10/19/09 READER SUBMITTED COMMENTS: Special education

Hi,

A friend just forwarded something to me about greenwich roundup. I hate to say i have never heard of this before.

I'm writing because of the correspondence regarding special education in the district. i have been involved with the parent committee of pta council (SES Committee) for about 12 years and co-chair of it for a number of years, including this year.

I would be very interested in following the community discussion about special education and contributing where appropriate.

can you explain a bit about greenwich roundup and the greewich topix forum? (there was a special education community forum in May of 2008. about 50 parents came and discussed a number of topics. a report was generated based on the forum).

anyway, i look forward to hearing more about your forum and what discussion there might have been about special education.

thank you

paige

COMMENT:

Dear Paige,

There have been many parents who have told Greenwich Roundup that they wanted to bring up issues concerning their children who are in Greenwich Special Education classes. However, few of these parents have been willing to come forward and post their concerns out of a fear of retribution from Greenwich school administrators and educators.

They fear that if they speak out about the situation, then their children will suffer more.

However, if a parent tells Greenwich Roundup to withhold their name and protect their identity we will do so.

The reason that we wanted to cross post the articles at the Greenwich Topix Forum is that others in the community can comment anonymously about how special education services are delivered in Greenwich.

Paige if you would like to give your thoughts about special education, please send us a post and your comments will be posted unedited for all to see.

There are some things that are done well in Greenwich, but there are many things that need improvement.

Please See:

10/16/09 Special Ed in Greenwich

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10/19/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed: Evening Edition

Question for the candidates Greenwich Citizen Each Friday for the next three weeks, the Greenwich Citizen will be posing a question to the candidates for First Selectman of Greenwich; the incumbent, ...

United Rentals, Inc. Third Quarter Conference Call and Audio Webcast Thursday ... Reuters United Rentals is a member of the Standard & Poor`s MidCap 400 Index and the Russell 2000 Index and is headquartered in Greenwich, Conn. ...

My Left Nutmeg:: More Wacky Comments from Hearst's Millstein ... By thomashooker Millstein, a senior vice president at Hearst, meaning that he's one of the company's top five executives, has repeatedly printed bizarre comments on his blog, "Lincoln's Log", which he features in the online edition of Greenwich Time ... My Left Nutmeg - Front Page - http://www.myleftnutmeg.com/

Bored in Greenwich « For What It's Worth By christopherfountain Bored in Greenwich. Jump to Comments. A reader complains that the available houses for sale right now are boring and I agree. We're not getting new listings, just re-treads, with new brokers, the same brokers and even higher prices. ... For What It's Worth - http://christopherfountain.com/

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10/19/09 PRESS RELEASE: Stimulus Grant - Enhancing Education Through Literacy Technology (Pearson: techSteps)

Pearson and techSteps

Fulfill your technology literacy instruction, 21^st Century Skills instruction and reporting requirements while increasing the rigor of your core curriculum.

Under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA), Connecticut has received $4,614,065 through the Title II Part D (Enhancing Education Through Technology (EETT) program.

The EETT program serves to improve education through technology in order to improve student academic achievement throughout Connecticut. In addition to the primary goal of improving student achievement through the effective use of technology in elementary and secondary schools, Title IID funds are to be used for programs that help every student to become technologically literate by the end of eighth grade, and for programs that encourage the effective integration of technology with teacher training and curriculum development.

Title II Part D (Enhancing Education Through Technology)

http://www.sde.ct.gov/sde/cwp/view.asp?a=2703&Q=322306

With Pearson and techSteps™ you can teach, assess, and report student technology literacy in a manner that is both integrated and systematic and in doing so, simultaneously accelerate rigorous achievement of the Connecticut academic standards.

techSteps is aligned to the Connecticut Framework- Curricular Goals and Standards

K-8 Technology Literacy Curriculum

The techSteps curriculum is delivered via a set of six electronic activity books for each K-8 grade level. Each book presents a meaningful Math, Science, Language Arts, or Social Studies project, and then guides students' use of digital tools as they explore targeted concepts and complete the task at hand. With the focus on essential core content, classroom teachers feel comfortable and learn relevant technology skills along with their students (embedded professional development).

