Date/Time Sat. Jan. 19, 2013 9:00 am – 11:30 am

Date/Time Sat. Jan. 19, 2013 1:00 pm – 3:30 pm

An Information Afternoon on IEP’s
Presented by Lamar Mason

Is your child’s IEP (Individual Education Plan) working for him/her?
Do you fully understand what the IEP is supposed to achieve?
Is it SMART? (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely)
What can you do to help to make your child’s IEP as good as it can be?

If your child needs Special Education help in Elementary or High School and you want to understand how a good IEP works, come out on

Monday Jan. 19th, 2013
1:00 to 3:30 p.m.
Rideau High School Library,
815 St. Laurent Blvd.

ALL PARENTS WELCOME – Elementary or High School:

Questions? Please Contact OCASC

Printable pdf version about the IEP & IPRC presentation on Sat. Jan. 19, 2013

People for Education have put together some helpful guidelines on building a strong school community.
1) You have to want it!
– look at the advantages of an engaged community
– widen the resources you draw from
– engaged parents harness the passion and ownership that people feel about an issue
2) Make the school a welcoming place
– remove any ‘do this, do that’ signs and replace with family pictures
– do not let security outweigh community
– have a volunteer or drop-in room that welcomes everyone
– greet newcomers to meetings and events
3) Community building 101
– make people feel part of a community
– create a social setting so people can get to know each other
– do some fund things, not just educational things
4) Make connections early and often
– make sure parents and staff are on the same page when connecting with new families
– make sure there are school council info tables at every school event
– use parent ambassadors, have old parents act as mentors for new parents
5) Invite, invite, and invite
– always add an ‘everyone welcome’ to the newsletter or any communication to parents
– use websites, emails, posters, Twitter, Facebook, notices, phone trees, or anything
– but remember face-to-face is best
6) Make meetings friendly and inviting
– limit formalities and rigid structures
– make sure that parents know they can attend meetings without sitting on council
– bring in interesting speakers and fun things for kids
– introduce everyone at every meeting and explain how it runs
– welcome new people enthusiastically
– follow up with new people, get their input
7) Lower expectations and be patient
– acknowledge that all parent contributions are of value
– use tools like dotmocracy, surveys, emails, webite, and phone to make sure that council represents the values and desires of all parents.
– find opportunities for parent involvement beyond council
– don’t assume knowledge — some parents do not know about councils
– small changes can have a big impact; make decisions carefully

Thu. March 7, 2013. Fisher Park School Library 250 Holland Avenue
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Is your child’s IEP (Individual Education Plan) working for him/her?
Do you fully understand what the IEP is supposed to achieve?
Is it SMART? (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely)
What can you do to help to make your child’s IEP as good as it can be?

If your child needs Special Education help in Elementary or High School and you want to understand how a good IEP works, come out on

Monday Oct. 29th, 2012
7 to 9:30 p.m.
Woodroffe High School Library,
2410 Georgina Dr.

ALL PARENTS WELCOME – Elementary or High School:

Questions? Please Contact OCASC

Download the event flyer to advertise this event to your school or community.