Category Archives: Special Education

Vacaville People’s Forum Presents Be You! 2024: A Celebration for Special Needs Awareness – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Michael Montalvo

The Vacaville People’s Forum announced its fourth annual Be You! event, set to take place from 1-4 p.m. Sunday at Play4All Park in Vacaville.

This free gathering is made possible through collaboration with City Councilmember Michael Silva and the Measure M District Dollars Program.

The event embraces the theme of diversity and inclusivity, while also aiming to spotlight the unique qualities and contributions of differently-abled individuals within the community. Serving as a platform for celebration, the event underscores the importance of acknowledging and valuing every member of society.

Source: Vacaville People’s Forum Presents Be You! 2024: A Celebration for Special Needs Awareness – The Vacaville Reporter

Support Special Olympics get dinner served by law enforcement | dailyrepublic.com

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Enjoy a free dinner at Texas Roadhouse served by local law enforcement, 4 to 8;30 p.m. May 2 to help raise funds for Special Olympics.

The Fairfield Police, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and Solano County Probation will wait tables serving a pulled pork sandwich, steak fries, fresh baked honey cinnamon and butter bread and a non-alcoholic beverage.

Diners are asked to leave a monetary tip which will be donated directly to the Special Olympics.

Source: Support Special Olympics get dinner served by law enforcement | News | dailyrepublic.com

FSUSD hosts middle school Special Olympics – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Nick McConnell

Just days after the torch was lit for the 2024 Olympics in Paris this summer, some Solano County students got the chance to participate in an Olympics of their own.

The Fairfield Suisun Unified School District hosted a Special Olympics event for middle schoolers from seven schools across the district on Friday, giving them the chance to compete in a variety of track and field events at Fairfield High School’s football field.

Following an opening ceremony, where the Olympic theme was played and students walked in carrying banners for their respective schools, one student from each school participated in a torch relay. Students then cycled through discus, shot put and javelin events, as well as several footraces.

Source: FSUSD hosts middle school Special Olympics – The Vacaville Reporter

California rolls out the red carpet to celebrate young filmmakers with disabilities – WWAYTV3

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Some talented young people aren’t letting their disabilities stop them from making movies. These Solano County students are getting a taste of Tinseltown, complete with a red-carpet film premiere.

These young adults are part of an annual film production camp that teaches them how to write, direct, shoot and star in movies.

The Solano County Office of Education offers the two-week course to people 18 to 23 with neurodiverse abilities.

Source: California rolls out the red carpet to celebrate young filmmakers with disabilities – WWAYTV3

SCOE red carpet celebration highlights young filmmakers with disabilities – CBS Sacramento

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Some talented young people aren’t letting their disabilities stop them from making movies. These Solano County students are getting a taste of Tinseltown, complete with a red-carpet film premiere.

These young adults are part of an annual film production camp that teaches them how to write, direct, shoot and star in movies.

The Solano County Office of Education offers the two-week course to people 18 to 23 with neurodiverse abilities.

“They are young people who are getting ready to transition into adulthood, and this is one more opportunity for them to develop those work readiness skills,” said Lisette Estrella-Henderson, the superintendent of the county OIffice of Education

Source: Solano County red carpet celebration highlights young filmmakers with disabilities – CBS Sacramento

Adaptive physical education students hit the golf course |  dailyrepublic.com

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By Amy Maginnis-Honey

More than 100 high school students from Fairfield, Vacaville and Dixon swung golf clubs Friday morning as adaptive physical-education students took over the practice facility at Paradise Valley Golf Course.

It was the first time since Covid the event was held.

The teens moved from station to station working on different skills. Izick Torres, a Fairfield High sophomore, was one of the most determined.

Source: Moving fore-ward: Adaptive physical education students hit the golf course | Golf | dailyrepublic.com

Dixon May Fair welcomes students with special needs – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Rebecca Wasik

It was a quiet morning on Friday at the Dixon May Fair. Workers prepared their booths for the weekend as members of the Vacaville Rotary Club gathered at the front entrance.

Special needs students from across Solano County were on their way to the fair to spend the morning enjoying the festivities before the fair opened to the public for the day.

The event, in its 30th year, is held by Rotarians and the Solano County Office of Education.

Once students arrived, one or two Rotarians accompanied each group to explore the fair with them.

