DCIU Update

A Word From Dr. Larry O’Shea

October 2010 Delaware County Intermediate Unit #25

Inside this issue:

Don Guanella

Students Open

School Store

2

TCA Horticulture

Club

3

EI Students Visit

Pumpkin Land

4

STARS 5

Head Start

Celebrates 45 Years

of Service

5

Pennington EI Class

Learns About Fire

Safety

6

Dr. Kim Maguire

Presents at

Conference

6

The DCIU Employee Engagement Council was established in 2007 as a

result of the Future Search, as a vehicle by which DCIU staff can voice their ideas,

suggestions, and concerns or to seek clarification about issues involving their work

or the work of the IU. We are now seeking to establish the 2010-11 EEC; the first

meeting is November 16 at 4:00 p.m. Please contact your supervisor for the infor-

mation if you would like to serve on the EEC.

EEC Representatives Wanted

As you know, DCIU has been engaged in a strategic planning

process to help determine our future direction. I wanted to take

this opportunity to briefly update you on this process. As explained in an earlier Update, we hired new

consultants, Jim Shipley and Associates, in August to help us

with the completion and implementation of our strategic plan.

On August 22, the consultants met with our Act 93 group and

gave an orientation on the use of a systems approach to management and improvement. Then, a strategic planning session was held with the

DCIU Board on October 9, the purpose of which was to engage the Board further in

setting the strategic direction for DCIU. As a result of these meetings, we now have

a better understanding of the key principles and practices of a systems approach to

continuous improvement, and an agreement on three high-priority goals based on

the seven Strategic Pillars previously identified through Future Search, the Setting

Direction Conference last January, the Board Retreat also held last January, and

Executive Council meetings. The strategic plan will be built around these goals. To use a systems approach means that we will look at all the interrelated

processes of our organization (how they all interact with one another) as a unified

system and then we use this system to achieve our goals and objectives. Through

the work with the consultants, we are gaining the knowledge and the structure need-

ed to align our department plans and goals, to support the processes we use for improvement and to implement our plan using this systems approach to continuous

improvement. As we move along in this process we will be using various learned strategies

for engaging the DCIU staff in this systems approach to improvement and plan

implementation. In order for the plan to be successful, we will need everyone to be actively engaged in carrying out their goals that support our overall strategic plan,

as well as in their site-based improvement processes. Your input as well as your

participation are crucial and appreciated.

You will be learning more about this process as we go along.

...for children

Important

Page 2 DCIU Update

Don Guanella Students Open School Store and Snack Bar

Don Guanella began this year with a roaring start! Back by popular

demand the Stop ‘n Shop store run by Ms. Chris Loesche’s room opened

its doors on October 12. The store is geared to develop employability

skills to help students transition into the work force. Students earn money,

based on a behavior point system, to make purchases. These are great

math skills to have for real life shopping. Every student is given a receipt

to keep track of their purchases for the money they spent and saved. Budgeting is a new concept to

some, but DGS students are quickly learning to grasp this idea.

In addition, the students in room 210 (Ms. Chris, Ms. Marie and Mr. BJ) are excited about kicking off

their second year of the Snack Shack, serving the staff and students at Don Guanella. The students

plan the items to be sold, set up the store, sell the food, are the cashiers and learn to make change!

These two school activities have been an overwhelming school wide success for the Behavior Support

Plan!

Page 3 Delaware County Intermediate Unit #25

The County Alternative High School, in cooperation with Crozer Chester

Medical Center’s Mental Health services, initiated an endeavor to promote

pro-social life skills through the creation of a gardening club. The ground

breaking event took place in the fall of last school year. Many students expressed an interest in participating in a Gardening Club and were eager to

get started. We began by tilling the dirt and enriching it with top soil; then

the planting of shrubs, flowers and bulbs took place. The students, as part of their Mental Health group, would tend to the

garden weekly. Who knew that several of our students would really gain an

interest in gardening! We later purchased a small green house for seedlings.

As spring sprung and the bulbs produced flowers, our students took great

pride in the fruits of their labor rendered in the fall. They became even more

enthusiastic about gardening and were actually looking forward to planting the seedlings from the greenhouse.

