Welcome to the 2016-2017 school year!
I am looking forward to new and exciting opportunities this school year while working with the students who receive speech and language services.
I currently provide services to students at Roundtown and Stony Brook Elementary Schools and divide my time as needed between those buildings. Students may be seen in a small group or individually, in my room or the classroom depending on his or her needs. Those needs could change throughout the school year and the schedule will be adjusted accordingly.
What you can do as a parent:
It is very important for you to ask your child what we are working on in speech just as you do for other subjects. It is my job as a speech-language pathologist to teach your child the skills he or she needs to meet current goals. However, it is a choice as to whether is it important enough for the student to carryover what they have learned. By being involved and asking about and working on speech and language skills you will help stress the importance of the skills and carryover will take place.
Most students will say they don’t know what we are working on or that they don’t remember, however, we regularly review the goals and current progress so they should be able to give you information. Some helpful questions to ask are the following:
- Was there a word with your sound that you said correctly?
- Was there a word with your sound you had a hard time saying?
- Was there a vocabulary word you didn't understand?
- Can you use the word _____ in a sentence?
- Can you tell me a synonym/antonym for the word _____?
- Also ask questions pertaining to a book your child is reading.
These are great questions to get the conversation going about what they are doing in speech, will help with their expressive language skills and allow you and them to listen for speech sound errors.
Homework:
Each student will have a speech folder that will be kept in the backpack. Homework will be provided as needed and should be practiced with and signed by an adult. Students will work towards a prize as they complete homework.
Progress Reporting:
Progress notes will be sent home at the same time report cards are provided but you are always able to contact me should you have any questions about your child’s progress.
Contact:
You may write me a note, call or email me. My email is jduckworth@cysd.k12.pa.us. Please remember that I am between buildings during the week and sometimes in the same day so I will get back to you as soon as possible. Looking forward to having a great year!