K-8 Technology Literacy Assessment
Each techSteps activity includes a performance-based assessment rubric. By recording some or all of these assessments, evidence of student technology literacy is captured and automatically mapped to NETS*S-aligned performance indicators. Looking at a student's profile, it is easy to see his or her overall technology literacy attainment, as well detailed data for each NETS*S category. All of this data can be aggregated at the school, district, or state level to meet reporting requirements.

With techSteps
• Connecticut students use electronic activity books and templates to develop technology literacy skills in an integrated context.

• Connecticut teachers use the authentic assessment tools to generate, record, and share meaningful feedback.

• A tech-literacy profile is maintained for each student, with certification at grades 5 and 8.

With spending on assessment expected to grow throughout Connecticut, it is crucial that investments not only focus on fulfilling federal requirements but also prepare Connecticut students for real world situations using twenty-first century skills.

For additional information on techSteps please contact us at the numbers listed below.

Al Green

Measurement Consultant

Educational Assessment

2612 North Ave, #G7

Bridgeport, CT 06604

Office: 888-366-5195

Cell: 917-204-2692

Fax: 888-884-0537

al.green@pearson.com

Dave McSorley

Pearson – Educational Assessment

Measurement Consultant Connected Sales

Direct: 210-339-8346

Toll Free: 800-228-0752 x 248346

dave.mcsorley@pearson.com

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10/19/09 Mark Your Calendar: Great Just Books' Author Events - Oct 21 - Nov 18

