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Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS)
Fairfax County 2e parents meeting, Wed Jan 26 @ 10 am
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Anonymous
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FYI -- for those that may have been unable to attend the January Parents Resource Center workshop on Twice-exceptional students -- I share this information about a meeting for parents this Wednesday.
Following the FCPS PRC parent workshop, Twice Exceptional - Gifted Students with Learning Challenges to discover unique strategies to support these complex learners at all levels, on Friday, January 7, 2011, a number of FCPS parents are planning to meet.. on January 26th at Marie O' Grady's house. Marie asked that I share her information below. I have been in contact briefly with Marie and shared some background about our advocacy since 2002. Marie plans to attend the ACSD on Wednesday.......Hope to see many of you there too! Pray for no snow!!!! Connie === Dear 2 E Parents: My name is Marie O'Grady and left the 2 E meeting yesterday with your contact information from a passed around sign-up email list. This list was generated for the purpose of 2 E Fairfax County Parents (I want to emphasize parents, guardians or surrogate parents) to come together as a unified group with the general purpose of making positive changes for the students and families who have a 2 E FCPS student. I believe that for positive changes to happen in FCPS, it will take a group effort. Below is copied from a recent Wrightslaw blog: If you are in a school that is not parent-friendly, this is how you might be perceived. 1 person = A fruitcake 2 people = A fruitcake and a friend 3 people = Troublemakers 5 people = “Let’s have a meeting” 10 people = “We’d better listen” 25 people = “Our dear friends” 50 people = A powerful organization” If you collaborate with other parents and organizations, you can make a difference. There is strength and power in numbers. FCPS will listen to a unified organized group. We do have to meet to decide what are the goals and objectives of our group as well as how do we want to pursue these goals/objectives. From the meeting it was clear that we are a group of parents who have in common gifted students, but the disabilities are quite variable, which makes our 2E group diverse. Many of the common identified LD areas I heard yesterday: autism, Asperger's, dyslexia, specific learning disabilities, dysgraphia, and physical disabilities. I am sure there are many more, but these are the ones that I recall. I did quickly announce at the meeting about the ACSD meeting where parents are able to speak for 3 minutes on any topic concerning disabilities. Below is the link. If a topic is brought up in at least 3 meetings during the year, then this committee must address the concerns. If you feel that you are willing and able to speak at this meeting, it would be a good start. If you are not able to speak, just showing u[ and listening is valuable. The guest speaker for the January meeting is Thomas West, who wrote, In the Mind's Eye, and other books. He will be addressing dyslexia as well as the 2 E learner. Here is the link to ACSD: http://www.fcps.edu/dss/ACSD/index.htm YOUR LOCAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES SERVES YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY Next meeting: January 12, 2011 View schedule of meeting dates> Meetings are held in Room 1600, Gatehouse Administrative Center, 8115 Gatehouse Road, Falls Church, Virginia, 22042. view agenda > Lastly, we need to meet. I am offering my home to be the initial meeting place. If our numbers are too large, then I will find a venue that can accommodate. I just don't know how many people will be available. Please invite your friends who also have 2 E students. I hope that this date and time is available for many of you. Kindly, rsvp via email. Wednesday, January 26, 2011 10 a.m. - noon, 8016 Birnam Wood Drive, McLean, Va 22102 At the meeting, please bring your ideas, concerns, contacts, possible guest speakers, and any information that would be helpful for us to determine our goals and how to reach these goals. I am not the "leader" of this group. I am simply getting us started and have no more input than each parent who is interested in joining this 2E Parent Advocacy Group. If you wish to be taken off this email list, please let me know. If you want to send emails to the entire group adding/changing what has been stated here, please feel free to do so. My intentions are to have a beginning point for discussion and union. Best Regards, Marie O'Grady Parent/Advocate Marieogrady.com |
Anonymous
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Mmmm, fruitcake.
So you're saying there will be refreshments? 
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Anonymous
LOL! 
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Anonymous
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I certainly need to know more about 2 e. We are moving back to the washington area after a few years in Belgium. We bought a house in McLean (Chesterbrook) and my son is headed into the 5th grade. He is exceptionally bright but also has a raft of learning problems -- memory issues, dyslexia etc etc. We just learned that the Lab School does not have space for him so I now have to jump into the FCPS morass to get him the services he needs. Would love to find some resources as I feel way behind the 8-ball on this. I have been the fruitcake here in Belgium where english is the 4th language and speech and language therapists are wholly concentrated on speech only and the ritzy intl school is only as good as the particular teacher you get -- had an austrialian last year who just about squashed my child as he spent more time in the hallway than in the classroom! Anyone have a learning challenged student at Chesterbrook? Any advice? I will be happy to stand up at FCPS meetings and raise a flag for these fantastic kids that comprise 20 percent of the population but do not learn in the same ways as their peers. byrnette@gmail.com |
Anonymous
I suggest you join the Fairfax 2e Yahoo group as a start: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fairfaxtwiceexceptional/ From there you should find more resources and specifics on Chesterbrook. Best of luck with your move! |
Anonymous
| Hopefully the house feeds to Longfellow/Mclean not Cooper/Langley. |
Anonymous
| Thanks so much for the info. Yes we are Longfellow/McLean. Sounds like good news? |