, love the veggie and fruit characters 26-27!

Happy School Lunch Week!

National Educational Office Professionals Career Awareness Week

October 10 - 16, 2010 is National Educational Office Professionals Career Awareness Week. Wow, who knew about this organization? Well, certainly educational office professionals! The organization has been around since 1934 - first as the National Association of School Secretaries -- later changed to National Association of Educational Secretaries, and now know as National Association of Educational Office Professionals. Check it out at http://www.naeop.org/. On behalf of all parents and late students thanks for those passes EOPs! Have a great week!

Google Refreshes Service for Educators for the Fall

Yes, one of our favorite search engines has enhanced their services for educators this fall. First, as if you have not already noticed, Google Instant made it debut last month, so long before you're finished typing, Instant search starts predicting your search and showing results. Google says this can save you 2-5 seconds per search and the search gives predictions that can help guide your search. Wow, searching on the net is now like search databases (and helps correct those spelling errors)!

In addition, Google has updated Google Earth with version 5 the latest edition of the virtual globe software. Don't forget about Google Voice which allows you to combine your computer with your phone, check out Google Forms which allows you to collect data from parents and students, and the ever popular Google Images.

Well, you know the drill --- Google (http://www.google.com/) it!

Fire Prevention Week October 3 – 9, 2010

Did you know that this year's campaign is all about the importance of smoke alarms! Did you know all the neat activities available to parents, kids, teachers and firefighters on the National Fire Protection Association web site? Well if not, what are you waiting for ---- check it out at www.nfpa.org/.

Even though my Dad was both a paid firefighter and then a volunteer and my sons were both volunteers, I did not realize all the neat activities available to learn about fire prevention and yes, they are FREE (do you see a reoccurring theme in some of the SERC Library blog postings)! Okay, I did get distracted by one posting under the Latest News; Do you have a smoking firehouse recipe for chill? Yes, firefighters are good cooks, and yes, often when we stopped by the fire house when Dad was on, the firemen took us kids over to the bakery and bought us donuts (chocolate covered!) and spoiled our dinner, but seriously, who can resist looking at recipes! So just a quick peek at those and then on to the important activities!

AND check your smoke alarms!!!!