Upcoming Events · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · · JUST BOOKS' UPCOMING EVENTS Mark Your Calendar for Just Books' Terrific Author Line-Up! Author Talk & Book Signing WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 7:00 PM JANET CONNOR WRITING DOWN YOUR SOUL Just Books 28 Arcadia Road, Old Greenwich, CT Free and Open to the Public Just Books welcomes Janet Conner, author of Writing Down Your Soul: How To Activate and Listen To The Extraordinary Voice Within (Conari Press; $16.95). Today, research scientists in psychology, physics, biochemistry, and neurology are providing peeks into what consciousness is and how it works. Their findings give us intriguing clues as to what is actually happening in and through our bodies, minds, and spirits as we roll pen across paper. Writing Down Your Soul explores some of this research and instructs readers how to access the power and beauty of their own deepest selves. According to author Janet Connor, by writing everyday at the same time with passion, a person really learns to connect with one's inner self and good things result --- contentment and success _____________________________________________________ Author Talk & Book Signing WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 7:30 PM ELIZABETH BETTINA IT HAPPENED IN ITALY Arcadia Cafe 20 Arcadia Road, Old Greenwich, CT Free and Open to the Public Just Books is pleased to welcome author Elizabeth Bettina as she shares some of the incredible experiences from writing her book It Happened In Italy: Untold Stories of How The People of Italy Defied The Horrors of The Holocaust (Thomas Nelson; $24.99). The evening, which is free and open to the public, is sure to fascinate as Bettina relates touching episodes from her book. Take a journey with Elizabeth Bettina as she discovers much to her surprise, that her grandparent's small village, nestled in the heart of southern Italy, housed an internment camp for Jews during the Holocaust, and that it was far from the only one. Follow her discovery of survivors and their stories of gratitude to Italy and its people. Explore the little known details of how members of the Catholic Church assisted and helped shelter Jews in Italy during World War II. Ms. Bettina has been traveling the country speaking to people about her experiences and those of the brave people in Italy six decades ago. She says she is delighted and amazed at the response she has been receiving. "It brings people together in unexpected ways." _____________________________________________________ Author Book Signing MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2:00 - 4:00 PM KATHERINE HALL PAGE THE BODY IN THE SLEIGH Just Books 28 Arcadia Road, Old Greenwich, CT Free and Open to the Public Just Books is pleased to welcome novelist Katherine Hall Page, with her latest is the Faith Fairchild mystery series, The Body InThe Sleigh (Harper Collins; $15.99). Katherine Hall Page is the author of sixteen previous Faith Fairchild mysteries, the first of which received the Agatha Award for best first mystery, and recently The Body in the Snowdrift was honored with the Agatha Award for best novel. Page also won an Agatha for her short story The Would-Be Widower. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband and son. The Body In The Sleigh is sure to please faithful and new readers alike as it combines mystery with holiday spirit and recipes when Faith and her family decide to holiday in Maine and find a corpse in an antique sleigh. _____________________________________________________ Author Event & Book Signing WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 4:00 - 6:00 PM JULIE USHER COOKIE SWAP: CREATIVE TREATS TO SHARE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR Just Books 28 Arcadia Road, Old Greenwich, CT Free and Open to the Public Just Books welcomes celebrated pastry chef and food writer Julia Usher as she introduces her new book Cookie Swap: Creative Treats to Share Throughout the Year (Gibbs Smith; $19.99). Usher has designed extraordinary desserts for such magazines as Chocolatier, Better Homes and Gardens, Bon Appetit, and Modern Bride, and such books as Vera Wang on Weddings and For the Love of Food. Usher is a former contributing editor at Chocolatier magazine, a James Beard Foundation Journalism Awards finalist, and a director of the International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). Ever since sampling the dazzling pink daisy cookies at her first cookie swap, Julia Usher has been a lover of all things sweet. As a young child, Julia cultivated her budding cooking skills by riding the apron strings of her mom - an accomplished home baker who ran a tight kitchen. "Make it from scratch or don't make it at all" was her mother's favorite mantra. By the age of 12, while other kids were still tinkering with their Easy-Bake ovens, Julia was wowing friends and families with lavishly decorated yeast breads and multi-layer tortes. Julia was also known on occasion to whip up a very lifelike soap and mud frosting cake for her sometimes pesky little sister. In 1994, Julia decided to turn her passion into her profession by enrolling in the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. She graduated valedictorian, receiving the coveted M.F.K. Fisher Prize for outstanding scholarship in 1996. One year later, Julia opened AzucArte, a boutique bakery widely lauded for its wedding cakes that tasted as wonderful as they looked. _____________________________________________________ Author Talk & Book Signing WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 7:00 PM JENE LUCIANI THE BRA BOOK Just Books 28 Arcadia Road, Old Greenwich, CT Free and Open to the Public Just Books is pleased to welcome Jené Luciani and her clever and helpful book, The Bra Book: The Fashion Formula to Finding the Perfect Bra (BenBella Books, Dec 1, 2009; $19.95). When a September 2006 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show held a "Bra Intervention," a surprising truth was revealed: 85 percent of women wear and buy the wrong bra size. Even Oprah counted herself among those with an out-of-whack bra size. Three years later, and the problem still exits. Thankfully, there's