around the fairgrounds, if

you needed to cool off, you

could count on the many

volunteers that were sta-

tioned, handing out pop-

sicles. It was a rewarding

day with memorable experi-

ences!

I would like to thank Bar-

bara Cesari, GGCC Occupa-

tional Therapist/Assistive

Technology Coordinator, for

all her hard work and dedi-

cation each and every year

for this event. Thanks to all

the countless volunteers that

helped make everything run

smoothly. Without them,

there would not be a Special

Kids‘ Day.

Wow! Hats off to the Gal-

veston County Fair and Ro-

deo for hosting another suc-

cessful Special Kids‘ Day

on April 13, 2010! It was

amazing to see all the stu-

dents and adults with their

big smiles. If you do not

know what Special Kids‘

Day is, it is a day set aside

during the annual Galveston

County Fair and Rodeo to

honor children and adults

with disabilities. Students

attend from various school

districts as well as many

other organizations. Those

in attendance within our

cooperative were Hitchcock

ISD and Needville ISD.

The weather was wonderful

with lots of sunshine. The

day began with the annual

rodeo where contestants

participated in Girls‘ Break-

away Roping, Tie Down

Calf Roping, Team Roping,

Girls‘ Barrel Racing, and

the crowd‘s favorite, Bull

Riding. Students were on

the edge of their seats with

all the rodeo excitement.

Upon completion of the

rodeo, students began to

make their way around the

fairgrounds. They visited

the petting zoo, tractor pulls,

hayrides, wheelchair acces-

sible wagon rides, carnival

rides and the all time favor-

ite, mechanical bucking

bull. Lunch was provided

for all students with live

music to enjoy while eating.

It was an awesome atmos-

phere in the new building at

the fair.

While making your way

SPECIAL KIDS’ DAY AT THE GALVESTON COUNTY

FAIR & RODEO BY: BETSY PARENT, HOME INTERVENTION SPECIALIST

Greater Gulf Coast Cooperative Star

ELEMENTARY BEST OF SHOW:

Hunter Wright Needville Elementary Kindergarten

SECONDARY BEST OF SHOW:

Pedro Marin Needville Elementary 4th grade

EE-PK

1st Place Hunter Wright Needville Elementary Kindergarten

2nd Place Elroy Hensely Stewart Elementary Kindergarten

3rd Place Emalee Zwahr Needville Elementary Kindergarten

1st & 2nd Grade

1st Place De‘Avyon Neal Needville Elementary 1st grade

2nd Place Amanda Nowak Needville Elementary 1st grade

3rd Place Jonathan Silva Stewart Elementary 1st grade

3rd-5th Grade

1st Place Pedro Marin Needville Elementary 4th grade

2nd Place Mya Evans Stewart Elementary 3rd grade

3rd Place Markeith Cahee Stewart Elementary 4th grade

6th-12th Grade

1st Place Maria Garcia Danbury High 11th grade

2nd Place Angela Villaloboz Damon Junior High 7th grade

3rd Place Keaira White Needville High 12th grade

HONORABLE MENTION:

Damon ISD Randall Ritter Damon Elementary 5th grade

Danbury ISD Shelby McGibboney Danbury Middle 7th grade

Hitchcock ISD Rodney Mason Stewart Elementary 4th grade

Kendleton ISD Dimitri Chambers Powell Point Elementary 6th grade

Needville ISD Wyatt Jordan Needville Elementary 2nd grade

CONGRATULATIONS ONCE AGAIN TO ALL THE WINNERS!!!!!

THANKS ALSO TO OUR SPONSORS AS THIS CONTEST

WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOU!!!!

REMEMBERING OUR SIXTH ANNUAL ART CONTEST WINNERS BY: STACY HOFF, ART CONTEST CHAIRMAN


MORE SPECIAL KIDS’ DAY PICTURES


If you suspect an infant, child, or young adult having a developmental delay or disability,

your school district can open a window of hope for a brighter future. Services, at no cost to

the family, are available to all eligible individuals from birth through 21 years of age. Spe-

cial services are available to eligible infants, children, and young adults identified with a

disability who may be experiencing difficulties in one or more of the following areas:

Specific Learning Disability Auditory Impairment

Visual Impairment Deaf-Blind

Mental Retardation Emotional Disturbance

Orthopedic Impairment Speech and/or Language Impairment

Autism Other Health Impairment

Traumatic Brain Injury Multiple Disabilities

Non-categorical Early Childhood

GREATER GULF COAST COOPERATIVE

8117 HIGHWAY 6

HITCHCOCK, TX 77563

409-986-6331

Please visit the website https://framework.esc18.net to publicly access documents which are

used in the Special Education Process. Documents to be viewed are: A Guide to the Ad-

mission, Review and Dismissal Process, Procedural Safeguards and Side by Side view of

Special Education Rules and Regulations.

