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Click here to register for this event What: This three hour training is designed for counselor/administrator teams to work together to learn the basic principles of the Montana School Counseling Program Model.  The training will include roles and responsibilities of counselors and administrators within the program and steps for implementation of the Model.  Participants will have an outline of an implementation plan and be able to begin the implementation process. The goal is to provide high-quality, Level I training for Montana school counselors and administrators. Participants will learn the tools to: establish a school counseling program as an integral component of the school?s academic missions; ensure students have access to counseling services; identify and deliver the knowledge and skills acquired in the Academic, Career, and personal/Social Domains; promote specific guidelines and strategies to engage culturally different students/parents in counseling and the educational process; and, sponsor a culturally appropriate approach to counseling that is aligned with the spirit and intent of IEFA. Where: Montana State University - Billings College of Education Building, Room 122 Billings, MT Scheduled Trainings: March 11, 2011 9:00am-12:00pm April 1, 2011 9:00am-12:00pm April 13, 2011 9:00am-12:00pm Cost: http://www.msubillings.edu/smart/training/schoolcounseling.htm There are no fees for this training but registration is required.  Mileage reimbursement will be paid for those outside of the Billings area.

1.  If your child is exhibiting new behavioral problems that are interfering with their ability to access the curriculum; your school may need to implement a Behavior Support Plan to extinguish the negative or off task behavior. 2.  If your child is struggling academically in the first semester, don’t wait until second semester to address the problem.  If you have to request new assessments; keep in mind the timeline from the day you authorized the assessments.  The school has 60 days* in which to conduct the assessments and hold an IEP, so if you wait until second semester, the school year might be coming to an end; basically, your child has lost the entire year.  * Some States have different timelines so please check the timelines in your State. 3.  If your child will be attending Kindergarten, Middle School or High School the following year; you need to know all the areas of strengths and weaknesses to help them transition into the next phase of their education. 4.  If your child has been bullied in school, you need to make sure there is a safety plan implemented to protect your child from harm.  In addition, your child should know the name of the school personnel they can approach if the situation arises again; providing a safe place in the school environment. 5.  If your child’s placement is no longer working, do not wait to address this problem; otherwise, your child may lose an entire year of academics. 6.  If your child has been suspended repeatedly for behavioral problems, do not wait until the school is about to expel your child from the district.  Call an IEP to discuss changes in the Behavior Support Plan or ask for additional assessments immediately such as a Functional Behavior Assessment. 7.  If your child has been assigned an Aide that is not experienced enough to prevent your child from eloping, you need to call an IEP as soon as possible to request a BCBA (Board Certified Behavior Analyst) or additionally training for the Aide.  Remember, every time your child leaves the classroom they are not being educated! 8.  If your child is experiencing depression, lack of self-worth, anxiety…etc.  You should call an IEP and request a Social/Emotional Assessment for in-school counseling.  If your child already has in-school counseling and that’s not working then you need to request an Educationally Related Mental Health Assessment to address these issues before they escalate into more serious behavior. 9.  If the services you agreed to at your child’s last IEP meeting are not working, you need to call an IEP to ask your school to increase the amount of services, or file for Due Process if you feel it’s necessary to take the matter directly to the school district. 10. If the School has not been following your child’s IEP; therefore, is out of compliance, call an IEP right away to allow the school to remedy the situation.  If they are not willing to rectify the situation then you need to either file for Due Process or file a complaint with the State Department of Education.

What: Montana State University Billings is hosting its second Summer Institute on June 6-9, 2011 on its main campus.  This is an excellent opportunity for professional development for educators, administrators, specialists, and other school staff.  The Institute will offer a wide variety of educational trainings at an affordable price.  To learn more about the Summer Institute you can visit the website at http://www.msubillings.edu/summerinstitute . There will be a variety of OPI training opportunities available at the Summer Institute.  The Institute will be offering Level I training in the following areas: Gifted and Talented; Media Literacy; Library Information Literacy Technology; and, Transforming School Counseling in Montana.   There will also be Level II training available for Gifted and Talented focusing on Identification and Curriculum. Stipends are available to assist those wanting to attend the Institute.  The stipends are available in the areas of Counseling and Gifted/Talented.  Stipends will be considered for those who register for the complete Institute on a first come, first served basis.  One stipend per individual registrant.  Both the registration and stipend forms must be completed for consideration.  Those receiving stipends will be notified by email. Important Information and Links: Summer Institute; http://www.msubillings.edu/summerinstitute Registration: http://www.msubillings.edu/summerinstitute/registration.htm Stipend Application: http://msubillings.edu/summerinstitute/stipend.htm For more information: Contact John Keener at 406-657-1743 or john.keener@msubillings.edu.

