I am running in the Adidas Womens 5K Challenge, Sept 5, 2010 – for my dad
As you may know, my dad passed away last year from prostate cancer. I am running in honor of Marvin, my biggest fan, to commemorate the one year anniversary of his passing. I will be running my first 5K in London’s Hyde Park as part of the Adidas Womens Challenge, and all of my charitable donations will proceed The Prostate Cancer Charity. Your support will inspire me and push me over the finish line.Thanks to all of you who were there for me last year, and continue to be.
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/HallieJohnstonSee More
Virgin Money Giving | Fundraising | Adidas Womens 5K Challenge – for my dad
uk.virginmoneygiving.com
I am fundraising as a personal challenge. My challenge is Running or marathons My event is happening in London

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=HallieJohnston

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A student’s chronic illness must be taken into account when choosing a school, college or special needs placement. I realize how many recent placements by Educational Options, LLC are shaped by this factor. How close is the nearest health-care facility? Is a physician, nurse or other health-care provider available to the student and staff? Who reminds the student about taking medications? What about food? How are allergies taken into account in the student’s meal plan and activities?

Some examples:
Tree-nut allergies
Encopresis
Leukemia
Severe headaches
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)
Balance issues from cererbral palsy
Multiple sclerosis
Celiac disease

Make sure health needs are clearly addressed in your contacts with potential schools, college and discuss them at interviews. Your educational consultant will also be able to explore this area with desired schools colleges and therapeutic programs, and preserve your anonymity if you are not ready to disclose the chronic illness by having your educational consultand broach the subject first.

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Mark Sklarow, Executive Director of the Independent Educational Consultants blogs about why IECA members travel so much to meet families’ needs and provide excellent advice to clients.

Why DO IECA Members Travel So Much?
by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA

The key role of the educational consultant is to find the best possible match between a student’s educational, social, community needs and desires, and what colleges offer. The role of the college consultant is not, as the media would have us believe, to sit back, let a student decide where they want to go and then “help them get in.” A student’s learning style, the campus’ political environment, academic vs. social component, weekend activities, LD support services, physical environment, and so much more go into this important decision.

Many consultants indicate that one of the great satisfactions in their life is introducing students to a potential college that the family has never heard of, but which proves to be an exceptional choumbers—minimum GPAs, test scores, size of freshman class, etc.—tell only part of the story. Numbers do not capture the feel of a school. Other published sources such as guides from Princeton Review and Fiske are also critical components, but of course these are the evaluations of someone else, and someone whose opinion may or may not match your own.

Most consultants also get feedback from past clients, which is a way to ensure that their impressions of a school are in fact accurate. Others look at student Web sites and other ways to get a less filtered view of what current students are thinking and saying about their school.

What really distinguishes consultants, particularly IECA members, from school-based counselors, is that they do visit campuses. How better to describe a potential school to a student than to be able to share a view, in order to discuss it as a potential match. Consultants sit in the dining hall, observe interaction, read bulletin boards to see what events are coming, notice the influence of the Greek system, and discern what the political climate is. A consultant wanders over to ‘Main Street’ to see the student/town interaction, observe the maintenance of the physical plant, and see if students USE the gym, the library, the student support center, etc.

Of course there are added benefits to such tours: consultants become acquainted with college admission representatives, developing a stronger professional relationship that is further aided by the hundreds of college that participate in IECA conferences and programs yearly. Moreover, while some consultants visit campuses individually, more visit together with colleagues or take part in the many organized tours that IECA plans throughout the year. This provides opportunities to interact with peers, discuss changes in the admission scene, new developments on campus, and so much more.

No one source of information is sufficient to gain a complete view of a college, but it is the visit—a personal visit by a trained professional—that when combined with statistics, published reports, Web sites and more, is likely to provide the best, most complete picture of a college or university. Such a picture informs the consultant whether or not a school should be placed on the list of possibilities, allowing a student to conduct their own research. It is this difference that makes consultants invaluable for families and makes IECA members the most respected in the field.

This article originally appeared in the April / May issue of IECA’s Insights

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The Billerica Parent Advisory Council for Special Education invites you to:
Transition to Post-Secondary Settings for Students with Special Needs: Planning for Success
Presented by Renee Goldberg, Ed.D., C.E.P.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Billerica Memorial High School Lecture Hall
35 River Street, Billerica, MA
Dr. Renee Goldberg, has spent more than 25 years in the field of education and founded Educational Options, LLC in 1994 (www.optionsined.com), with a special interest in students with learning disabilities and students with AD/HD. Here is a brief outline of the topics Renee will discuss:
High school vs. college, Importance of technology, Documentation, Disclosing the disability, 3-year game plan, What to do about college visits, Interview questions, Letters of recommendation, Application and financial aid
Her discussion will be followed by time for questions and answers.

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Educational Options clients have received acceptances for Fall 2010 from the following colleges:

Assumption College

Bryant College

Clark University

Connecticut College

Dean College

Emerson College

Endicott College

Landmark College

Lynn University

Merrimac College

Mitchell College

Northeastern University

Roger Williams University

Salve Regina College

Saint Michael’s University

Trinity College

University of Connecticut

University of  Hartford

University of Massachusetts

University of New Hampshire

University of New Haven

University of Rhode Island

University of Vermont

Wheaton College

 

Congratulations! We’re so proud of you.

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College Visit Dos and Don’ts

February 24, 2010

Advice about visiting colleges was posted on the Pediatric Behavioral Health Web site  www.pbhealth.org

 
Renee Goldberg is a certified educational planner (CEP). As an educational consultant at Pediatric Behavioral Health, she advises families and students with a variety of educational needs. She received her Ed.D. from Clark University in 1983 where she established services for Clark [...]

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What Should You Do When Waiting For Your College Acceptances?

February 20, 2010

If you are a high school senior, you may have already heard from some of your colleges. Our students are waiting to hear from many more colleges and universities, which can be difficult and stressful.
Current clients at Educational Options, LLC have been accepted this winter to Curry College, Assumption College, Emerson College, Endicott College, Johnston and Wales [...]

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Hallowell Connections January Newsletter about Renee Goldberg and Educational Planning

January 27, 2010

The following article was published today in the Hallowell Connections newsletter. It explains what Renee Goldberg does at the Hallowell Center! 

Could You Benefit from Educational Planning?

The end of the first semester is when many parents start wondering about whether or not the school their child currently attends provides the best fit. If you’re concerned, you [...]

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Homeward Bound Services

January 22, 2010

Educational Options, LLC is partnering with Homeward Bound to provide our families with support as the student returns home after attending a treatment program or boarding school. The following excerpt is taken from the Homeward Bound web site: The reunion affects the entire family, and their commitment to the process isn’t over. Your family’s [...]

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College is Possible for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

December 24, 2009

Students with intellectual disabilities are able to attend college and SUCCEED at a small, but growing, number of colleges that have programs and support for them. Begun at University of Massachusetts Boston where I was the associate director of disability support services for 3 years, the Think College web site offers a myriad of [...]

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