SOMERSET COUNTY
November 6, 2015
Volume 1, Issue 1
SPECIAL EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT
Welcome… to the first issue
of our SCPS Special
Education Newsletter
The Somerset County Special Education
Department would like to present our first
issue of the special education newsletter. We
hope that this newsletter will increase our
communication between parents and staff by
providing valuable information, offer ideas
and activities, and develop a community
between the staff, parents and special
education department.
Dr. Lynnette Johnson
Supervisor of Special Education
Occupational Therapy
Corner
What to Know & How to Develop Fine Motor
Skills
Pre-School-School Age
Fine motor skills involve the use of the fingers,
hands, and arms for reaching, grasping, and
manipulating objects. Fine motor skills are used
when a child plays, engages in many leisure
activities, performs daily self-help tasks, or
participates at school as a student.
Fine Motor Skill Areas
1. Arches of the hand
2. Bilateral Hand Use: using both hands together
3. Finger Isolation
4. Hand & Finger Strength
5. Upper Body & Arm Strength
6. Pronation/Supination: Forearm Rotation
Speech & Language
Therapy Corner
Home Carry-Over Ideas for Speech Practice
There are many ways our students can practice their speech at home that are fun and interesting.
The more they practice, the better the chances of carrying-over their newly learned sounds for better
speech. Try these creative and unique ways to practice at home with your child:
 Post words that contain your child’s speech sound on their mirror either in the bedroom or
bathroom. Ask them to say these words several times a day.
 When driving, ask your child to try and find words containing their sound while looking out the
window.
 Place a list of words containing his sound on the refrigerator and every time he/she opens the
refrigerator, he/she must say a word with his sound correctly.
 At night after dinner, play a board game. Every time he/she moves his pawn, he/she must
say a sentence using his correction sound.
Page 2
Special Education Citizen’s Advisory Committee
Needs You!
Somerset County will be holding four Special Education Advisory Committee (SECAC) meetings
this year. The information below will help you become more familiar with the purpose of
SECAC.
What is a Special Education Citizen’s Advisory Committee (SECAC)?
A Special Education Citizen’s Advisory Committee (SECAC) is a committee established by the local
school system to seek meaningful input from parents, community partners, service providers, educators,
and administrators on local issues relative to the provision of a free appropriate public education (FAPE)
and the achievement of students with disabilities. To work most effectively a SECAC operates as a
partnership between parents and families, community leaders and organizations, educators, and
administrators at the local level. A local SECAC enables a local director of special education to
collaborate with others on local issues and it has the potential to facilitate positive changes in the delivery
of special education services and the achievement of students with disabilities.
What is the purpose of a SECAC?
One purpose is to provide a local director of special education with meaningful input as to the needs of
students with disabilities within the local jurisdiction. Each jurisdiction may have specific procedures,
reports, or practices for which a local director may wish to solicit input from parents, administrators, and
teachers.
What are the functions of a SECAC?
A SECAC may assist a local school system in the development, implementation, and review of a local
school system’s special education self-assessment for continuous improvement and results. Local school
systems are expected to work with parents, advocates, and other key stakeholders to shape its local special
education accountability process in a way that drives and supports improved results for students with
disabilities.
The next SECAC meeting will be on December 10th.
SECAC MEMBERSHIP
CONTEST
BEGINS ON MONDAY
NOVEMBER 9TH AND ENDS
NOVEMBER 13TH
---------------------------------Send Membership Form in
to school office