Need help writing a letter!!!!

I forgot to mention, that the school has the Wilson Reading System that they used for a little while last year and it really seemed to help. But they aren’t using it anymore because they say it is to time consuming and requires one on one help. In defense of the LD teacher, he probably doesn’t have time, he has 27 kids.Is this legal?

I also want to ask that the grade requirement for playing sports be waived for him. I already contacted the assoication that makes that rule and they said the prinicipal can waive it but she won’t. He is very good at sports and it helps to build his self esteem. So I think he needs something positive. I also want to mention that maybe he is at risk for being a drop out. He’s already told me he wants to quit school as soon as he’s 18, so I think he needs sports as an incentive. So any ideas on how to mention that in a letter would be appreicated to. Is it a violation of his civil rights to be denied sports?

OK, I think I’ve covered everything now.

Kathy,
I am thinking that looking at the notes you sent will pretty much make her convinced her that you know what you are talking about.

Keep all emotion out of your letter. Be factual, to the point and state the case you wish to express to the principal. Never send the letter right after you write it. Sleep on it for a night and go back over it one more time before mailing.

Instead of faxing, photo copy a couple of the examples that you have and attach them. Send the letter certified mail.

Try to stay away from wording like “best manner” etc., as you have mentioned. Just be concise, point out the clearly he is struggling with sequencing and all the other descriptive words of dyslexics. Make a strong point of voicing your concerns about his self esteem and sports, and that he is already voicing opinions regarding dropping out of school. He is at risk and you need to put them on notice. You might want to mention that at the 7th grade age level, he is soon to be in high school and you are quite concerned about where he is heading and what transition possibilities there are for him.

The sports issue should be addressed, and if the school refuses (which is possible, but not out of the question), then look for sports alternatives around school.

Your concerns should be voiced, and you should request respectfully in your letter that she respond to you in writing.

If you haven’t looked at the post I put up a few down from this regarding information for dyslexics, I suggest you take a look at the DARC’s web page and other sites where you can brush up on terminoligy etc. to be better prepared and as knowledgable as possible. There is lots of good information out there, take advantage of it. Cut and paste what you need to help you with your own letter, no one is going to sue you for plaguerizing (sp?) when you are advocating for your child.

Most importantly, listen to your gut instinct and follow that inner voice that is telling you to do something about what is going on.

Best of luck.

Andy

exactly what Andy said. And now that I am more awake,my point last night is,you don’t have to say too terribly much with examples such as the one you posted above. Check out my web page. I have sample letters on it. Look under the IEP tips section. Also please look at the 504 section. You will find the laws that indicate a child with a disability should participate in extracurriculur activities such as sports. http://expage.com/socksandfriends

… you don’t have to say much. Just that he clearly needs more instruction w/ reading, that Wilson was what they determined he needed before, and clearly he still needs it. The school is legally required to provide what he needs. THey already agreed he needed that then and with those samples they’re hard put to be able to say he doesn’t need it any more. LEgally, the “well, it’s too time consuming” argument doesn’t hold.

HOWEVER.

Reality is a different story. The teacher cannot clone himself. IT could be that your best bet is to negotiate with the principal tha tyou won’t be a legal meanie about the reading if she will do the exception thing for the sports. Then… I’d suggest that you get them to get Lexia software, which he could work on pretty independently, and it costs a whole lot less than a teacher’s salary (it’s based on teh OG stuff that WIlson comes from). And get him to keep taking notes — BUT also to get someone else’s notes or tape record the class. I’ve had lots of students who took notes about like that. If they could have read them, they’d have been able to study and ace the tests… they’re intelligent and want to learn. Another option is to have the teacher give him partial notes that he gets to complete, or full notes that he gets to highlight (you do want him doing *something* to keep him engaged, unless he happens to be motivated enough to listen hard without writing anything).

Could be that if you had the book and those notes you could do the detective work to figure out what they say, too — but if they’re not going to teach him to read and write well enough to take notes he can read, then they really dang well oughter provide another way to get tha tinformatoin.

“Special Needs and Special Gifts” at http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Oracle/1580/listall.html has some great ideas for effective communication whether it’s buiding support or holding accountable :)

Yes! Actually this IS the link to letters I was refering to:-) Judy Bonnel is another sped parent turned advocate. I love her parental attachment. You should check this out also. It is a statement about your child that becomes attached to the IEP document. This might be a venue for addressing his love and need to continue playing sports.