THE LEGAL FRAMEWORK

FOR THE

CHILD-CENTERED SPECIAL EDUCATION PROCESS SUBMITTED BY: BETSY PARENT, HOME INTERVENTION SPECIALIST

CHILD FIND


REACHING

FOR

THE

STARS

ONE

CHILD

AT A

TIME

*********************************************************************************

NJH. We are sad to say that

Ms. Gooch will not be re-

turning after 16 years at

NISD. She will be pursuing

her dream as a TVI (Teacher

of Visually Impaired) at

KATY ISD. She has im-

pacted all of us and will be

greatly missed.

We have enjoyed working

with the students and staff

this year. Teaching students

with learning disabilities is a

true fulfillment for us. Pre-

paring them to become pro-

ductive individuals of the

community is our ultimate

goal. Best wishes to 8th

graders and we look forward

to seeing everyone in the

fall. Have a safe summer!

Well, the year has gone by

very fast and we have en-

joyed it very much. We

teach Functional Academics

and have Inclusion classes

also. Our students make our

job very enjoyable and

memorable. This semester

has been filled with a vari-

ety of activities that the stu-

dents enjoyed.

Recently, Ms. Gooch dis-

sected a cow‘s eyeball in

her Science class. Prior to

this dissection the students

learned about the function

of the eye. The dissection

was a big hit with the stu-

dents. During the dissection

the students discussed what

a vital organ the eye is to

them.

The students are so excited

because we just finished

TAKS TESTING this week.

All year we have prepared

them with useful strategies

to be successful on the

TAKS. We can‘t wait until

we get the RESULTS!

The eighth graders will

leave us and go to the new

high school next year.

These students will be

missed dearly but we wish

them success for their future

education. We have en-

joyed educating them, prais-

ing them and loving them

all. GOOD LUCK 8th

GRADERS & WE WILL

MISS Y‘ALL!

Next year, Mrs. Gless and

Mrs. Jacinto will be back at

NEEDVILLE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL NEWS MRS. GLESS, MS. GOOCH, MRS. JACINTO’S CLASSES

BY: MRS. KAREN GLESS, MS. LISA GOOCH, AND MS. JACINTO, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHERS


Cooking is a great activity to do with your children—you spend time together, make something delicious, and have fun! As well,

cooking can help children learn and practice many skills. Following recipes requires children to plan (have the ingredients), pre-

pare (get the ingredients and cooking tools ready), process (read and understand the directions), and perform (follow the directions

using the ingredients and cooking tools). From start to finish, children must follow each step of the recipe. They learn to complete

a task and then enjoy the result of their hard work—the food!

When helping your children learn to cook, pick simple recipes with just a few steps and a few ingredients at first. Then progress to

more complex recipes with more steps and more ingredients. If your children cannot read yet, read the recipe to them and have

them repeat the ingredients and steps back to you. And….be creative with cooking! Besides food, you can make fun things like

homemade clay or soap. Creating your own ―special recipe‖ is another fun idea. As you are cooking, teach your children about

both kitchen and food safety. Be sure to supervise your children during all cooking activities.

What Skills Can Children Learn from Cooking?

Cooking is a hands-on activity that can help children learn many different skills. The list below outlines some skills children can

learn as they follow instructions for various recipes.

Language skills-When cooking, children must understand certain vocabulary. They need to know vocabulary for cooking

tools like oven, mixer, and whisk. Flavors —salty, sweet, bitter, etc.—and textures—sticky, gooey, melted, etc. are also impor-

tant to know. As well, children can learn figurative language related to cooking terms such as ―a baker‘s dozen,‖ ―a piece of

cake,‖ and ―in a nutshell.‖

Math skills-Math is a very important cooking skill. Children need to know numbers and counting in order to measure and

add ingredients. They must be familiar with measurements like teaspoon, liter, and “a pinch.”