The plants and vegetables from the greenhouse were nurtured and then planted early spring. Mrs. Scott along

with Betsy Deegan supervised the gardening club activity weekly and would pick fresh flowers to display

throughout the school for all to see and admire. By the end of the school year, we were actually eating fresh garden salad consisting of spinach, huge radishes and strawberries planted and harvested by the Horticultural

Club and prepared by our Culinary Arts program. What an amazing, rewarding and exciting experience for our

students to share! As we began this school year we are ready to harvest our crops from the summer. We have a pumpkin,

gourds and several huge sunflowers. The Gardening Club is planning to bake sun flower seeds. We also have a

trip planned for Linvilla Orchards on 10/27/10 where we will purchase pumpkins and pick apples. We are look-

ing forward to carving pumpkins, making homemade pumpkin bread and apple crisp. We also plan to join Home

Depot’s gardening club to refine our gardening skills and to take advantage of their special offers and discounts. “Who knew that the Gardening Club would be such a big hit for our students! That’s why it’s imperative

as educators that we try new things. The Gardening Club benefits our entire school community,” stated Sheila

Blake Butler. “We anticipate that it will continue to grow and be productive this school year and we have already gotten off to a great start.” The students have decorated TCA’s entrance and lobby to reflect the fall and

harvest season. TCA students have learned that gardening is the “best alternative therapy” and a good coping

skill that really soothes the soul. It is also a life skill that our students can share with their families in so many

ways.

TCA’s Horticultural Club in Full Bloom as we Celebrate the Harvest Season

Supervisor Jeremy Curtis enjoys a salad

from the garden.

Page 4 DCIU Update

Electronic Payroll Voucher—Mandatory January 1, 2011

ATTENTION ALL DCIU EMPLOYEES: Don’t forget to sign up to receive your payroll voucher via e-mail by contacting Jean McCullough in

the Human Resources Department, jmccullough@dciu.org. Indicate your wish to have your pay

voucher sent via e-mail and provide your preferred e-mail address. Please sign up as soon as you can

but prior to January 1, 2011. After January 1, 2011, all paper vouchers will be eliminated and elec-

tronic vouchers will default to your work e-mail address. Employees can also access pay information

via the Employee Access Center.

EI Classes Visit Pumpkin Land

On October 11, 2010 Kathy Smith and Joanne Mallon from the

Pennington School, took their EI preschool classes on a field trip to

Linvilla Orchards. It was a wonderful experience for the children.

They explored Pumpkin Land, looked at all of the animals, played on

the playground, and went on a hayride. It was wonderful to see the

children interacting with typical peers in the

community. They played and explored each

area with the type of enthusiasm and curiosity

we love to see! Several parents were able to

join us on the trip and they seemed to enjoy

themselves as much as the children did.

IMPORTANT REMINDER!!

Page 5 DCIU Update

Adopt-a-Teen Parent and Child for Christmas

The DCIU Teen Parent Program is hosting its annual Adopt-A-Teen

Parent and Child for the Holidays program. If you would like to help a

teen parent and child with Christmas gifts, please contact :

Project ELECT/TAPP Teen Parent Program

610-447-3878 – Fax#: 610-938-9886 You will then receive a personal request letter written by a teen parent participant which will include;

gender, size and age. The gifts will be given to Project ELECT participants in the Chester Upland ,

Upper Darby, Southeast Delco and William Penn School Districts. To help:

Please send your response as soon as possible.

Please wrap and place name tags visibly on gifts.

Please have your gifts by December 10, 2010 Please drop off or send gifts to: Chester High School, 200 West 9th Street, Room A203, Chester,

PA 19013

Thank you in advance for your help, generosity, kindness and support.

Head Start Celebrates 45 Years of Service

Congratulations to the Delaware County Intermediate Unit Head

Start Program on 45 years of dedicated, high quality services to

preschool children and families in Delaware County. Head Start

serves children ages 3-5 with the goal of providing comprehensive

developmental services in the area of education, socioemotional

development, physical and mental health and nutrition. It strives to

ensure that children enter kindergarten prepared to succeed. Established in 1965, soon after the national Head Start program

was founded, our local Head Start first opened in Chester and served approximately 60 children. Today, Head Start is located in 10 sites throughout the county and serves almost 1,100 children and

families. In 1999, DCIU became the Head Start grantee and has since maintained legal and financial

responsibility for the program. Best wishes for continued success!

