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November 8, 2021
Digital Premiere of APS’ La Sopa de La Abuela/Grandma’s Soup
One of the true highlights of 2021’s Family Engagement Month is the long awaited release of La Sopa de la Abuela/Grandma’s Soup: A Special Education Telenovela on November 22nd. Several years ago, a collaborative team of Arlington parents of students with disabilities and staff from the Parent Resource Center, the Office of Family and Community Engagement (FACE) and the Office of English Learners embarked on a creative project designed to share special education and family engagement information in a unique, relevant, and innovative way. Guided by parents’ lived experiences, and based on principles of adult learning, family engagement, and use of media as an educational tool, the design team created a five-episode series that follows a family as they navigate the special education process. Their journey explores the many emotions families experience as parents participate in special education meetings, learn about the process and their children’s learning needs, connect with other parents, join staff to collaborate as equal members of their children’s educational teams, and become advocates for their children. La Sopa de la Abuela tells an important story, and also provides learning opportunities for families and staff alike.
Once the script was developed, the team invited community input through family/staff focus groups, edited the script, and then turned the project over to the capable hands of our amazing Arlington Educational Television (AETV) team, who guided us through the audition and casting process, and then filmed and produced this series that we are extremely proud of. We hope you will join us for a first glimpse of this series which we believe reflects the power of true family and staff collaboration. We are hopeful this telenovela will be a useful tool in furthering our family engagement, equity and inclusion initiatives, and will support both families of students with disabilities and staff as they work together on behalf of APS students. We can’t wait to share this series with you! Happy Family Engagement Month from the writers, cast and crew of La Sopa de la Abuela! We’ll see you on November 22nd. Register here for your free ticket!
National School Psychology Week 
The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) has designated Nov. 8-12, 2021 as National School Psychology Week with the theme “Let’s Get in GEAR.” The theme acronym (Grow, Engage, Advocate, Rise) highlights how school psychologists can empower children to grow in areas such as social skills, empathy, and compassion for others, as well as problem-solving, goal setting and academic skills. Many thanks to APS’ school psychologists for their impact on the education and well-being of students. Read more about National School Psychology Week here.
VDOE Annual Special Education Parent Survey
Earlier this year, the Office of Special Education forwarded hard copies of special education surveys from the Virginia Department of Education home via U.S. Mail, and forwarded links to the electronic version of the survey via APS School Talk. The VDOE survey will remain open through December 18th. If you have not yet had an opportunity to complete the survey, please use the links below to submit your responses. It is important to note that your responses are recorded anonymously and cannot be personally linked to your child. Parents who have more than one child receiving special education services should submit one survey for each child receiving services. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Tracy Lee, VDOE family engagement specialist, via telephone, at (804) 225-3492, or via e-mail, at Tracy.Lee@doe.virginia.gov.
2020-2021 English Survey
2020-2021 Spanish Survey
APS Transition Fair
Saturday, November 13, 2021: 11am to 1pm
Arlington Career Center816 S Walter Reed Dr. Arlington, VA 22204
Register here or call 703.228.2545
Join the APS Transition Team for the Arlington Public Schools Annual Transition Fair! – Building Your Future Together! Participants will learn about a variety of community resources for individuals with special needs. This event will focus on services that individuals with developmental disabilities can access after graduation. For additional information, please contact Joy Haley at 703-228-2545 or joy.haley@apsva.us
View APS Transition Fair Flyer 2021
Arlington Special Education Advisory Committee (ASEAC) Meeting/Reunión del Comité Asesor de Educación Especial de Arlington (ASEAC)
Tuesday, November 16, 2021 from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Virtual Meeting – via Zoom
Register here
- 7:00-7:20 – Opening and Public Comments
- 7:20-7:40 – Office of Special Education Report
- 7:40-8:20 – APS Transportation
- 8:20-8:50 – Introduction to Budget Planning Factors and Discussion
- 8:50-9:00 – ASEAC business
This business portion of this meeting will be recorded through Zoom.
At the beginning of each meeting, ASEAC welcomes comments from the public regarding the needs of students with disabilities in APS. See the ASEAC Public Comment Guidelines at https://aps2016.apsva.us/special-education-advisory-committee for information about submitting public comments.