Critical-thinking skills-Recipes provide opportunities for children to practice skills like following directions, sequencing,

and recalling details.

Fine-motor skills-When cooking, children manipulate (move with their hands) different ingredients and cooking tools. Get-

ting supplies out of the pantry, mixing ingredients, and placing toppings are examples of fine-motor skills to practice in the

kitchen.

Healthy-living skills-Cooking healthy foods is important for your children‘s growth and development. As you cook together,

you can teach your children about the Food Groups, good nutrition, and the importance of physical activity combined with a

healthy diet.

COOKING — A RECIPE FOR LEARNING SUCCESS! BY: JULIE A. DAYMUT, M.A., CCC-SLP

SUBMITTED BY: AMY YOUNG, M.A., CCC-SLP


to believe in their own abili-

ties.

All children can learn. Yes,

all children can learn,

whether they have ADD,

ADHD, a learning disabil-

ity, or a physical handicap.

Part of what we as parents

need to do is to empower

our children so they know

down to their bones that

they can do it, they can

learn, they can do better. It

may be hard, but they can

do it. In addition to giving

the words to our children,

we owe it to them to give

them the tools they need to

make learning easy.

The words you speak to

your children are so impor-

tant! Are you giving your

children the ‗can do spirit‘

or are you giving them ex-

cuses? Are your words

those of encouragement or

of discouragement? When

you look at your children‘s

work, do you say, ―You did

a good job,‖ or do you say,

―You aren‘t trying hard

enough.‖ Do you offer con-

structive criticism such as

―You might want to add

______________ to make it

better, or maybe you could

rearrange the sentences in

your paragraph and it will

read more smoothly.‖ Do

you say, ―Your writing is

sloppy,‖ or do you say, ―I

know you can write much

neater, you have it in you to

do such a nice job.‖ Listen

to the words you use when

speaking to your children.

Turn the negative statements

around into positive state-

ments. Consider your word

choices when choosing the

words you use to speak to

your children. When you

consciously decide to use

positive statements you

show your children you be-

lieve in their abilities, and

thereby your children learn

Krieger‘s assistant clinical

administrator; says parents

can find plenty of affordable

and therapeutic toys. They

just need a resource that

explains which toys or

games can help their chil-

dren improve their skills.

To learn more about great

toys for children with spe-

cial needs, go online and

c h e c k o u t p a r e n t s -

choice.org/holiday.

CLAIRE GREEN is president of

Parent‘s Choice Foundation, a non-profit guide to quality children‘s

media and toys. For more informa-

tion, visit parents-choice.org.

Picking the perfect toy or

game for the kids in your

life may be challenging.

And for family members

and friends looking for a

holiday gift for a child with

special needs, the process

can be overwhelming.

To address that need, Par-

ents‘ Choice Foundation has

partnered with Kennedy

Krieger Institute, a Balti-

more-based research, patient

care and special education

organization that is dedi-

cated to helping kids with

disabilities. The goal: to

establish a national resource

for uniform testing, certifi-

cation and labeling of toys

for kids of all ability levels.

Working together, Kennedy

Krieger and Parents‘ Choice

have selected some of the

best toys available for chil-

dren with a variety of spe-

cial needs. For example,

Oball can help build fine

and gross motor skills and,

when playing with another

person, also improve social

skills. Mario & Sonic at the

Olympic Games for the Wii

and DS help develop coordi-

nation and gross motor

skills. First Snaps are good

for improving dexterity and

the ability to manipulate

things with little hands.

Elisa Mintz Delia, Kennedy

******************************************************************************************************************************

FIND THE PERFECT TOY FOR A CHILD WITH SPECIAL NEEDS BY: CLAIRE GREEN

SUBMITTED BY: SUSAN BOWLES, SPECIAL EDUCATION DIRECTOR

THE WORDS WE SPEAK TO OUR CHILDREN By Bonnie Terry, M.Ed., Educational Therapist, Learning Disabilities Specialist

SUBMITTED BY: LISA MOODY, SPECIAL EDUCATION INSTRUCTIONAL COORDINATOR


Oball

Well, the votes are tallied once again, and the results are in for the annual Greater Gulf

Coast Cooperative Awards for Professional, Paraprofessional, Contracted Professional and

Contracted Paraprofessional of the year.

