Our special services department is excited to announce the launch of our new transition program LINK. This program is designed to meet the needs of our students embarking on their independence post-high school.
LINK stands for Learning and Inclusive Transition program for Networking. Link will focus on teaching students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (ID/DD) 18-21 years of age how to integrate in their communities and gain the necessary Knowledge to successfully choose their pathway into adulthood.
Our highly skilled and dedicated staff will support LINK students in accessing individualized activities based on their needs and Transition goals, such as:
- Exploring work readiness for job opportunities
- Practicing self-advocacy skills
- Managing personal financing, budgeting, and banking
- Accessing community resources and State programs
- Identifying and utilizing natural supports
- Accessing post-secondary college and training programs
- Utilizing public transportation
- Participating in leisure and social activities
We are now accepting student referrals for the 2022-23 school year!
LINK will begin services in early January 2023. Space is limited! This program is a coordinated effort between School Districts and ESD 105. Eligible students are on a pathway to graduation, but not yet exited from their high school. Contact our office today for more information or visit our program's shared drive: LINK Overview and Information
To begin the process complete the online referral form. Our program staff will work with you to design a program based on your students' needs and pathway to adulthood. Cost will vary and be determined upon completion of the intake process prior to enrollment. Final tuition rate is based on the individual needs and transition goals for each student.
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IT'S BACK! Join other leaders from across ESD 105 and Washington State to network, learn, and grow in the principalship!
ESD 105’s Principal PLC support has multiple components in 2022-23. Our main group will be the monthly one-hour PLC held remotely via Zoom. The PLC welcomes any and all principals, assistant/vice principals, and principal interns. Registration includes access to all resources/materials/tools shared via the group plus the book "Street Data: A Next-Generation Model for Equity, Pedagogy, and School Transformation" by Shane Safir and Jamila Dugan. This “core PLC group” will include administrators from across Washington State.
Dates (all via Zoom from 6:30 to 7:30 AM) - October 11, 2022; November 8, 2022; December 13, 2022; January 10, 2023; February 14, 2023; March 14, 2023; April 11, 2023; May 9, 2023.
NEW THIS YEAR!
Registration for the ESD 105 Principal PLC unlocks access to three additional OPTIONAL groups, new this year:
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“New to My Role” small group. For those in ESD 105 only in their first year as principal or assistant/vice principal. The focus will be on establishing a support network and developing your leader voice. Hosted via Zoom by Darcie Jamieson and Mike Closner (ESD 105 Teaching & Learning). Specific dates are to be announced soon. Contact: Darcie.Jamieson@esd105.org
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Women in Principal Leadership” small group. For those in ESD 105 only. A place for women in building leadership positions to talk openly about the celebrations, opportunities, and struggles of educational leadership. Hosted via Zoom by Emily Nelson, Darcie Jamieson, and Jessica Lara (ESD 105 Teaching & Learning). Specific dates to be announced soon. Contact: Darcie Jamieson Darcie.Jamieson@esd105.org
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Monthly Drop-In” informal one-hour Zoom hosted the first Tuesday of the month by ESD 105 Teaching & Learning staff to answer “top-of-mind” questions, share details about state-wide initiatives, and share information with one another on any “How are you doing that?” topic. Join us online for our drop-ins!
Have questions? Contact Mike Closner at mike.closner@esd105.org
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Multilingual Education - More Than Just GLAD! |
ESD 105’s Language Acquisition Department provides support to districts as they work to meet the unique language needs of English learners/Multilingual Learners. We are committed to partnering with districts for meaningful collaboration that not only meets the civil rights requirements for MLs, but that supports English language development and academic achievement of Multilingual Learners.
We offer Project GLAD and SO MUCH MORE! We would love to help you plan and facilitate professional development opportunities around:
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The WIDA English Language Development Standards and writing language objectives
- Supporting schools and districts with program design and systems level planning
- ELs and MTSS
- TBIP Grant Writing
- Title III support
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Integrated and designated English language development (ELD)
- SIOP
- Facilitating regional partnerships with districts who are pursuing similar priorities
- OSSI support to meet EL goals
- Stay tuned for NEW PROJECT GLAD offerings soon!
ESD 105 offers support at all levels for districts, from working with administration teams to training paraprofessionals, because we understand that it takes everyone to help Multilingual students find success.
To learn more about the services/resources we offer, please contact Samantha Ruiz-Thomas.
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Attend Today. Achieve Tomorrow! |
As educational leaders, we know that attendance is a critical building block for student learning. If students are not present, they cannot engage in learning. Attendance is a powerful signal and leading indicator of equity. It can signal when students might need additional support and areas for system and school improvement. Chronic absenteeism impacts all students—no matter their age. Students that miss just two days a month for any reason are more likely to not read at grade level, and more likely to not graduate.
For the 2022-2023 school year, we're launching a focused multi-media campaign to support our districts with messaging about the importance of strong attendance. We have created posters, fence banners and social media graphics to help you share about the importance of strong attendance within your school communities! Use the link below to access these FREE materials!
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The new school year is off and running and it's easy to forget things like website updates that aren't your first priority when students are in the building. But.... just because they aren't your priority, doesn't mean they're not the priority of people like parents.
Let's face it...parents are busy and they don't always have time to engage during school hours because of other commitments like work. The flyers that we copy, cut and distribute to teachers with the best of intentions, end up getting stuffed into the bottom of a backpack and don't always make it into the hands they were intended for. As a parent, there's nothing quite as frustrating as having your child tell you about a family night that they want to attend and then going to a school's website and finding absolutely no information about it.
Having an up to date website with information that's actually useful to families is essential to engaging your families. Here are a few things to get in the regular habit of doing:
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Schedule (yes, put it on your calendar) time at the start of EVERY MONTH to post a principal's blog or update on your website with big ideas or things that you want to highlight (PBIS, family nights, etc.)
- If you have an event that's open to the whole school there should be information about the event plastered on your home screen so it's easy for parents to find.
- Make sure your staff directory is up to date and that the links and gasp... extensions and positions... of your teachers is accurate!
- Find fun ways to engage parents... Post a message about spirit week with a link to a few fun ideas... not all parents are as crafty as us educators!
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Don't add yet another to do to your plate...just delegate! It's no secret that your front office secretaries know everything going on so let them take charge of this one!
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Pick visuals for your homepage that make the right kind of impact. Don't get into a pattern of just posting new pictures so your website looks like it's been updated. Rather, pick high quality photos that show students and staff engaged (bonus points if they're together) and happy! Pick your top 5 photos of the season and refresh once a quarter (also...maybe mark this one on your calendar too).
If you have a communications question or crisis. we're here to help! You can reach the ESD 105 public relations & marketing department at brittany.kaple@esd105.org or by phone at (509) 314-5586.
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If you're looking at Finalsite, make sure you know your benefits! |
We are excited to share that we have negotiated a great rate for all districts in the ESD 105 region! Finalsite (who recently also acquired Blackboard) has agreed to offer the following for our districts looking to launch a new site:
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Flat design & implementation rate of $7,500
- 100 pages of content migration for the district website and 25 pages for all school sites
- A virtual webmaster to support districts through the launch phase with tasks like syncing social media feeds, establishing a news and alerts section and more!
- 2 custom online training sessions tailored to your district's need
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