The Transition Times

Welcome Connections Students!  Hope you had an enjoyable and relaxing Summer! 

We are so glad that you can join us this Fall!  Tuesday is a late start (11:00 AM)

We hope you can make it for classes on Tuesday.  It is the expectation that if you will be late or absent, it is your responsibility to email whomever is running the class to let them know how to proceed. 

Click this Zoom link to join class all day.  (Same link for Lunch & PE)

Important Note: Individual advocate meetings will be emailed directly to Students.

Quick Summary for Tuesday Classes Below: 

11:00-11:50 Exercising your Rights (Voting) quitta@4j.lane.edu; Jasmin

12:00-12:30 Lunch Social  (Drop-In)

12:30-12:50 P.E.   (Drop-In)

1:00-1:50  Get What you Need (A) (Budgeting) pettersson_a@4j.lane.edu; Anders

1:00-1:50 Budgeting with an Income (B) (Budgeting) quitta@4j.lane.edu; Jasmin

Jasmin Quitta-vetro is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Connections Orientation
Sep 21, 2020 10:00 AM
Sep 22, 2020 10:00 AM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://zoom.us/j/94844964545?pwd=RDk5dlhBdC83ZFV2OE40cHpLRUJrdz09

Meeting ID: 948 4496 4545
Passcode: 886901
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Meeting ID: 948 4496 4545
Passcode: 886901
Find your local number: https://zoom.us/u/abVtEuwV8

The Connections course offerings are available and is located in the first tab above labeled Connections Fall Schedule. Please look it over at your convenience and case managers will review the course descriptions during orientation. Students will choose their personal schedule during one hour individual meetings that will be scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.

Connections activities will take place via zoom and our website https://blogs.4j.lane.edu/connections/ and therefore an internet connection and a lap top are necessary.  4j will provide technology to all students who request it.  We ask that students request needed technology through this link:  https://chs.4j.lane.edu/computer-checkout-september-9/

If this doesn’t work for you please contact Anders or Jasmin ASAP and we will try our best to get technology to the students who need it to access orientation on Monday.

Schools will hold device pickup on Thursday and Friday with extended hours into the evening, to provide accessible times for families to pick up their student’s iPad or laptop. Pickup hours also will be offered on Saturday.

Technology pickup at all schools will be held at the following times, if air quality allows. The district will monitor the smoke levels and announce any cancelation or delay by noon on Thursday.

• Thursday, September 17, 1–7 p.m.
• Friday, September 18, 8 a.m.–6 p.m.
• Saturday, September 19, 9 a.m.–1 p.m.

Please wear a face covering and follow physical distancing and other protocols when you pick up your student’s device. If your student is enrolled to attend the Eugene Online Academy, please pick up their learning device at your regular brick-and-mortar school (the school they would normally be attending).

Thank you for your continued support and patience with the smoke delays. We look forward to seeing your students return to learning on Monday.

The orientation begins Monday September 21st. Please set aside 10:00am to 11:30am on Monday and Tuesday for group zoom meetings to talk about student expectations, Connections course of study and scheduling. On Wednesday, Thursday or Friday students will participate in one hour individual meetings with their case manager and other team members to discuss goals and schedules.  On these days Connections staff will also host a lunch time (12:30pm-1:00pm) social group for get-to-know-you activities.  All zoom links will be posted on this web site.  We will post our distance learning Fall Schedule for students to preview by Wednesday at noon.

Here is a FAQ

1. What are the classes? Is seminar a class? Yes a seminar is a small group class. We call it a seminar to differentiate between HS and we encourage more more student participation.  During orientation we will outline what each seminar is about. We will also schedule individual meetings with students and their support teams to create a daily schedule.

2. What will the advocate session look like? Advocate is 1:1 with a connections staff member to plan activities to support their goals. It generally lasts 50 minutes.

3. What are class sizes? Class sizes range from 2-10 students depending on the class. Cooking is no more than 4

4. How will vocational training work? We have a seminar called “job club” where they can learn global job related skills and then we offer a few different volunteer work crews to practice the skills. During the time of distance learning we will be unable to provide these work crews.

5. What will or what are IEP goals for connections? How will they be different from high school? The IEP goals for connections are around functional skills vs academic goals. For example a student may have a mobility goal where they learn how to use LTD or practice for their permit test.

6.Is there a specific class for new students. These are challenging times to stay motivated and start a new course of study. Many of our students are unsure of the next steps. We encourage all new students to take our “moving in” class which is about transition services and how to create goals. Our seminars and advocacy is where we can investigate how to choose a path, make a plan for the future and then how to follow through. In Zoom students can choose if they want to join using video or not. We will do our best to use the first few weeks to get to know students, create opportunities for them to get to know each other and help them to begin to take the steps towards “adulting”. 

Due to the devastating fires 4j School District has decided to postpone the start of school by one week. Therefore orientation will begin on Monday the 21st.  We hope all of you and your family and safe and healthy and can breath easier as the week progresses.

We had a great turn out for the information night and are looking forward to working with all of our new and returning students. We will continue to update you on the new calendar. Please email Jasmin any student phone numbers or personal email address updates using quitta @4j.lane.edu.

https://zoom.us/j/91576033715?pwd=YXZKRTByWHBPVi96ZDdJdndIZGx0Zz09

Hello 4J families:

As we get ready to embark on a new year, many families have questions about what school will look like for students with special needs and how Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) will be met.

All 4J schools will start the school year on September 14 with comprehensive distance learning (online learning) for the first trimester, through December 4. There will be some limited, targeted on-site supports for some individual students or small groups, but not regular classes or full grade levels attending school in person. On December 7 or later, depending on public health conditions, schools may resume in-person instruction in a hybrid of on-site and online learning. That decision will be made in November.

We want you to know that the district is working diligently to develop plans for all of our students and any information regarding what is happening with schools districtwide also applies to your student. This is the base. Students receiving special education services have a support layer added that is above and beyond what their general education peers receive.

We have workgroups meeting daily to develop more concrete plans for our students on IEPs. We learned a lot from the emergency distance learning last spring and there are silver linings that have come out of that work, including strong collaboration with our general education teachers.While we are continually working on districtwide plans, we also recognize that each child has individual needs that will need to be addressed in their IEP. Your child’s special education teacher or case manager will be contacting you within the first few weeks after they return to work in September to discuss your student’s IEP and a plan for what additional services we will be providing your student in the fall.

We know that the return to learning during the pandemic will be challenging for many, and every parent has concerns about how your child’s needs will be met and how they will engage in distance learning. Thank you for your patience as we work through this process, and please know we are working to prepare for the fall and to be ready to welcome your child into their classroom from a distance.

The district has posted answers to frequently asked questions on the website, including a section specific to students with IEPs. There are a lot of plans in the works and the FAQ is frequently updated, so please visit the page, www.4j.lane.edu/coronavirus/questions, to be updated on the progress we are making.

If you are unable to attend the Connections Informational Presentation please see the power point in the tab above to get the information. Please contact Anders or Jasmin to let them know that you would like to participate in Connections Fall term if you have not yet done so.