This year‘s winners are:

Professional of the Year

Lisa Moody, Homebound Teacher/Transition Coordinator/Special Education Instructional

Coordinator. Lisa has 25 years experience as a special educator. She is married and has two

daughters. Her hobbies include collecting pink flamingos, listening to live music, traveling

and spending time with friends and family.

Paraprofessional of the Year

Jolie Suire, Secretary for the Special Education Director. Jolie has 6 years experience with

the cooperative. She has 3 beautiful daughters. Her hobbies, besides her children, are read-

ing and being outdoors.

Contracted Professional of the Year

Barbara Cesari, Occupational Therapist/Assistive Technology Coordinator. Barbara has 28

years experience and serves all districts. She is married and has 4 children. Her hobbies

include riding horses and scrapbooking.

Contracted Paraprofessional of the Year

Chriss Wieghat, ARD Specialist. Chriss has 12 1/2 years experience as a In-School Suspen-

sion Supervisor in Needville ISD and 2 years experience as an ARD Specialist at Needville

Elementary School. She is married and has 2 sons. Her hobbies include show cattle, youth

fair volunteer, 4-H livestock judging coach and photography.

**************************************************************

“I cannot do everything but still I can do some things and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to

do the something I can do.”

By: Helen Keller

GGCC AWARDS 2009-2010 By: Betsy Parent, Home Intervention Specialist


CONGRATULATIONS

TO

ALL

THE

WINNERS!!!

Way to go Joel!

As we are beginning to wrap

up the year, it is important

to remember we have a little

bit more to accomplish. Be

sure to continue to work on

goals at home with your

child.

The last six weeks will be

busy with the following

events: walking trip, field

day, awards day, and END

OF THE YEAR PARTY!

Mrs. B‘s class came back

from Christmas Break ready

for an exciting and busy

semester.

In February, we celebrated

Valentine‘s Day, Dental

Awareness, and 100 days of

school. We also had our

annual bowling tournament

at El Campo Bowling Cen-

ter. Top bowler was Joel

Orrellana!

March was a busy month

with the First Grade Pro-

gram, Book Fair and Public

School Week. I would like

to thank everyone who came

out for public school week.

It was a huge success. We

appreciate all your support.

In April, we planted our

spring garden. We had a

late start planting, but we

are beginning to see the

fruits of our labor. We also

enjoyed our Easter Holiday

as well as celebrating our

Needville Youth Fair. Joel

Orellana submitted a science

project and won 1st Place.

NEEDVILLE ELEMENTARY NEWS MRS. B’S CLASS

BY: MRS. LAURA BARANOWSKI, LIFESKILLS TEACHER


Most parents see praising their child‘s work as important, but what many don‘t realize is there is actually a right and wrong way to

do it. Carol Dweck, Ph.D., a researcher and professor of psychology at Stanford University has done a great deal of research as to

exactly how parents should and shouldn‘t praise their children.

How important is praise for encouraging children?

Dweck: A certain amount of praise for children is positive, but I think many parents tend to over praise their kids, especially with

the wrong kind of praise. We did a survey that found that 85% of parents believe you must praise your child‘s intelligence in order

for them to have self-confidence, but in fact, confidence isn‘t really built this way.

Most young children have so many things that they love and enjoy that they don‘t really need a lot of praise to be encouraged to do

these things. A parent might share the child‘s enjoyment and get into it with them, but kids don‘t need a lot of praise for things

they already enjoy.

The danger with praising children when they don‘t really need it is that it sends the message that what they‘re doing is for you

rather than for them. Children will then stop asking themselves if they are enjoying what they are doing and start looking at

whether or not they are being praised for it.

Q: What are these wrong kinds of praise?

Dweck: Many parents are simply praising the wrong things. They‘ll praise the child‘s intelligence or talents thinking they‘re giv-

ing the child confidence and faith in his abilities. For example a parent might say: ―Wow you‘re so good at this,‖ ―Look what you

did—you‘re so good at this.‖ With this kind of praise, a parent is telling the child about his overall talent or ability, which is

something we should not be doing.

Q: Why is this type of praise harmful?

Dweck: When we did our research we found that praising intelligence or talents pleases children for a moment, but as soon as

they encounter a something that‘s difficult for them to do, that confidence evaporates. What happens is that when things are hard

they worry that they don‘t in fact have the intelligence necessary to accomplish the task, and in the end they lose self-esteem.

