The El Dorado Charter SELPA has a variety of resources available for parents on their website. This includes information on parent rights, understanding the IEP process, and even some helpful tools for your learners during COVID-19. Click here to check it out!
What is Testing Anxiety?
While it’s completely normal to feel a bit nervous before a test, some learners find test anxiety debilitating. Racing thoughts, inability to concentrate, or feelings of dread can combine with physical symptoms like a fast heartbeat, headache, or nausea.
How Can I Prepare for State Testing?
1. Realize that there are practice tests available and use them not only to work on your test-taking but also to practice controlling your anxiety level. If you’re afraid of not being able to finish the exam in time, use timed practice questions.
2. Remind yourself of past successes. You can do it!
3. Visualize completing the test successfully despite your anxiety.
4. Get a good night’s sleep for several days before the exam. With adequate sleep, your ability to think clearly and deal with anxiety will improve.
5. High anxiety can increase with high consumptions of caffeine. Try to avoid over-caffeinating on the day of the exam.
6. Eat a nutritious breakfast before the test and pack smart snacks for ongoing energy. Look for foods that offer a steady stream of nutrients, rather than a sugar high followed by a crash.
7. Feeling rushed will only amp up the anxiety. Prepare everything you need for the exam the night before and set your alarm.
Most of our learners will be taking the CAASPP remotely this year. Click here to check out the family resources available to help you and your learner better prepare for test day.
Our Student Support team has put together some webinars discussing mental health, transitioning from middle school to high school, and graduation. We hope these webinars will benefit you and your learners!
Mental Health & Well-Being in High School
Middle School to High School Transitions
Distance learning can be a challenge for our learners and families. This webinar provides some helpful tips for learning at home!
February 25 and 26 will be used as professional development days for our Student Support staff. No IEP services with our iLEAD staff will be taking place on those two days. Please reach out to your learner’s case manager if you have any questions.
Our school psychologists have been a huge asset to our Student Support team and have done an amazing job throughout distance learning.
Jenny Palacios
Jenny was born and raised in Orange County but moved to Los Angeles at age 18 when she started college at USC. After that, she attended grad school at Pepperdine to pursue an MA in clinical psychology and later went to Alliant to pursue an MA in school psychology. I guess you can say she really loves psychology! ????
Jenny’s hobbies include baking, yoga, traveling, and shopping. Her goal is to travel outside the country once a year. Shopping is borderline a vice. She also loves organizing her house. She is a very neat and tidy person!
Jenny now lives in Long Beach with her boyfriend and their precious corgi. They love spending time together and going to eat whenever possible. They also love lazy weekends on the couch eating junk food and watching Netflix.
Misty Cervantes
Misty was born and raised in Southern California. She has been working in special education for 20 years. Prior to becoming a school psychologist, she taught fourth grade. She lives in Santa Clarita with her husband and two teenagers. They have two dogs: a yellow labrador and a terrier mix they adopted from the shelter. She enjoys going to the beach, camping, and riding her dirt bike.
Chris Jones
Chris Jones is a licensed educational psychologist and a nationally certified school psychologist who has been practicing for 24 years. He specializes in working with learners who have autism, ADHD, anxiety and other disorders that impact socialization and learning. Chris and his wife, Wendy, moved to the Santa Clarita Valley in 2000 where they have lived and raised two fantastic children. They enjoy spending time with family and friends and are huge Dodgers and Chargers fans!
Chris was recognized by the California Association of school psychologists in 2005 with the CASP Outstanding School Psychologist award and in 2019 with the Suzanne Fisher Leadership award. He sits on the CASP Board of Directors as the LEP Committee Chair and was appointed to the Board of Behavioral Sciences as the LEP Member by Governor Gavin Newsom in July of 2020.
Jaime Clements
Jaime Clements has been serving learners and their families for 17 years as a psychologist, of which the last five have been with iLEAD. Jaime truly finds joy in working with iLEAD’s team of professionals to support the needs of our learners. Jaime and her husband have two children, a daughter (age nine) and a son (age eight), who she will tell you are her greatest teachers (and challenges).
Please visit the new counseling page on our Student Support website! The Student Support counseling team meets learners’ needs on a social-emotional level through groups, guidance lessons, Lunch Bunches, resources, and office hours. It is our goal to ensure all learners stay and feel connected during this time when it’s so easy to disconnect. Please review the website to check out the awesome opportunities available to our families.
Click here to visit our website!
iLEAD Schools and Maker Learning Network have put together a website full of resources for you to access for your learners: Homeschooling Answers. On this website, you will find curriculum and activities, Special Education resources, parent tools, and more!
Click here to check it out.
Reinforcement is a procedure in which an environmental event occurs after a behavior that increases or maintains the behavior in the future.
Positive Reinforcement: Something is added after the behavior, which results in a future increase in the behavior.
Example: The girl gets a star from her teacher after doing her math worksheet.
Negative Reinforcement: Something is removed after the behavior, which results in a future increase in the behavior.
Example: Teacher eliminates that night’s homework after learners finish assignments in class.
Edible: Food, drinks, etc.
Tangible: Toys, books, dolls, blocks, etc.
Activities: Playing a game, swimming, watching videos, riding bikes, etc.
Social: High-five, thumbs-up, etc.
Generalized:Things that can be exchanged for a reinforcer, such as tokens, stickers, points, money, etc.
Verbal phrases: Statements like “Nice,” “Awesome job,” “Wow,” etc. (These can be given in addition to the delivery of any other type of reinforcer.)
Bribery
Positive Reinforcement