Missoula County Public Schools is the only district in Montana to receive a nearly $400,000 grant for counseling and mental-health programs in its schools. The grant was announced Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Education as part of a $15.2 million nationwide outlay to school districts in 19 states.

I became a typical father in 1979.  It was a dream come true—those magical first smiles, first steps, first words. Then in 1981, my son stopped talking, stopped playing normally, and began flapping his arms.  From those first red flags of autism until now, I have not stopped experiencing autism and the family—the central theme of my life and work—counseling, teaching, and writing about the impact of autism on families.

This past weekend in San Diego, I had the opportunity to participate in the 4th Annual National Educator Conference focused on creating safe, supportive, and inclusive schools for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. A goal of the conference, presented by the Center for Excellence in School Counseling and Leadership (CESCaL), was to bring together education leaders and LGBT experts to empower and provide educators and school personnel with the knowledge and skills necessary to create safe, welcoming and inclusive school environments for all youth, regardless of their sexual orientation.

Click here for Registration and more information!What:Montana Fair Housing is a full service, private, non-profit organization dedicated to the reduction and eradication of housing discrimination in our state. Today Montana Fair Housing serves housing providers and consumers across the state, responding to inquiries and discriminatory housing complaints. We provide information and support to consumers and industry representatives, and investigate allegations of discrimination in housing. We also counsel victims of housing discrimination and assist them in filing federal and state administrative complaints.When:April 18th & 19th 2012Where:Copper King 4655 Harrison Ave Butte, MTContact:Email: inquiry@montanafairhousing.orgPhone: (406) 782-2573 or 800-929-2611Montana Relay: 711/Fax: 406-782-2781

Click here to register!What:The focus of this year's conference is to explore school mental health work within a 3-tiered context; we will take a strategic look at how our work can be understood as a multi-tiered system of support.  We will examine how existing support structures such as High-Fidelity Wraparound, Montana Behavioral Initiative (MBI), Montana School Counseling Program, and Comprehensive School and Community Treatment, framed within the three tiers, could provide a continuum of academic and positive behavior supports.  Nationally recognized speakers Dr. Lucille Eber and Dr. John VanDenBerg will share their expertise.If you are interested in sharing your good work at the state conference, please apply to present!  Three 75-minute presentations will be selected and showcased during the second day of the conference.  We are looking for presentations that address the mental health needs of students within the 3-tiers and/or focuses on meeting student need within one specific tier.Click here if you are interested in presenting!Whether you can attend the conference or not, we ask you to contribute to this work by taking this brief survey about the provision of mental health services in your school.  This survey has been given each year and we use the data to inform statewide planning concerning school mental health.  Your perspective is critical, so please take this survey and pass it on to others in your school community who may offer additional insights.  Thank you for taking this survey today. Click here to take the survey!When:March 1-2, 2012Where:Red Lion Colonial Hotel Helena, MTContact:Susan Bailey-AndersonPhone: 406-444-2046Email: sbanderson@mt.govWebsite: www.opi.mt.gov

Wineman, of Cut Bank, was diagnosed with Pervasive Development Disorder, including borderline Aspergers Syndrome, when she was 11 years old. The diagnosis followed a two-year process that included counseling, an exhaustive battery of tests and at least one misdiagnosis.Wineman was often teased and bullied at school and said she usually avoided interaction with others when she was younger.“I felt so alone growing up, and I still do at times,” she said Thursday during a conference on autism at the Montana State University Billings downtown campus. “Nobody understood what I was going through. I separated myself from my classmates and spent most of my time alone. I stayed quiet to hide my speech problems. Due to these overwhelming and daily struggles, I looked at myself as a punching bag for others, and a burden to my family.”