From there, what we find is that their confidence evaporates, children stop enjoying what they are doing, their performance plum-

mets, and they‘ll lie. When we asked what score they earned on a test 40% of the kids who were praised for their intelligence lied

about their scores. We found that when you praise a child‘s intelligence, you equate their performance with their worth. If a

child‘s been told ―Wow, you‘re so smart, I‘m so proud of you‖ for something he‘s done well, when he doesn‘t do well he‘ll try to

protect his ego and instead of being honest and addressing his mistakes, he‘ll cover them up.

Q: What then, is the right way to praise?

Dweck: The alternative is praising kids for the process they‘ve used. For example, you might praise their efforts or their strategy

by saying: ―Boy, you worked on that a long time and you really learned how to do it,‖ or ―You‘ve tried so many different ways

and you found the one that works, that‘s terrific.‖

You‘re essentially appreciating what they‘ve put into their performance to make it a success. With this method of praise, if kids

hit a setback they‘ll think ―OK, I need more effort or a new strategy to figure this out.‖ We found that when these kids run into

difficulties their confidence remains, their enjoyment in the task remains, their performance keeps getting better, and they tell the

truth.

THE BEST WAY TO PRAISE CHILDREN BY: MYRON DIANISKA, MS, LSSP


If a child does something quickly and easily, like getting an ―A‖ on an assignment that you know wasn‘t very hard for them most

parents will say: ―Wow you‘re so smart you didn‘t really have to work at this,‖ or ―Wow you‘re so good at this, you got it right

away.‖ Instead, I suggest people say ―Well that‘s nice, but let‘s do something where you can learna bit more‖ It‘s really impor-

tant to not equate doing something easily with being smart or ―good at it.‖ If a child has a hard time with another assignment

she‘ll start thinking: ―I didn‘t get it right away—I had to struggle—I made mistakes—I‘m not good at this—I‘m not going to do

this,‖ and the original praise ends up discouraging the child later on.

Everything worthwhile requires some amount of struggle and some coming back from mistakes. The best gift you could give

your child is for him to learn how to enjoy effort and embrace his mistakes.

********************************************************************************************************

Morning Glory Ranch is a therapeutic riding school, located in Waller Texas. It is dedicated to providing safe, fun and educa-

tional equine therapeutic experiences to all individuals. The staff brings specialized expertise to their therapy programs that are

unmatched anywhere.

Morning Glory Ranch along with their expert staff have programs that can be combined and customized to accommodate any

individual or group to maximize the diverse experiential educational goal in a safe and fun learning environment. Their programs

consist of Mounted Lessons, Ground Lessons, At Risk Youth Program, Literacy Program, Hippotherapy, Performance Events and

Summer Day Camps.

Morning Glory Ranch is proud to say that their number one rule is EVERYONE and EVERYTHING will stay emotionally and

physically safe. Their number two rule is EVERYONE will have fun. Learning, Knowledge and Wisdom will not and cannot

occur, if the experience is not enjoyable and fun.

To learn more about Morning Glory Ranch and their therapeutic riding programs, visit them at www.morninggloryranch.org.

MORNING GLORY RANCH THERAPEUTIC RIDING ACADEMY

BY: TRACI PYLE, HITCHCOCK ISD ARD SPECIALIST

(Continued from page 11)


We are proud to have 3 of

our students from our area

participating in the Dream

League. These students

include Kade Massey and

Joel Orrellana, fourth grad-

ers at Needville Elementary

and Cody Kettler, a fourth

grader at Damon Elemen-

tary. They are proud to be

part of the Rangers. Good

luck to you all!!!!

If anyone would like infor-

mation on the Dream

League, please feel free to

contact First Colony Dream

League, P. O. Box 17565,

Sugar Land, TX 77496 or

v i s i t o n l i n e a t

www.fcdreamleague.com.

EVERY CHILD DESERVES

TO PLAY BASEBALL!!!

With that in mind, Steve

Schoppe, Fort Bend Inde-

pendent School District, the

ARC of Fort Bend and First

Colony Little League estab-

lished a Dream League in

the Spring of 2007. The

Dream League enables chil-

dren with physical and men-

tal disabilities to enjoy the

game of baseball. The

Dream League roster has

approximately 60 players.

