Happy Thanksgiving!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm truly blessed with a whole week off for Thanksgiving! This has been a VERY busy year, and I am really needing the break! Within the last month I've been sick at least twice, tested 10 kids (and all of you with experience in the schools know EXACTLY what all paperwork that entails!), and have picked up a second job. Jennifer and I both work for a home health company that contracts through other companies. Unfortunately I've only eval'd one patient, but with everything else going on I'm still exhausted!
Whether you have a week, 3 days, or just Thursday off, enjoy your time off and spend it with the ones you love!

Erin's Updates

Hi everyone. So I think I have posted on here once, but I really can't remember. This year I changed school's. I am still with the same district, but wanted to try something other than middle and highschool. I am now 2 days a week at an elementary school, seeing mostly artic kids and some language kids. Which we are starting to implement as a part of RTI, a speech improvement class for Artic kids that only have 1 to 2 sound erros, this way we can get those kids off IEP's and save ourselves so many meetings and paperwork! Oh the woes of IEP paperwork!!
One day a week I have been assigned what they call "Non-Public Schools" which, is what I thought they were calling "private schools" until I got two days a week assigned to the "Private School Team". These I found out quickly were two totally different things.

So the Non-Public assignment is for kids that the district has paid to place at "specialty" schools for their disorders, like Autism or MR, or if they are more involved kiddos with CP etc, where they coudln't function in our most severe classrooms at the public school level. So I only do assessments for the students and then present the info at their Triennial's or 3 year reviews.

Then for the "Private School Team", this is where parents have chosen to privately place their kids, but their kids still qualify for special ed. So under the IDEA law, we have to legally provide service plans for these students, which includes testing every 3 years for their triennial's and having an annual IEP for them to. So I see some kids, but its consult only on these two days, it's mostly going to meetings and deciding parent's areas of concern and then testing and holding more meetings to share results.

So my life in a nutshell is artic therapy, driving all over San Diego to assess heavliy involved students, meetings, and more assessments. Fun stuff!

My hopes are for next year to keep the "Private School Team" placement 2 days a week, and then go into working for this center for 3 days a week, where it's sorta like private practice but not. I have several SLP friends doing it and loving it.

I wanted to share a website that I found and did a 30 day free trial, and it is amazing! Definitely check it out, but be warned, if you are doing therapy with the elementary population you will want to print everything out! www.therasimplicity.com

I miss you guys and would love to hear updates from all of you. This summer I got to see Kay, Kellie and Amber all for a little bit in Abilene. So good to see you guys. This summer the highlights were a cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman, and Cozumel, and enjoying the beach here in San Diego, going home to Texas to visit family, and moving apartments.

Ok that's enough, my carpel tunnel is kicking in from typing :)

E-mail...please

Hello girls..hope this finds everyone doing wonderful..I just received an e-mail from Kim at ACU she wanted everyone to send her their e-mail address. I told her I would ask everyone to send it to her (she said Dr. Bender wanted them..scary huh?..she can't give us assignments AFTER we graduate can she?:) I think Kim's address at school is kimberly.cummings@acu.edu hopefully that's right I forgot to double check before blogging. Thanks and enjoy the upcoming FALL season.

Hi Everyone!

Hi! Sorry I haven't posted before....but I have been reading when everyone else posts! I was just too lazy to figure out how to do this whole blog thing. So, I hope I get this right and it actually posts!
School has been crazy this year! But so much better now that I kinda know what to do. I'm still with Tri-County Education Co-op and I LOVE IT! I have Hamlin and Stamford again this year so it was nice to already know my kids and most of the teachers!

Nothing exciting has been happening with us...Shane switched jobs this summer and now works at Arrow Chrysler Jeep. So, if you need a car, he can get you a deal! :)

We did try to take a 2nd honeymoon (remember the 1st one? I was in the hospital for most of it!). We went down to Mazatlan Mexico for a week. When we got back, Shane spent a day in the ER and they determined that he had salmonella poisoning-the same strain that hit everyone in the U.S. But, he got his in Mexico! At least it wasn't me this time! I think we've decided that next summer we'll stay a little closer to home.

