Philipsburg (DCOMM):--- The Department of Student Support Services Division (SSSD) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs held an information evening on Thursday past at the UTS Training and Development Center (TDC) to inform parents, parents association(s), and generally interested persons about the tasks of the SSSD and about a special workshop entitled, "Individual Education Plans – How to partner with your child's school."
The newly formed SSS Division (established September 2011) objectives are: to provide care (counseling, advising) and support services to students for the effective continuation of the developmental process; to monitor the social and emotional development of students/pupils in collaboration with schools; to test school age children in connection with special education, and; to provide support for the primary education processes, taking into consideration the social and emotional development of students.
In addition, the Student Support Services Division, with the motto: "If every child must learn, then every parent, family and community must be a part of the process", is the referral point for the public and subsidized schools.
Olga Mussington, of the division of SSS, at the introduction of the meeting said that we are here to help parents and students in providing assistance in improving developmental performance, to bridge any gap in learning, whether psychological or behavioral, and to help wherever we can. So please, ask questions.
Leading the meeting with the introductory workshop was Dori Cook, an educational consultant, who focused on the Individual Educational Plan (IEP), one of the tools used to increase student performance.
The central part of the IEP is determining a strategy—based on individualized goals with measurable objectives, adaptations and/or modifications—on how the interaction should be among the parents, students, and teachers, and what type of communication, the level of involvement, and the amount of assistance, including any special issues that should be addressed.
"There are no turn downs," the educational official said. "Parents should contact their students' teachers, who will contact school managers who will then contact the Student Support Services Division."