Source: Dixon May Fair welcomes students with special needs – The Vacaville Reporter

Transition Fair for students with disabilities, special education – Daily Republic

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The Solano County Office of Education will host a Transition Information Fair on Wednesday for middle and high school students and adults in transition programs who have disabilities or who are in special education programs.

“This Fair offers a one-stop approach to valuable information on resources for individuals with disabilities that can lead to a positive and productive life as a contributing member of their community,” Lisette Estrella-Henderson, Solano County superintendent of schools, said in a statement.

The fair offers “information about various programs and agencies in our community that can assist with higher education, training, employment, adult day programs, and independent living.”

Source: Transition Fair for students with disabilities, special education

Students for Special Olympics enjoy friendly competitions – Daily Republic

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By Susan Hiland

Claps and cheers for runners echoed across the football field Friday for the third annual 2023 High School Track and Field Special Olympics.

This elementary-school event welcomed students from Special Education classes to a morning of friendly competition at Rodriguez High School football field.

The day started with a pageant of students walking onto the field, followed by the national anthem and a couple of speakers.

Source: Students for Special Olympics enjoy friendly competitions

Special Olympics brings players of all abilities onto Armijo court – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

On Friday morning, the gym at Armijo High School was an inclusive place where all students could play a game of basketball, regardless of ability.

It is one of a few events Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District, in conjunction with the Special Olympics of Northern California, puts on each year where both general education and special education students take part in the world of sports. The athletes were certainly competitive, but the goal was more about giving all students an even field to compete on.

The department also hosts soccer and track and field events, but Friday’s event was all about basketball. Special Olympians came in from four of FSUSD’s high schools — Armijo, Fairfield, Rodriguez and H. Glenn Richardson Education Complex — to shoot hoops with general education students, play other games and overall have a good time.

Source: Special Olympics brings players of all abilities onto Armijo court – The Vacaville Reporter

Sierra School of Solano County moves to Fairfield – Daily Republic

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Specialized Education Services, Inc., a a California Department of Education-approved non-public school for K-12 students who require additional educational support, is now open at 1745 Enterprise Drive in Fairfield.

Programming at Sierra School of Solano County is designed to meet the unique academic and social-emotional learning needs of each individual student.

“Starting the 2022-23 school year in a new building is an exciting milestone for our faculty, staff and students,” Jenelle Droke, director of Sierra School of Solano County, said in a statement., “Our school has a long history of supporting students with special needs. Moving closer to the Bay Area will help us to partner with additional school districts and serve even more families.”

Source: Sierra School of Solano County moves to Fairfield

Joey Travolta’s film camps for special needs students create videos for positive message campaign | Antioch Herald

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By Allen D. Payton

Director, actor and former special education teacher, Joey Travolta held his third of three film camps in Northern California, last week, for students between 18 and 24 years old with an intellectual disability, to create short videos for use by PassItOn.com for their positive message campaign in theaters, as well as on TV and billboards.

Each film will be five to seven minutes long and “every story has to have the theme of kindness or doing something good, and the thought is don’t hesitate to pass it on,” Travolta explained.

According to his Inclusion Films’ website, “over the two-week session, campers work together in small groups to develop a script, act, and shoot their film with professional support and equipment. The program encourages communication, confidence, and collaboration through acting and digital filmmaking. Stay tuned for future dates & announcements.”

Source: Joey Travolta’s film camps for special needs students create videos for positive message campaign | Antioch Herald

Second annual special needs awareness event returns Sunday – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

Last year, as part of Vacaville People’s Forum’s efforts to host inclusive community events, the local group hosted its first special needs awareness event, “Be You,” in Andrews Park.

The event featured a parade, music, speeches by local dignitaries, and fun activities for all. It ended up drawing an audience of approximately 100.

Organizer Danielle Shea was very pleased with the turnout.

“We were very happy with it,” she said. “We had a lot of feedback from the community saying they had a lot of fun.”

Source: Second annual special needs awareness event returns Sunday – The Vacaville Reporter

FSUSD Special Olympics track and field event marks triumphant return – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

Although the Winter Olympics and Paralympics have concluded for 2022, the time to honor athletes of all abilities never ceases.

Case in point: Thursday morning at Rodriguez High School, where the Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District once again partnered with the Special Olympics of Northern California for its annual assortment of track and field activities that give special education students a chance to participate in athletics, build physical strength and socialize with others.