While we were gone, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. We did find out early enough so they think they've gotten all of it. She started radiation last week and will go every day for 6 weeks. She is in good spirits but is already starting to get tired. It was definitely a roller-coaster of events this summer!

I saw Erin this summer and told her I would send her a list of websites that I've found helpful in planning therapy/printing materials. So, here it is!
http://www.dltk.com/
http://www.speakingofspeech.com/
http://www.mnsu.edu/comdis/kuster2/sptherapy.html
http://www.speechtherapygames.com/ (this site offers great games for you to print off your computer. They're really cheap and my kids love them! She also has a Yahoo group that you can join for free and users share their own ideas)
http://www.netrox.net/~labush/colrpres.htm (great for early learning)

Hope some of these are useful for those of you in the school!
I talked to Kim the other day and she said that Dr. Bender is needing all of our email addresses for something. She asked that we send them to her at kac00f@acu.edu

Is anyone coming for Homecoming?

Seems everyone is doing it... =)

Hey guys! I'm not fortunate enough to be done with my CF yet, but I'm anxiously anticipating the day that happens.

I had the chance to spend the summer working for EBS in Los Angeles. It was so completely amazing. I really enjoyed my kids but of course I enjoyed the beach, the Cali boys and the fun little touristy things the most! =) I had the chance to experience most of what LA had to offer: from enduring an earthquake, to living in Hollywood, to swing dancing with Bill Nye The Science Guy. Hahaha. It was all quite memorable and I can't wait to go back next year!!!

Anyway, I've had quite the summer and being back at school and working again is really going to be great. I now have a job through EBS with Dallas ISD. I'm a little worried because it seems like it's going to be really challenging compared to my last assignment. I have one school with a largely hispanic population and I'm also taking on a private catholic school especially for kids with special needs. Am I concerned about this? Actually, yes. I don't know quite what to expect yet and as we all know, the unknown is almost always the most daunting. But I have a great supervisor for this last part of my CF and I'm pretty sure everything will work out. It all usually falls into place after a while, doesn't it? =)

Anyway, love to you all and good luck on your respective jobs!!! It's great to hear from you through this venue =) =) =)

I have changes too!

I am glad everyone is doing well! Congratulations on all those starting new jobs! Congratulations on building a house Kay! I am still at the same school in San Antonio, but I have new coworker. She just graduated in May and is starting her CFY! I am now the seasoned SLP for our school! We have been back to work for a week and a half and I am experiencing what it must have been like when I was asking my coworker so many questions last year! I hope I can be a good example for my coworker.

I had a little trouble getting my CCC's. My CFY was supposed to end on the 6th of June, but my supervisor and I met and signed papers on the 3rd. They sent the papers back and I had to call my supervisor up on her summer break (just days before we were to both go out of town) and meet her to resign them! After that everything went fine.

I also have moved to an apartment! I am no longer living with my parent! You were right Kellie, I have been learning a lot by myself and enjoying living alone! It is a two bedroom nicely wooded area just seconds away from grocery stores and shopping and only 10 to 15 minutes from work!

a whirlwind!

i, too, am now a ccc-slp! (or is it ccc/slp? sad- i still don't know!) anyway, i signed on for another year with the waxahachie district. my plan for the summer to find some prn work when my paperwork went through was a bust because the paperwork just went through a couple weeks ago. but that ended up just fine- i have thoroughly enjoyed my summer "off".
i worked with the special olympics swim team twice a week, spent some much needed time with friends and family and my boyfriend, Mark. I know, I have failed to mention this piece of information! Long story short- it's the same guy i dated some last summer for those who remember. we've been together (again) for over 5 official months, plus 2 dating months. we weren't looking for each other AT ALL but have now found ourselves in a somewhat serious relationship and who knows what the future holds for us!
i start back to work august 18, and once i get into the swing of things i am thinking about finding some prn work.
thanks for all of your updates, and hope all is well with those of you who haven't updated!