Autism Spectrum Disorders and Public Schools How many Montana public school students are there with autism? There are approximately 141,000 public school students in Montana’s K-12 schools and on January 31, 2012, there were 823 students with an educational label of autism. There are 16,000 students with educational disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA), which is the federal legislation which determines special education eligibility. Five percent of the students with disabilities are autistic. This percentage has increased from 1 percent to 5 percent in the last seven years, as the number of students with autism has increased and the number of enrolled students (and students with disabilities) has decreased.

TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication related handicapped CHildren) is an evidence-based service, training, and research program for individuals of all ages and skill levels with autism spectrum disorders. Established in the early 1970s by Eric Schopler and colleagues, the TEACCH program has worked with thousands of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families. TEACCH provides clinical services such as diagnostic evaluations, parent training and parent support groups, social play and recreation groups, individual counseling for higher-functioning clients, and supported employment. In addition, TEACCH conducts training nationally and internationally and provides consultation for teachers, residential care providers, and other professionals from a variety of disciplines. Research activities include psychological, educational, and biomedical studies. The administrative headquarters of the TEACCH program are in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and there are nine regional TEACCH Centers around the state of North Carolina. Most clinical services from the TEACCH centers are free to citizens of North Carolina.

Click here to register for this event What: Linda James Myers, Ph.D. will present "The Challenges of Cultural Congruence: What Every Advocate Should Know" on Thursday, June 16, from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. Dr. Myers is a professor at The Ohio State University, past president of the Association of Black Psychologists, and chair of the Board of Trustees for the National Association for the Education of African American Children with Learning Disabilities (AACLD). This webinar will focus on the importance of cultural congruence, one of the most challenging and often least discussed issues central to the success of Black families as they seek to provide a quality education for their children. As a member of a cultural group whose ethnic and racial heritage is congruent with and supported by that dominant in this society, Euro-western white, one may assume that this prevailing cultural worldview and the subsequent educational and other social institutions created by it are universally suitable and acceptable. The assumption is often made that the prevailing cultural worldview is universally adopted and held by all Americans, particularly those who have been in this country for generations and for whom English is believed to be their first language. This webinar will explore how these assumptions have hurt non-immigrant African Americans and their progeny, particularly in terms of education, their potential for educational achievement, and the current disproportionality we see in special education. Emphasis will be placed on how advocating for a culturally congruent educational experience on behalf of Black students and their families has the potential to transform the negative educational outcomes that have plagued this population for decades. This is the first in an Equity and Ethnicity in Special Education four-part series of webinars hosted by COPAA, a non-profit organization that works to protect special education rights and secure excellence in education on behalf of the 7.1 million children with disabilities in America. When: Thursday, June 16, 2011 - 12:00 pm Mountain If you would like to register for this event or any of the four-part series, please click here. COPAA non-member registration is $65.00 for one session or $195.00 for all four sessions. The full four-part series includes: Thursday, June 16, 2011 - 2:00 pm Eastern The Challenges of Cultural Congruence: What Every Advocate for Black Students Should Know Presenter: Linda James Myers, Ph.D. Tuesday, June 21, 2011 - 2:00 pm Eastern Addressing Legal Issues of Disability and Race Discrimination Presenters: Matthew Engel, Esq., Ron Lospennato Esq. Wednesday, June 29, 2011 - 2:00 pm Eastern Representing Parents Whose Dominant Language is Other Than English Presenter: Gabriela Ruiz, Esq., Southern Legal Counsel, Inc. Thursday, July 14, 2011 - 2:00 pm Eastern Disproportionality: What are we doing about it? Presenters: Sonja Kerr, Esq. Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia (PILCOP)

The Guide to Clinical Preventive Services includes U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations on screening, counseling, and preventive medication topics and includes clinical recommendations for each topic. This new pocket guide provides family physicians, internists, pediatricians, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other clinicians with an authoritative source for making decisions about preventive services.