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read the CDSBEO's
Special Education Department's Vision
Special Education
Department Information
Special Education Department
Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario
385 Highway 29, RR#4
Smiths Falls Board Office
Phone: (613) 283-5007 or 1-800-267-7945
Fax: (613) 283-5783
Special Education programs and services are based on dedication and
commitment to helping students to learn, to reach their potential
and to achieve their dreams. Special Education is a vocation and
teachers and support staff strive to do God’s work by finding new
strategies and program ideas, so students can learn, by providing
encouraging words to build confidence and by praising and
celebrating their achievements.
“We are measured by what we do for our most vulnerable and in this
way the system has strived to be God’s instrument.” Donaleen Hawes,
Superintendent of Education.
It was a challenge to bring together three systems and to find a way
to harmonize the programs and to provide equity of resources across
the entire system.
Over the years, many administrators, consultants and Special
Education teachers have helped to shape the system, including Bunny
Warner, Superintendent of Education, Loretta Hamilton, Coordinator
and Rod McLeod of Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry; Jim Leonard,
Superintendent of Education of Prescott & Russell; John deJourdan,
Wendy Sobol, Kathy O’Brien, Paula Perrault, Consultants; Tom Jordan, Principal of Special Education, and Donaleen Hawes as
Superintendent of Education and Previous Coordinator for Lanark,
Leeds & Grenville.
The administration has worked tirelessly to assess the needs of all
of the students and to attain an additional five million dollars in
ISA funding to provide the necessary programs to the students who
require intensive support to learn.
The Board has developed innovative and creative programs for
learning disabled students utilizing augmentative communication and
technological assistance to ensure students can access and convey
information. Not all students can read, write or speak, however,
technology can assist them to compensate for their disability with
amazing results.
The creation of an I.E.P. Literacy Inventory identifies and tracks
student achievement. Targeting and teaching key and important
Literacy skills have resulted in widespread gains and major
improvements in student learning and in the provincial results for
our Special Education students. The central team have provided the
leadership to create a centralized I.E.P. database and the necessary
support for schools to build the school capacity required to write
and carry out successful I.E.P.s. Creating Plans for Success help
our students to succeed and to overcome the obstacles and challenges
they face.
In times of loss, the Special Education Team heads up the Crisis
Response Team. “Hope in Time of Loss” is the resource binder
developed to assist staff during a tragedy. Staff are trained to
provide Rainbows programs to deal with loss due to death or
separation.
Care, compassion and concern for students continues to be at the
heart of Special Education.
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