Order of operations.
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| “There are no mistakes, only happy accidents.” ― |
A little over seven months into our time here, we have finally established our daily patterns in order to ensure successful* days. Things are as scheduled and orderly as you can make them when dealing with two very willful children. South Florida is a loud, colorful, hectic mess. But we're ok with that.
At least I think we are!
As mentioned in an earlier post, the kids overall attitude keeps getting better, not worse. I see in them now a level of happiness which was more than my pessimistic little heart dared to hope for after their run in with Cumbres. Things are still a work in progress (that I accept will be never ending) but they are both doing so well.
I only have to look at their art wall to know that.
Our oldest's school is really working with her (and us) as we navigate through ESE in Florida. We are now at the stage where she is being formally assessed at school. After the entire process is over, I will probably write an in-depth post about it. But for right now the short explanation of ESE/ Section 504 in Florida goes something like this:
1.The student's parents or teacher raise concerns about said student's need for additional help.
2.The school's ESE committee (which you can and should be a part of) meet to discuss the student. At this meeting you will be given a questionnaire to fill out regarding your child. After this meeting a form will be sent home with your child asking you to provide consent for an evaluation. This form will list the ESE program your child falls under, which is determined after review of the initial information provided by you and your child's teacher.
3.Your child is evaluated to determine if they have a disability and what type of supports they will require to meet their needs.
4.All the collected information is used to create your student's Section 504 education plan.
This very abbreviated explanation doesn't take into account kids who are gifted, or those who qualify for the IDEA Act.
If you follow the topic of the FSLife with kids who need assistance, you know that for many it can be a brutal, knock down drag-out fight to get support for your kids from the department. We curtailed from our last posting due to the lack of adequate schools, and if I am being honest about it I don't like to think of the extra hurdles awaiting us next bidding cycle. Which is sad because my kids have in general loved being overseas. Will our oldest need a supportive school environment when we go overseas next? Yes. Do I think that's an impossible feat to accomplish? No. Do I dread getting MED involved? Yep.
Despite that dread, I am cautiously optimistic about all of this. While we have some suspicions as to what will come back on our eldest's assessment, we are trying to keep a positive outlook on everything. So far, it feels like we have actual agency when it comes to our interactions with the school which is very comforting as a parent.
*no-meltdown day
At least I think we are!
As mentioned in an earlier post, the kids overall attitude keeps getting better, not worse. I see in them now a level of happiness which was more than my pessimistic little heart dared to hope for after their run in with Cumbres. Things are still a work in progress (that I accept will be never ending) but they are both doing so well.
I only have to look at their art wall to know that.
Our oldest's school is really working with her (and us) as we navigate through ESE in Florida. We are now at the stage where she is being formally assessed at school. After the entire process is over, I will probably write an in-depth post about it. But for right now the short explanation of ESE/ Section 504 in Florida goes something like this:
1.The student's parents or teacher raise concerns about said student's need for additional help.
2.The school's ESE committee (which you can and should be a part of) meet to discuss the student. At this meeting you will be given a questionnaire to fill out regarding your child. After this meeting a form will be sent home with your child asking you to provide consent for an evaluation. This form will list the ESE program your child falls under, which is determined after review of the initial information provided by you and your child's teacher.
3.Your child is evaluated to determine if they have a disability and what type of supports they will require to meet their needs.
4.All the collected information is used to create your student's Section 504 education plan.
This very abbreviated explanation doesn't take into account kids who are gifted, or those who qualify for the IDEA Act.
If you follow the topic of the FSLife with kids who need assistance, you know that for many it can be a brutal, knock down drag-out fight to get support for your kids from the department. We curtailed from our last posting due to the lack of adequate schools, and if I am being honest about it I don't like to think of the extra hurdles awaiting us next bidding cycle. Which is sad because my kids have in general loved being overseas. Will our oldest need a supportive school environment when we go overseas next? Yes. Do I think that's an impossible feat to accomplish? No. Do I dread getting MED involved? Yep.
Despite that dread, I am cautiously optimistic about all of this. While we have some suspicions as to what will come back on our eldest's assessment, we are trying to keep a positive outlook on everything. So far, it feels like we have actual agency when it comes to our interactions with the school which is very comforting as a parent.
*no-meltdown day
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