Any person who would like an interpreter and/or any person with a disability who needs accommodation to access the meeting should contact the Parent Resource Center at 703.228.7239 or prc@apsva.us at least four business days in advance of a meeting to request assistance.
Reunión del Comité Asesor de Educación Especial de Arlington (ASEAC)
Martes, 16 de noviembre de 2021 de 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Reunión virtual – a través de Zoom
Registrarse aqui
- 7:00-7:20 – Apertura y comentarios públicos
- 7:20-7:40 – Informe de la Oficina de Educación Especial
- 7:40-8:20 – Transporte APS
- 8:20-8:50 – Introducción a los factores y discusión de la planificación presupuestaria
- 8:50-9:00 – Asuntos ASEAC
Esta parte de negocios de esta reunión se grabará a través de Zoom.Al comienzo de cada reunión, ASEAC agradece los comentarios del público sobre las necesidades de los estudiantes con discapacidades en APS. Consulte las Pautas de comentarios públicos de la ASEAC en https://aps2016.apsva.us/special-education-advisory-committee para obtener información sobre cómo enviar comentarios públicos.Cualquier persona que requiera un intérprete y / o con una alguna discapacidad que necesite adaptaciones para atender a la reunión debe comunicarse con el Centro de Recursos para Padres y solicitar asistencia al 703.228.7239 o prc@apsva.us con al menos quatro días de anticipación antes de la reunión.
Autism Parent Series: Encouraging and Supporting Positive Behavior
Thursday, November 18th, 2021: 7pm to 8:00pm
Register here
Join us as we welcome Ms. Deborah Hammer, Autism/Low Incidence Disability Specialist, who will share information on how parents can understand and respond to behavior at home. During this session, Ms. Hammer will share information on the functions of behavior, as well as a variety of strategies parents/guardians can use at home to support skill development.
La Sopa de la Abuela/Grandma’s Soup: A Special Education Telenovela
Virtual Premiere!
Monday, November 22, 2021: 7pm – 8pm
Register here
Join the Arlington community for the virtual World Premiere of La Sopa de la Abuela/Grandma’s Soup – a poignant, innovative special education telenovela created by Arlington Public Schools. Written collaboratively by Arlington parents and staff and produced by AETV, La Sopa de la Abuela follows the journey of a family as their son is referred for a special education evaluation. With the support of a trusted friend, school staff and beloved grandparents, travel along with this family as they experience the roller coaster of emotions that often accompany special education, and cheer them on as they learn about the special education process and grow into their roles as advocates for their child.
In this brief session presented in English and Spanish, participants will:
- learn why the novela was created and how it supports APS’ family engagement, equity and inclusion efforts;
- be the first to view this unique production created by and starring Arlington parents and staff; and
- connect with additional resources and upcoming learning opportunities for families and staff.
La Sopa de la Abuela: una telenovela única y conmovedora sobre la educación especialLunes 22 de noviembre de 2021: 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Registrarse aqui
Únase a la comunidad de Arlington para el estreno mundial virtual de La Sopa de la Abuela / Grandma’s Soup, una telenovela única y conmovedora sobre la educación especial creada por las Escuelas Públicas de Arlington. Escrita con colaboración de padres y personal de APS y producida por AETV, La Sopa de la Abuela cuenta la experiencia de una familia cuyo hijo es referido a una evaluación para el programa de educación especial. Con el apoyo de una amiga de confianza, el personal de la escuela y sus queridos abuelos, acompañe a esta familia en los altibajos de emociones que a menudo hacen parte del proceso de educación especial, y anímelos mientras aprenden sobre este proceso y cómo abogar por su hijo. En esta breve sesión presentada en inglés y español, los participantes:
- aprenderán por qué se creó la novela y cómo apoya los esfuerzos de participación familiar, equidad e inclusión en APS;
- serán los primeros en ver esta innovadora producción creada y protagonizada por padres y personal de APS; y
- aprenderán sobre recursos adicionales y próximas oportunidades para las familias y el personal
Save the Date: Collaborating with Your Child’s School
Tuesday, November 30, 2021: 7pm – 8:30pm
Registration Coming Soon
We are pleased to welcome Ms. Chiquita Seaborne, Family Engagement Specialist with the Virginia Department of Education, who will share tips and strategies on effective home-school communication.
