More than 100 educators from school districts across Long Island convened at South Side High School last week for a regional Life Skills Consortium focused on strengthening special-education programming and inclusive opportunities for students with disabilities.
Hosted by the Rockville Centre school district in South Side’s auxiliary gym, the Feb. 3 event brought together teachers, administrators and support staff to consult on best practices in life-skills education and student support.
Marie Dalton, the district’s assistant superintendent for special education and pupil personnel services, said the gathering offered the educators a rare opportunity.
“It’s where all of the special-education leaders across Long Island allow our teachers — special-education life-skills teachers — to come together to collaborate on best practices, creative ideas and new approaches,” Dalton said. “What we do is very unique, and there is a small pocket of special-education teachers within each school district.”
The day was divided into two sessions to accommodate educators working in different grades. The secondary session, for grades six through 12, was held in the morning, followed by an afternoon session focused on kindergarten through fifth grade.
Marihttps://liherald.creativecirclecms.com/a LaSorsa, assistant principal of South Side Middle School, attended, along with eight staff members.
“I really want to support them in getting to think about our programs, where they are headed in the future, how we can move forward and how we can push the needle,” LaSorsa said.
During the sessions, participants broke up into smaller groups, with each table assigned a topic on which educators shared ideas and strategies. Special-education students from the high school’s CORE Coffee Catering program served guests during each session. This program allows their CORE students to build life-skills aligned with operating a coffee station within the school.
“We see ourselves as a community within the school district,” Dalton said. “But this allows us to expand and see ourselves regionally, educating all of Long Island, and it’s a really nice way to grow our community together.”
District staff presented an overview of local life-skills programs, and the breakout topics included transition planning, assistive technology, communication systems, community-based learning and instructional strategies designed to foster student independence and long-term growth.
Kathleen Mark, the district’s director of the arts, voiced support for teachers who lead unified classes at the high school.
“We offer unified theater and unified art, and they’re a wonderful way for our general-education and special-education populations to work together collaboratively,” Mark said. “We’ve had an incredible response from students in both general education and special education.”
Several general-education students, she said, are now considering careers in special education after taking part in the classes.
As the district continues to expand collaborative education programs, the Life Skills Consortium offered an opportunity to share local practices while learning new ones from neighboring districts. South Side High Principal Patrick Walsh said he hoped participants left with a sense of unity and purpose.
“I hope they realize that we’re a community of educators,” Walsh said. “Although we work in different districts, we’re here to help and support one another. When we get better as individuals and educators, our students are the ones who succeed.”
District officials described the event as part of an ongoing effort to strengthen partnerships among Long Island school systems and ensure that students with disabilities have access to programs that support the development of academic, social and life skills.
