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It’s hard to believe we are starting another calendar year! It seems like just yesterday we were at our IU opening day, considering how we are ‘igniting’ a region through our thoughts, actions, and words. I also challenged you to consider what ignites you, and posed three questions:
- What ignites you?
- What fuels you?
- What breathes life into you?
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The feedback from last year’s opening was overwhelming in your appreciation of hearing ‘impact stories.’ Your feedback ‘sparked’ inspiration for how we can keep sharing our impact throughout the year. Since that time, we have focused on how we can better communicate our impact.
Your contributions matter, and we are inviting even more ‘impact stories’ over the remainder of the year. Here is how you can help us tell our story:
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Social Media Pages
Like, Follow, & Engage!
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Employee Spotlight
Submit the Employee Spotlight form to nominate a colleague to be featured in our BLaST Bulletin Employee Spotlight section.
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Special Events & Stories of Impact
Let us know when you have an upcoming special event or a story of impact to share.
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Photo Submissions
Submit photos of events/activities that you would like to be considered to promote via social media and the BLaST Bulletin
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BLaST IU 17's Deaf-Blind Resource Team
The Deaf-Blind Resource Team (DBRT) is the outcome of a three-year grant project in partnership with PaTTAN. The project serves to support deaf-blind students, their families, and their educational teams to increase students’ ability to become confident and active members of the community. The DBRT, consisting of members Robin Holmes, Allison Mertes, Dana Vermilya, Tracy Whitehead, and Kimberly Winn, has a mission of providing, creating, and facilitating high-quality educational solutions for students with deaf-blindness.
Continue Reading...
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January - National Mentoring Month
January is National Mentoring Month and we would like to take this time to thank all of our BLaST Mentors for the 2023-2024 school year:
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Allison Mertes
Amber Hildebrand
Ashley Hess
Blair Russo
Candi Williams
Chris Carithers
Corrie Roadarmel
Crystal Yoder
Dan Coran
Dana Vermilya
Heather Carlin
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Jessica Luksa
Jessica Saviano
Jessy Schwenk
Kelly Sponhouse
Lacy Cole
Lauren Smith
Meg Ralston
Samantha Mannino
Sarah Boyer
Tanya Kuhl
Tracy Froelich
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Email Encryption - How to Use it and Why
Email encryption is a technique that safeguards the content of email messages. It converts readable plain text into scrambled cipher text. The intended recipient - and only the intended recipient - can decipher the message, turning it back into readable text.
The primary aim of email encryption is to shield sensitive data from unauthorized access. This becomes especially vital when dealing with Personally Identifiable Information (PII).
Continue Reading...
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Tips for Setting Goals AND Keeping Them
During this time of year, we often find ourselves thinking about the person that we want to work towards. When we must create new habits, it can be challenging to maintain them. In this article, we provide some tricks to help you create and maintain your goals in this new year.
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Tiffany Reynolds
Special Education Teacher, Autistic Support
Education & Experience: I received my bachelor’s degree and master’s degree from Keuka College in Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. Prior to my position at the IU, I worked as an Occupational Therapist in a nursing home setting. I then decided to move to a school setting where I worked as a Behavioral Health Worker with ESS. Recently, I started the Special Education Certification Program through IU 18 to work towards my teaching degree.
Fun Fact: I have two Boxer mix dogs at home who are like my children.
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Rachael Evers
Special Education Teacher, Math
Education & Experience: I received my bachelor’s degree from Pennsylvania College of Technology. My professional background includes being a long-term substitute teacher and learning facilitator. For fun, I work at a nursing home on the weekends.
Fun Fact: I like to travel to multiple states to watch my daughter compete with her cheer team. I also love spending time with the elderly.
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Stacie Auten
Special Education Teacher, Autistic Support
Education & Experience: I have a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education PreK-4 and Special Education PreK-12, which I obtained from Grand Canyon University. Before becoming a teacher, I spent 22 years as a Paraprofessional. As a Paraprofessional, I have worked in all levels of education from preschool to high school regular education, and special education.