In addition, the league has

an ―Angels in the Outfield‖

program, where approxi-

mately 150 teenage boys

and girls from Ft. Bend area

schools volunteer to assist

Dream League players dur-

ing the game, becoming a

loyal buddy in the process.

The league depends heavily

on volunteers from the com-

munity to fill such positions

as board members, manag-

ers, coaches, umpires, and

etc.

The First Colony Dream

League is excited that Min-

ute Maid and the Astros

chose the Dream League as

the recipient for 2009‘s

GSFYB program. This will

allow them to make the field

more accessible and safer

for the players. These im-

provements will not only

promote our league‘s

growth, but will also estab-

lish our field as a destination

for tournament play with

other Dream Leagues/

Challenger Leagues in the

greater Houston area.

FIRST COLONY DREAM LEAGUE BY: BETSY PARENT, HOME INTERVENTION SPECIALIST & LAURA BARANOWSKI, LIFESKILLS TEACHER


In April the students col-

lected money for Pennies for

Patients. We dressed west-

ern for our annual Needville

Youth Fair at the end of

April. Some students en-

tered projects. The students

and teachers both enjoyed

the Friday off before the

fair. Many people watched

the parade on Main Street

on Saturday morning.

Summer is in the air and

then end of school is near.

Students and teachers are

looking forward to the sum-

mer break. Soon it will be

another school year.

Mrs. Bennett and Mrs.

Mund‘s class at Needville

Elementary came back from

the Christmas break ready

for their classroom Spelling

Bees. The school wide

Spelling Bee was held at the

end of January.

February was a very busy

month. We celebrated 100

days of school on February

4th. We counted items the

students brought by 1‘s, 5‘s,

and 10‘s. We tossed a quar-

ter 100 times to see if it

would land heads or tails.

On February 12th we cele-

brated Valentine‘s Day.

The students wore red, pink,

and white and celebrated by

exchanging Valentine‘s at

their parties. We dressed in

purple, green, and gold to

celebrate Mardi Gras. Some

wore a lot of beads! At the

end of the month everyone

dressed in boots and jeans

for Western Day.

We had many parents visit

the school during Public

School Week in March.

During the week the stu-

dents and parents shopped at

the Book Fair. The students

and the teachers were look-

ing forward to Spring Break.

After our break the students

were busy with tests.

school year thanks to Mrs.

Rawlings, Ms. Cottrell, my

assistant, and all the related

service personnel for their

hard work and dedication.

Parents, thank you for all

your support during this

successful school year.

Have a great summer and

we will see you in August.

What a great school year!

This year PPCD did full

inc lus ion wi th Mrs .

Rawlings Pre-K Class. In

February, we celebrated our

100th day of school. We

sorted and counted 10 dif-

ferent sets of items. Then

students were able to eat

their treats.

March was extremely busy

as we had our annual Public

School Week. Students

enjoyed their parents visit-

ing their classes and pur-

chasing books and items for

them from the Book Fair.

PPCD and Mrs. Rawling‘s

Pre-K Class planted bean

seeds and enjoyed watching

them grow.

PPCD had a wonderful

Needville Elementary News Mrs. Paul’s Class

BY: MRS. JOSEPHINE PAUL, PPCD TEACHER

Needville Elementary News Mrs. Bennett and Mrs. Mund’s Class

BY: MRS. PEGGY MUND, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER


**************************************************************************

complications, but one vari-

ety is a troublemaker.

About 10 percent of sore

throats are caused by strep-

tococcus bacteria, which if

left untreated some strains

can damage the heart.

Symptoms include high fe-

ver, swollen neck glands

and pus on the tonsils. But

symptoms can be milder.

Only throat cultures at your

doctor‘s office can diagnose

strep throat for sure. Con-

firmed cases of strep are

treated with antibiotics.

A child can return to school

after 24 hours of treatment if

they are feeling better. To

avoid rebound infections,

have your child take the

medicine for a full 10 days.

There‘s little you can do to

counter the spread of strep

infections. Instead, watch

for symptoms and get treat-

ment immediately to avoid

dangerous complications.

Sally Robinson is a clinical

professor of pediatrics at

UTMB Children’s Hospital,

and Keith Bly is an assistant

professor of pediatrics in the

UTMB Children’s Emer-

gency Room. This column

isn’t intended to replace the

advice of a physician.

