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News and Events News: Upcoming Events: VFES Golf Outing Monday, May 10, 2010 Location: Waynesborough Country Club in Paoli Our VFES Golf Outing promises to be an enjoyable afternoon and evening in the service of a crucial cause. Every day on the campus of Valley Forge Educational Services, The Crossroads School, The Vanguard School and Summer Matters™ provide highly personalized education for children whose needs are not being appropriately met by conventional schools and programs. Close at hand on other parts of our campus, educators, therapists and professionals develop cutting-edge ideas for delivering innovative, progressive, and comprehensive services to children, families, and education professionals through our Conferences and Training, Grant Writing, and Child Development Services divisions. Your participation in the Golf Outing will enrich the education of Crossroads and Vanguard students as well campers enrolled in one of three unique Summer Matters™ programs. It will also enable VFES to further its mission of increasing understanding of how to best serve children who learn differently and expand its program offerings and services. Participants will enjoy a buffet lunch and an afternoon of golf. Cocktail reception and awards ceremony will follow. We hope you will join us! View brochure  Register OnlinePrograms Hosted by VFES’ Conferences & Training Division  subscribers, register here for all events.
Conferences and Workshops for Professionals 2009-2010 Wednesday, March 17, 2010, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm Location: Desmond Conference Center Liberty Boulevard, Malvern, PA 19355 Presenter, Susan Hentz, Intervention Specialist, View Inc., will provide attendees with research-based instructional strategies to improve student learning. This workshop will be valuable to educators who want to learn how to better understand multiple tiers of instruction and intervention, use data effectively, and develop skills for collaborative problem solving pertaining to Response to Instruction and Intervention (Rtll in Pennsylvania) into their classrooms. Fee: $149 per participant (click on registration link for more information) View the Flyer Register OnlineSession 2: Working the SAAFP for Real Students in the Real World of Enhancing the Summary of Performance Document: Cultivating the Information Exchange for Successful Student Transition, co-sponsored by Valley Forge Educational Services and West Chester University’s College of Education, Department of Special Education. Thursday, March 18, 2010 from 4p.m. – 6p.m. Location: VFES Activities Center As a result of your participation and feedback from our November 13, 2009 Accommodating Students with Disabilities conference, WCU and VFES will work with local secondary schools to support the understanding and implementation of the Pennsylvania Summary of Academic and Functional Performance (SAAFP) document. Although the use of the transition documents is essential to guide and support students as they bridge into a variety of post K-12 settings, the particular goal of this series is to generate effective, informational SAAFPs that truly are key to identifying and accessing needed supports and accommodations in institutions of higher education (IHE). Part of our work will include the development of student Summaries of Performance from within your school or district. 2 ACT 48 Hours. Prerequisite: For the seminar, please have with you a student profile ready for transition, and please, ensure confidentiality of the student. Register OnlineBreakthrough Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders and the Hope for the Future Tuesday, May 11, 2010, 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Location: VFES Activities Center Presenter: Bob Schultz, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Autism Research (CAR), The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, will provide an overview of the latest research in the neurobiology of Autism Spectrum Disorders, focusing on recent findings in the fields of genetics and neuroimaging. He will conclude with how these findings impact the development of effective treatments for individuals with ASD. This workshop is designed for a broad audience and will cover
Robert Schultz, Ph.D. is Director of the Center for Autism Research at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and is the immediate past president of the International Society for Autism Research. A clinical psychologist with expertise in neuropsychology, neuroimaging, and behavioral genetics, he is known for his MRI (fMRI) work on social perceptual difficulties in ASD. Act 48 is provided for instructional certificate holders with required attendance and hours, evaluation, and $10 registration fee. View the Flyer Register Online3rd Annual Paraeducator Conference: The Resourceful ParaPro Friday, May 28, 2010, 8:30 am - 3:00 pm Location: Desmond Conference Center Liberty Boulevard, Malvern, PA 19355 Presenter: Jane Harris, Safe and Civil Schools, M.Ed. Special Education and Administration - Jane is an expert in the field of developing resourceful paraeducators in behavior management, school-wide interventions and best instructional practices. She has worked in various educational settings: developing EBD student programs, as Principal of two alternative programs, and as a school-based diagnostician and consultant in multiple schools from elementary through high school. As a member of the first Distinguished Educators Group through the Kentucky Leadership Academy, she assisted schools in improving student achievement and training as the Director of Student Achievement in Lexington. Information: Paraeducators, our most valuable yet underutilized human resource in our educational system, provide essential support to children with disabilities and their teachers. As educational and state systems increasingly demand highly skilled paraprofessionals to provide individualized assistance and services to our struggling youth with exceptionalities, Valley Forge Educational Services ensures paraeducators have the professional training and support to ensure every child achieves. Learners will
View the Flyer Register OnlineParent Education Series Human Sexuality: Education and Expectations for Individuals Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders Thursday, February 18, 2010, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Presenter Kathleen Wilkins, Ph.D., will identify strategies for parents and other educational professionals to discuss sexuality issues with an adolescent or adult with Autism or Aspergers. Register OnlineWork Incentives & Benefits Management Planning Thursday, March 25th, 2010, 6:00 pm Presenter Michelle Leahy, Transitional Work Incentive Coordinator for AHEDD, will help families and students with these questions:
Register OnlineFinancial Planning Workshop: Planning Long-Term for Your Child with Special Needs Thursday, March 25th, 2010, 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm Presenter Patrick Collins, principal and founder of Greenspring Wealth Management , a firm specializing in working with families of children with special needs as well as business owners, corporate executives and retirees. This event is part of VFES Vanguard School’s Dr. Milton Brutten Lecture Series: 50th Anniversary Speaker Program Register OnlineThe Wanna Play Program: Understanding Social Interaction Skills Thursday, April 8, 2010, 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm Presenter Ruth Herron Ross is CEO of The Wanna Play, a program that incorporates learning the social strategies needed to function in society into fun interaction. Participants will gain understanding about the interaction continuum for students with special needs, receive information about selected activities, and practice specifis strategies to help maintain a positive learning environment home and at school. Register OnlineOngoing Continuous Staff Development (VFES) The Staff Development Spash Newsletter VFES provides continuous staff development opportunities for special educators on the VFES campus or in your school or school district. Courses, workshops, and trainings address myriad topics that range from creative instructional strategies (better ways to manage to success in meeting IEP or ILP goals and objectives) to empowered classroom management to effectively using assistive technologies and many more. For information on any of VFES’ staff development workshops, or if you have a specific need for training, contact: Maria Kreiter, Director of Conferences/Training at makreiter@vfes.net or call 610-296-6725 (Ext.168). |