a one-stop place to look to finally find the solution to your undergarment headaches: the December release of Jené Luciani's The Bra Book: The Fashion Formula to Finding the Perfect Bra! "There are many reasons we all care so much about bras. A good one makes us feel good inside and out. It supports us, even protects us, concealing our flaws and highlighting our strengths. The right one can make us feel confident and sexy-like a woman should!" says Jené Luciani. The Bra Book is your guide to every question that surrounds bras - from finding the right fit to learning bra fashion, Luciani creates a fun and informative read that is an essential for all women. In chapters such as "The Herstory of Bras," "Breast RX" and "Mountains vs. Molehills," Luciani's warm, supportive style helps women realize that finding the bra of your dreams is possible. The Bra Book even contains a chapter devoted to men, providing helpful advice and tips to finding the perfect lingerie for your special someone. _____________________________________________________ Author Talk & Book Signing WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 7:00 PM GAIL RENTSCH SMART WOMEN DON'T RETIRE Westport Public Libary Arnold Bernhard Plaza 20 Jessup Road, Westport, CT Contact: dcella@westportlibrary.org The Westport Public Library, The Transition Network and Just Books are pleased to welcome Gail Rentsch with Smart Women Don't Retire - They Break Free: From Working Full-Time to Living Full-Time (Grand Central; $24.99), at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 18, 2009, at the Westport Public Library, 20 Jessup Road, Westport, Conn. Call 203-291-4840 This book is for the amazing female pioneers who shattered the glass ceiling --- a practical and inspiring guide to figuring out what's next. Boomer women have been trailblazers throughout their professional lives. Now that their careers are losing their edge and children leave the nest, these women are ready to do for retirement what they did for the working world. The first book from The Transition Network focuses on the unique needs of women as they explore new possibilities and redesign the old model of retirement. Gail Rentsch is a founding member of The Transition Network. In 2000, she recalls being among some 20 other women gathered to help build an organization where women could share their concerns and aspirations as they moved from their primary careers to something else. Gail retired from her primary career in 2004, after 24 years as founder and president of a successful, New York City-based public relations agency with clients that included book publishers, authors, non-profit institutions and corporations. Gail is also the co-author of The Whole Horse Catalog, first published by Simon & Schuster in 1977. That book has gone through three revisions, multiple printings and remains in print today. It is Gail's hope that this new book will last nearly as long. _____________________________________________________ LISTEN TO WGCH-AM 1490 EACH WEDNESDAY AT 5 PM To Hear Just Books' Owner Marion Holmes Talk About the Newest Bestsellers & Author Events on "DARBY AND FRIENDS" October 21, will feature Janet Connor with Writing Down Your Soul October 28, will feature Elizabeth Betting with It Happened in Italy AWARD WINNING JUST BOOKS VOTED BEST INDEPENDENT BOOK STORE IN FAIRFIELD COUNTY!! Just Books would like to THANK the community for its continued support. The success of an independent neighborhood bookstore is dependent on its loyal customers. -- Marion Holmes and the staff at Just Books _____________________________________________________ Just Books is Better Than Ever - Mark Your Calendar for These Upcoming Events! OCTOBER OCTOBER 21, 7:00 PM - JANET CONNOR with WRITING DOWN YOUR SOUL at Just Books (Book Talk & Signing) OCTOBER 28, 7:30 PM - ELIZABETH BETTINA with IT HAPPENED ONE DAY at Arcadia Cafe (Book Talk & Signing) NOVEMBER NOVEMBER 2, 2:00 - 4:00 PM - KATHERINE HALL PAGE with THE BODY IN THE SLEIGH at Just Books (Book Signing) NOVEMBER 4, 4:00 - 6:00 PM - JULIE USHER with COOKIE SWAP: CREATIVE TREATS TO SHARE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR at Just Books (Book Signing) NOVEMBER 11, 7:00 PM -- JENE LUCIANI with THE BRA BOOK at Just Books (Book Talk & Signing) NOVEMBER 18, 6:30 PM - GAIL RENTSCH with SMART WOMEN DON'T RETIRE at the Westport Public Library (Book Talk & Signing) DECEMBER DECEMBER 5, 10:00 AM - COLMAN ANDREWS with THE COUNTRY COOKING OF IRELAND at Just Books (Book Signing) DECEMBER 5, 5:00 -9:00 PM -- Old Greenwich First Light Festival # # # Join Our Mailing List JUST BOOKS 28 Arcadia Road Old Greenwich, CT 06870 203-637-0707 · STORE HOURS: M-F, 9am - 5pm Sat, 9am-4pm Closed Sun REMEMBER - JUST BOOKS HAS AUTHOR SIGNED BOOKS! LIMITED SUPPLIES AVAILABLE Just Books is proud to support the community with a renewed and continued focus on customer service. Check out the Just Books' calendar for upcoming events, including book signings, book clubs, youth literacy and writing programs (Just Words @ Just Books on Monday nights). Also stop by anytime and meet the new owner Marion Holmes. Just Books also wants to hear from you, so please send us your favorites, recommendations and wish list! Just Books can special order any book, gift wrap and ship to anywhere in the U.S. Call 203-637-0707 for more information

Please send your comments, news tips and press releases to GreenwichRoundup@gmail.com Just Books 28 Arcadia Road Old Greenwich CT 06870

10/19/09 The Raw Greenwich News Feed:P Afternoon Edition

Rain cuts Greenwich dog show short Greenwich Time I think they're really cute and nice," she said during Adopt-A-Dog's 22nd annual "Puttin' On The Dog" event at Roger Sherman Baldwin Park in Greenwich ...

Greenwich gas leak closes Rye Brook's King Street for an hour Lower Hudson Journal news RYE BROOK - King Street was closed for about an hour today after a late morning gas leak in nearby Greenwich, Conn. ...

New York Times Metropolitan Diary New York Times I was at the Metro-North station in Greenwich after dropping my car off for servicing. As a commuter to Manhattan from Scarsdale, I had to pay the $3 ...

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