Fun Fact: A few years ago, I worked in the Construction Program and the Masonry Program at Dauphin County Technical School in Harrisburg. While in the Construction Program, I assisted the students with remodeling a home that was condemned due to a fire in a pretty unsavory neighborhood. We remodeled this condemned home to help the community and clean up the area a little. While I was assisting, I had the opportunity to meet Governor Wolf as he was touring the home. The Construction Program, including myself, was on the news and in the newspaper. It was truly an awesome experience.
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Alyssa English
Information Technology Support Specialist
Education & Experience: I graduated from Pennsylvania College of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Network Administration & Engineering Technology and a minor in Software Development. Before joining BLaST, I worked in technology at the Jersey Shore Area School District for 3 years.
Fun Fact: I play the flute, piccolo, and trumpet. I also love snowboarding in the winter!
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Emily Bailey
Itinerant Emotional Support Teacher
Education & Experience: I attended Lock Haven University and obtained my Bachelor of Science degree in Disability and Community Services along with a minor in Psychology. I am currently emergency certified in Special Education K-12 and am enrolled in school to obtain my K-12 Special Education Certification. I will then be enrolling to complete my master's in Special Education. For the past 3 years, I have been a behavioral health worker in a K-5 Autistic Support Room through ESS.
Fun Fact: Family vacation trips to Disney World started with my great-grandparents. This tradition has continued throughout the generations and I now get to share the memories and magic of Disney every few years with my daughter as well.
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Meet the IU's First Teacher Apprentices!
The IU's Special Education Teacher Apprenticeship is a unique program specifically designed for working paraprofessionals or behavioral health workers who are committed to becoming an IU special education teacher. As one of only ten Intermediate Units across the state to be awarded a $50,000 grant, we have developed an ‘earn while you learn’ pathway to teacher certification that allows working special education paraprofessionals the opportunity to continue working while completing job-embedded experiences and convenient coursework. For more information on our Teacher Apprenticeship Program, CLICK HERE.
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Each month in our Employee Spotlight section, we want to recognize and celebrate employee milestones, accomplishments, and good deeds. Click the Employee Spotlight Form below to nominate a colleague to be featured in next month's BLaST Bulletin! | |
ESS EMPLOYEE OF THE MONTH | |
Emily Teeter
Paraprofessional
Towanda Progress Early Intervention
How many years have you worked with ESS?
I have worked with ESS since January 2022, 1 year.
What aspect of your job do you love most?
Working with the kids!
What inspires you?
Working with a great team!
What do you like to do outside of work?
I love spending time with my family. We enjoy time together with our animals!!
“Emily goes above and beyond for her classroom. She is great at keeping the classroom organized and running smoothly, while always thinking ahead. She is a team player and is always willing to help in different classrooms/ positions when she isn’t working in her EI classroom. We are proud to have Emily as a part of our team.”
- Veroniqua Rodriguez, ESS District Manager
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BLaST & Miles Welby Candle Sale! | |
School Director Recognition Month | |
January is School Director Recognition Month! Please join us in celebrating BLaST IU 17's Board of Directors. They volunteer their time to serve our students, schools, and communities. | |
Enter now for your chance to win a copy of your choice of books listed below! Two copies of each book will be available for six lucky winners. Winners will be chosen at random and their names will be published in the following month's Bulletin. | |
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New Year's Resolutions Week 1/1 - 1/7
No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving--every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
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World Braille Day
1/4
Living with the use of one's eyes can make imagining blindness difficult, but this innovative title invites readers to imagine living without sight through remarkable illustrations done with raised lines and descriptions of colors based on imagery. Braille letters accompany the illustrations and a full Braille alphabet offers sighted readers help reading along with their fingers. This extraordinary title gives young readers the ability to experience the world in a new way.
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International Day of Education 1/24
By exploring the science behind the iconic television program, Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, this book reveals what Fred Rogers called the “tools for learning”: skills and mindsets that scientists now consider essential. These tools—curiosity, creativity, collaboration, and more—have been shown to boost everything from academic learning to children’s well-being, and they benefit kids of every background and age.
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Congratulations to our November Winners!
Ben Pavalko
Jim Rinehimer
Janette Singleton
Alisha Ragan
Allison Mertes
Jessica Saviano
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