Here‘s the low-down on the

most common illnesses

school children get and

some advice on what par-

ents can do to prevent and

treat these ailments.

Colds

School-aged youths have six

to eight colds per year, ac-

cording to the American

Academy of Pediatrics.

Caused by viruses, not by

damp weather, colds spread

through the air (via cough

and sneeze droplets) and by

direct contact (touching

people and contaminated

objects, such as doorknobs,

toys and telephone receiv-

ers).

From an infection-control

standpoint, there isn‘t much

reason to keep your child

out of school. Youngsters

are contagious a day or two

before the onset of symp-

toms, so by the time your

child has a runny nose other

children probably have been

exposed.

The critical thing is how the

child feels. Kids who feel

miserable can‘t concentrate

or learn. Use your best

judgment.

Antibiotics won‘t help a

cold, but they can be useful

if sinusitis or another secon-

dary infection develops.

Check with your doctor if

symptoms persist for more

than 10 days.

To cure the common cold,

we recommend getting lots

of rest, fluids—and a little

chicken soup, too.

If you must get help from

the pharmacy shelf, stick to

one-drug, one-symptom

remedies. Try a deconges-

tant to unclog nasal stuffi-

ness. Acetaminophen re-

duces fever and achiness—

but don‘t give your children

aspirin. It‘s linked to a

deadly illness called Reye‘s

syndrome.

Flu

A viral infection, influenza

(flu) has symptoms similar

to the common cold, but

usually they are more severe

and potentially more dan-

gerous. Flu can lead to

pneumonia, the fifth-leading

cause of death in the United

States (though rarely in chil-

dren).

Unlike the cold, which

comes on slowly, the flu

typically arrives like a

freight train. In a few hours,

your child can be down with

a high fever, chills, weak

muscles and overall achi-

ness.

Treat flu symptoms like a

cold‘s. Flu vaccines which

are safe and have few side

effects, offer immunity for a

year. However, they are

tailored for particular strains

and sometimes different flu

varieties circulate.

Many health experts recom-

mend that all children re-

ceive flu vaccines annually.

Strep Throat

Most sore throats are part of

a cold and clear up without

When Your Child Is Too Sick To Go To School By: Sally Robinson & Keith Bly

Submitted By: Betsy Parent, Home Intervention Specialist


besta wore her best queen

attire, of course! All stu-

dents thoroughly enjoyed

themselves and truly experi-

enced Medieval life. Fifth

grade classes were escorted

through the event so that

they know what they have to

look forward to next year.

Everyone have a great sum-

mer!!!

On April 16, 2010, all 6th

grade students participated

in the highly anticipated

Needville Middle School

Annual Medieval Feast.

The students dressed in pe-

riod costumes (many hand-

made) and participated in

the feast which consisted of

grapes and cheese, bread,

and a stew with ―wine‖

juice to drink in goblets!

The classroom was trans-

formed into a Medieval cas-

tle banquet hall. The stu-

dents took turns enjoying

and serving the feast. Each

class had a king and queen,

panters (guards), jesters,

lords and ladies, beggars,

etc. The feast was provided

by Mrs. Kolkmeir and Mrs.

Sawyer. Staff members and

even Mrs. Sebesta (the prin-

cipal) participated by dress-

ing in costumes. Mrs. Se-

NEEDVILLE MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS MRS. THOMAS’ CLASS

BY: MS. DEBORAH THOMAS, SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER


N

E

E

D

V

I

L

L

E

B

L

U

E

J

A

Y

S

The 2009-2010 school year was very successful for the Greater Gulf Coast Cooperative and its five school districts: Need-

ville ISD, Kendleton ISD, Damon ISD, Hitchcock ISD, and Danbury ISD. The following is a list of some accomplish-

ments:

Sixth Annual GGCC Art Contest was held;

Students from area schools were involved in Special Kids‘ Day at the community fairs;

Numerous staff development workshops for administrators, teachers, and parents were held;

Language Labs and speech strategies are implemented in general education classes in all five school districts;

Hitchcock ISD and Needville ISD were awarded High Cost Funds;

Needville ISD Special Education teacher, Laura Baranowski, was a TCASE nominee for Region 4;

Needville ISD Principal, Marla Sebesta, was chosen TCASE Regular Educator of the Year from Region 4;

First Transition Fairs were held at Needville High School, Danbury High School and Hitchcock High School;

Career Cruising computer programs were implemented at Needville High School, Needville Junior High School, Dan-

bury High School, Hitchcock High School and Crosby Middle School using funds from the $25,000 United Way grant.