Page 6 DCIU Update

DCIU Preschoolers Learn About Fire Safety

The preschool students at the Pennington Early Childhood Learning Center

were treated to a visit from the Concordville Fire Co. on Tuesday October 5,

as part of Fire Prevention Week. The firemen came in the morning and also

in the afternoon to talk with the children about fire safety. The children listened to what a smoke detector sounds like and practiced how to “stop,

drop and roll” if their clothes catch on fire. The firemen also showed the children what a fireman looks like in full costume, with his face covered and

wearing his heavy equipment. Hopefully in an emergency the children would

not be scared and run away from a fireman. The afternoon students also had

the chance to see the fire truck outside in the parking lot. All the children received “Fire hats.”

Thanks to the Concordville Fire Department and to Karen Newburg and Laura DuBois for

arranging this wonderful experience. The students in the Early Intervention Classroom at the Ithan Lodge were invited to partici-

pate in the annual Fire Prevention Assembly held at the Ithan Elementary School. The children enjoyed watching the firefighters dress up in their uniforms. They were able to look at a real fire

truck and were excited to see the flashing lights and to listen to the siren.

Kim Maguire Presents at State Conference

Dr. Kim Maguire was a presenter at the 14th Annual Eastern Pennsylvania Special Education Administrators Conference on October 28 in Hershey, PA.

Kim’s presentation was entitled, Gifted Education in PA: How Compliance Improves Student Outcomes. Her session, which was designed to

provide an overview of the responsibilities school districts have for implement-

ing gifted education in Pennsylvania, highlighted the creation of GIEPs that are

in compliance with the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Chapter 16

requirements and that are consistent with hearing officer and appeals panels’ decisions. All aspects of GIEP writing were addressed; however, the detailed

focus of this presentation was on developing accurate Present Levels of Educational Performance

(PLEP) and establishing measurable Annual Goals to foster meaningful educational progress for

gifted students.

200 Yale Ave.

Morton, PA 19070

Phone: 610-938-9000

Fax: 610-938-9887

Email: info@dciu.org

DELAWARE

COUNTY

INTERMEDIATE

UNIT

WWW.DCIU.ORG

The HR Department is pleased to bring you this health and wellness information each

month on behalf of IBX and HMS. Look for more on the DCIU website.

Blue Cross Offers Health Management Support

Case management is offered to DCIU employees for free as part of your Blue Cross

health plan. Case management is a collaborative process that provides members with

health management support through a variety of coordinated programs. It is offered as a

confidential and free program to members with our health coverage who are experienc-

ing complex health issues or challenges in meeting their health care goals.

Case management is an ongoing process of working with members, their families,

health care providers, and community resources. Case managers work step by step to:

Identify members who could benefit from case management and contact them via

telephone.

Assess the member's current health status and history by asking various health-

related questions.

Confirm if the member has case management needs and explain how Independence

Blue Cross's (IBC's) case management programs can assist a member in managing

his or her health.

Develop a care plan designed to meet the specific needs of the individual member.

The case manager may utilize home care or educate and coach the member on life-

style changes to support independent health management.

Follow up with the member, his or her family, and physician at the specific intervals

(e.g., weekly, monthly) to review and enact the plan until all goals are met or case

management services are no longer appropriate.

Discharge the member from case management once all identified needs have been

adequately met and goals achieved or when case management services are no longer

appropriate. Members can continue to contact the case manager at any time.

A case manager is available to help you with your complex needs. If you feel you may

benefit from this program, please call a case manager at 1-800-313-8628.

Who are case managers, and what do they do?

Nurses and social workers work as case managers. They work with you over the

telephone to educate, help, and support you.

How can I benefit from case management?

Case managers provide you with information and direction about health issues,

health coverage, available community resources, such as help with transporta-

tion, and much more. They can help make sure you are getting the best use of

the covered services available to you.

How do I find my case manager, or does my case manager find me?

A case manager may contact you by telephone or letter following a hospital or

rehabilitation stay. Alternatively, if you need to talk to a health professional

about a health-related issue or have health care needs and require assistance,

you can contact a case manager yourself. Call 1-800-313-8628, prompt 3, and

leave a message. A case manager will return your call as soon as possible.