What made this event especially momentous is that it was the first of its kind in three years. The most recent track and field event was 2019, and adaptive PE specialist Matt Miller said it was scheduled again for 2020, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Source: FSUSD Special Olympics track and field event marks triumphant return – The Vacaville Reporter

Special Olympics basketball event brings 4 Fairfield high schools together – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Nick Sestanovich

For special education students, every day is a reminder of the phrase “If you can dream it, you can do it.”

This goes for excelling in the same classes intended for general education students or — as Thursday at Armijo High School demonstrated — playing a game of basketball.

Fairfield-Suisun Unified School District’s adaptive PE department, in conjunction with Special Olympics Northern California, hosted its 4th annual Special Olympics high school basketball event, which brought special education students from four different district high schools together to bounce basketballs and shoot hoops with not as much emphasis on winning. There certainly was a competitive aspect, but more of a focus on having fun and building athleticism in a supportive environment. It is one of several events the adaptive PE department put on each year, including soccer, golf, bowling and track & field matches and even an annual prom.

Source: Special Olympics basketball event brings 4 Fairfield high schools together – The Vacaville Reporter

A Vaca film premiere and the tuxedo treatment for ‘neurodiversity’ – The Vacaville Reporter

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By Richard Bammer

Vacaville has seen red-carpet film premieres before, especially movies or short films made by students.

But Thursday night at the Sunrise Event Center likely will be the first such local event to celebrate neurodiversity, with the release of the short film made this summer by young adults at the Solano County Office of Education’s Inclusion Films camp.

Just in time for the annual American revelry that is Halloween, the showing and livestreaming of “Tales from the Grave” begins at 6 p.m. at the 620 Orange Drive venue and anywhere where wi-fi access is available. To watch it live, visit https://www.solanocoe.net/scoefilmcamp.

Source: A Vaca film premiere and the tuxedo treatment for ‘neurodiversity’ – The Vacaville Reporter

Red carpet premiere celebrates neurodiversity – Daily Republic

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The Solano County Office of Education invites the community to celebrate neurodiversity at the red-carpet film premiere for the short film, “Tales from the Grave.”

The premiere will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Sun Rise Event Center, 620 Orange Drive.

The young adults who helped make the film will arrive in limousines, dressed in gowns and tuxedos for a walk down the red carpet. More than 300 Solano community members will be joining the celebration in person. The event will also be broadcast live for those who prefer to view from home.

Source: Red carpet premiere celebrates neurodiversity

Nearly half of money for high-needs students not getting to their schools, analysis finds – The Vacaville Reporter

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By John Fensterwald, EdSource

Diverting funds intended for California’s high-needs students for other spending “dampens” the potential to significantly close the achievement gap between high-poverty and low-poverty students, new research from the Public Policy Institute of California has found.

School districts on average are directing only 55 cents of every dollar of extra funding from the Local Control Funding Formula to the schools that high-needs students who generate the money attend, research fellow Julien Lafortune concluded in a policy brief and full report.

Lafortune examined school-level financial data reported to the state for all districts with more than 250 students and with more than 10 schools. He was able to do the research using federally mandated school-level data available for the first time.

Source: Nearly half of money for high-needs students not getting to their schools, analysis finds – The Vacaville Reporter

How California plans to deter costly special education disputes – Times-Herald

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By Carolyn Jones, EdSource

The threatened deluge of post-pandemic special education litigation may be averted — or at least minimized— by a new initiative in California encouraging parents and schools to resolve disputes before heading to court.

The state budget, signed Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, sets aside $100 million for resolving special education conflicts between parents and school districts, which escalated during remote learning.

The money will go toward outreach, such as brochures, meetings and presentations, to help parents and school staff understand the rights outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the federal law that requires districts to educate students of all abilities. The goal is to improve communication and build trust between parents and schools, so conflicts can be resolved quickly and more easily.

Source: How California plans to deter costly special education disputes – Times-Herald

Parade celebrates Solano Adult Transition Program graduates – Daily Republic

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Graduates of the Solano County Office of Education Adult Transition Program are throwing a parade Monday.

The program serves 18- to 22-year-old students with intellectual disabilities and/or autism who have received a certificate of completion from high school and have significant needs for support as they transition to adulthood, according to a press release.

The program serves the Solano Special Education Local Plan Area, which includes the Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield-Suisun, Travis and Vacaville school districts.

Source: Parade celebrates Solano Adult Transition Program graduates