The GGCC Staff consists of the following personnel:

Office Staff: Susan Bowles, Special Education Director; Jolie Suire, Secretary; Stacy Hoff, Bookkeeper; Traci Pyle, Re-

cords Management Clerk;

Serves All Districts: Kathy Higginbotham-Jones, Vision Teacher; Betsy Parent, Home Intervention Specialist; Lisa

Moody, Homebound Teacher/Transition Coordinator; Latisha Goudeau, Special Education Counselor; Barbara Cesari, Oc-

cupational Therapy/Assistive Technology Coordinator; Elaine Thomson, Occupational Therapist/Assistive Technology;

Needville ISD: Myron Dianiska, Ann Bergen and Edith Schneider, Licensed Specialists in School Psychology; Stacie

Henke and Amy Young, Certified Speech Language Pathologists; Mary Ann Bezecny, Chriss Wieghat and Donna Gregory,

ARD Specialists; Valerie Mekras, Physical Therapist; Danielle Wright, Orientation and Mobility Specialist; Kathy

Higginbotham-Jones, Special Education Instructional Coordinator;

Hitchcock ISD: Cynthia McCoy and Gwen Hopkins, Diagnosticians; Eliza Skinner, Certified Speech Language Patholo-

gist; Traci Pyle and Brenda Kemmerling, ARD Specialists; Kathy Higginbotham-Jones, Special Education Instructional

Coordinator; Teresa McLaughlin, Licensed Specialist in School Psychology; Valerie Mekras, Physical Therapist;

Danbury ISD: Teresa McLaughlin, Licensed Specialists in School Psychology; Debbie Barrett, Speech Language Patholo-

gist; Valerie Mekras, Physical Therapist; Theresa Goebel, ARD Specialist; Lisa Moody, Special Education Instructional

Coordinator;

Damon ISD: Edith Schneider, Licensed Specialist in School Psychology; Debbie Barrett, Speech Language Pathologist;

Donna Gregory, ARD Specialist; Lisa Moody, Special Education Instructional Coordinator;

Kendleton ISD: Edith Schneider, Licensed Specialist in School Psychology; Debbie Barrett, Speech Language Patholo-

gist; Donna Gregory, ARD Specialist; Lisa Moody, Special Education Instructional Coordinator.

Please contact the GGCC personnel at your child’s campus to answer questions or call GGCC at 409-986-6331.

FROM THE DESK OF SUSAN BOWLES, SPECIAL EDUCATION DIRECTOR


Greater Gulf Coast Cooperative

The Greater Gulf Coast Cooperative, GGCC, is comprised of 5 member

districts, Damon, Danbury, Hitchcock, Kendleton, and Needville, which

have a shared service agreement. GGCC provides personnel beyond the

classroom teacher or special education teacher to work with special

needs students as required by their ARD committee. These service per-

sonnel include, but are not limited to Licensed Specialists in School

Psychology, Diagnosticians, ARD Specialists, Speech Pathologists, Spe-

cial Education Counselors, Occupational Therapists, Physical Thera-

pists, Assistive Technology Coordinators, Teachers of the Visually Im-

paired, Orientation and Mobility Instructors, Home Intervention Spe-

cialists, Homebound Teachers and Special Education Instructional Co-

ordinators. These are necessary positions that would be cost prohibitive

for a single district, but are much more manageable through the shared

service agreement. Other services provided by GGCC include contract-

ing with specialists in Life Skills, Behavioral Intervention, and Inclusion

to help develop the campus programs into exemplary models of success.

GGCC also facilitates all of the ARDS for each of our twelve campuses.

GGCC provides training and direction on Special Education issues new

and old.

Have a wonderful Summer

from the

Staff at the

Greater Gulf Coast Cooperative!!

We’re on the web!!

www.hitchcockisd.org

8117 Highway 6

Hitchcock, TX 77563

409-986-6331

409-986-5485 Fax

Greater Gulf Coast Cooperative

Greater Gulf Coast Cooperative Star - Hitchcock ISD

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Transcript of Greater Gulf Coast Cooperative Star - Hitchcock ISD