17th Annual Awareness Expo

Westfield's Parent Teacher Council-Special Education Committee Awareness Expo Set for March 24

The 17th Annual Awareness Expo is scheduled to take place on Wednesday March 24, 2010 at Edison Intermediate School, 800 Rahway Avenue, Westfield from 7:00-10P.M. The Awareness Expo is a symposium designed for parents and educators and promises to be a rewarding and educational way to spend an evening learning about issues that impact school-age children. Professional development hours will also be offered for educators for many of the presentations.

The program included two, one-hour "break out" sessions and will include the following topics and speakers of interest: Childhood Disorders from ADD to ODD by Dr. Alfredo J. Lowe, Psychologist; Westfield's Early Development Special Ed Programs by Andrea Lo, Special Ed Supervisor PreK-12; Discipline Techniques by Karen Murphy, STEP Instructor and Parental Skills Specialist; Reading and Spelling for Special Needs Children by Maria McGrath, MA; Handwriting Solutions by Walter and Susan Chavez, MS OTR/L; Social Skills for Life: How to Deal with Peer Pressure and Bullying by MaryBeth Herits, MA LPC; Alernative Naturopathic treatments for Childhood Disorders by Nikkii Conte, N.D.; Strategies from the Transition from Middle to High School by Alice Hunnicutt, Project Director SPAN; Guide to College Selection for Special Needs Kids by Carolyn Mulligan, ICEA; Alternative Rehab-Integrated Practice of Physical Therapy, Yoga & Pilates by Louise DeDea, PT and Founder of "Connections Fit 4U."; Planning For the Future of Your Child with Special Needs by Douglas Vogel, Special Needs Planner, MetLife.

The "Make A Difference" Award will be presented to the family of the late Janet McCann, a special ed supervisor  at Westfield High School. Hononorable mention will go to both Roosevelt and Edison Intermediate Schools for their fundraising efforts for autism during the 2008-9  school years.

The Westfield PTC-Special Ed Committee is an organization that serves as a resource for teachers and parents of regular and special education students. The Committee is not funded by the school budget and collects donations to support its programs and The KatherineE. Cuthbertson Memorial Fund. Each year a limited number of scholarships are awarded to Westfield high school seniors who demonstrate personal achievement and growth through activites in and out of school. Donations to the fund may be made at the expo or sent to the committee directly.

The Awareness Expo is open to the public and free of charge; pre-registration is not required. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATON EMAIL: specialedparents@westfieldnjk12.org or visit www.westfieldnjk12.org/specialedparents