Category: Monday Message

April is Occupational Therapy Month, and we want to recognize and celebrate the wonderful OTs here at iLEAD! Our Occupational Therapists and COTAs help many of our learners to participate in daily life activities to fulfill their role as a learner. Many of our OT sessions focus on academics, social participation, self-care skills, work skills and more.

I am a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant. I graduated from Stanbridge University, where I did my last fieldwork rotation in a school-based setting and that’s when I knew where I wanted to be. I fell in love with working with students and being a part of a team of providers that work together to advocate for the best for their students. I am fortunate to be working in my preferred setting right after graduating, especially with iLEAD. Now I have the best of both worlds by providing virtual OT and working with learners in-person at the OC studio.

I am an Enneagram 7, so I am motivated by fun!

State testing can be an overwhelming or anxiety-inducing experience for many learners. Thankfully, there are several things we can do to help them feel better prepared to enter into statewide assessments!

1. Provide plenty of opportunities for practice leading up to the statewide assessments. The CAASPP website offers practice tests and training to give your learner an idea of what it looks like to get logged on and some practice questions to help them prepare for the testing day (link below).
2. Many of our learners will be taking the statewide assessments remotely this year. CAASPP also offers a video with a little insight into what this will look like. You should be receiving further information from your EF about the upcoming state testing.
3. Help your learners engage in relaxing activities the day before the test and get them to bed early so they are rested.

To check out all of the CAASPP Parent Resources, click here.

We hope you can join us for our Student Support webinars in the month of March! They will take place from 9:30-10:30 via Zoom!

March 11, 2022 – Executive Functioning

March 25, 2022 – How to Maximize the Social Development of Your Child

This detailed website walks students at all grade levels through studying and test-taking skills. Included in this amazing website there are free assessments in learning style and test anxiety. This is an amazing resource for students who want to increase their study and test-taking skills. The authors of this website are Dr. Charles T. Mangrum and Dr. Stephen S. Strichart who are two former university professors. They formed Mangrum-Strichart Learning Resources in 1997. The study skills curriculums & instructional programs they have developed for students from elementary school through college are used in schools, tutoring centers, and homeschooling throughout the United States, Canada, and many other parts of the world. Click here to check it out!

We have two exciting webinars planned where parents and learners can get more information about upcoming CAASPP testing! Parents are invited to attend the CAASPP Overview for Parents webinar on Wednesday, March 9th at 12pm to learn more about CAASPP testing, why testing participation and performance is important to iLEAD, changes for 2022, and how best to help your child prepare. Learners are invited to attend the CAASPP Testing Tips for Learners webinar on Wednesday, March 16th at 12pm to better understand the tests they will be taking, what a typical test looks like, how to prepare, and tips and tricks that can be used while testing. Webinar registration links are HERE. We hope to see you there!

While you all as parents have a front-row seat to your learner’s progress, there may be blind spots in knowing how to best prepare them for the state standardized test.

Use these test preparation tips to help your learner be their very best:

• Despite what you or your learners may feel about the tests on a personal level, it’s always important to note the actual purpose of the test itself. Standardized tests almost always serve the purpose of assessing one’s skills.
• Get your learners in the habit of using scratch paper: whether it’s brainstorming or planning for an essay, mapping out their approach to find the correct answer, or breaking down the question into smaller more manageable bits, readily using scratch paper in everyday lessons makes them more comfortable to do so on the test.
• Learn the power of deductive reasoning. The reality is, your learner will not know the answer to every question, but teaching them the power of elimination (or educated guessing) leads to a higher chance of choosing the correct answer.
• When dealing with a high-stress situation, as testing often is, teaching your learner how to properly pace themselves allows them to approach the situation in a calm and prepared manner. Their pace should be personal to them to where it will maximize their efficiency and quality of work.
• A little encouragement can go a long way in helping students walk into testing days feeling confident—which, in turn, can have a huge effect on their performance. Offer positive reinforcement for the work your learner completes to prepare for the testing, as this allows them to already have experienced success with the material and reduce the anxiety on test day.
• Support healthy habits: Sleep and nutrition can have a huge impact on your learner’s ability to focus and retain information. One of the most helpful things that you can do as a parent is focusing on supporting these basic needs. Well-rounded meals and a regular sleep schedule will help your child succeed in all areas of their education.
• Keep testing in perspective. No single test is that important. Avoid putting too much emphasis on the test scores—doing so can make your learner feel pressure that will ultimately only affect his or her performance negatively. It’s also important to not be upset by a single test score. Low test scores can occur for any number of reasons; it may have just been an off day for your child.
• Finally, after testing day has come and gone, talk with your child about his or her results and how he or she felt about the test. Debriefing after the test can help your learner process the experience and overcome any anxiety associated with testing while giving you insight into where they are excelling or struggling academically.

Linda Krystek has been an educator for over 20 years, serving as an elementary teacher, Director of Home Study, and currently the Director of Innovation in Teaching and Learning for iLEAD Schools on the iCA Maker Team. She holds both a California Multiple-Subject and Administrative Services credential. She is a dedicated, innovative, and results-oriented education professional with proven leadership skills, expertise in curriculum, and a strong commitment to unleashing the potential in each facilitator and learner. A teacher’s teacher, Linda believes firmly that high expectations and building strong relationships among the school’s facilitators, children, parents, and administration is the key to a successful school culture and community that nurtures academic and social-emotional growth for all learners.

Fun Fact:
Who was your most unique pet?
I have had several unique class pets over the course of my tenure as an elementary teacher, including a pair of hamsters named Chip and Dale, Scotty Scorpion (found in the boys’ bathroom upstairs), Speedy the turtle, Blueberry (a blue belly lizard missing his tail that one of my learners rescued), an anole, a pair of walking sticks, a Jerusalem beetle we found during lunch outside, and the overall favorite, Honey Bunny.

Linda’s Bio

Below is a list of resources around STEM and SEL that will benefit you and your learners!

• Future U offers a variety of STEM resources, including virtual field trips and STEM career information for learners grade 6-12. It is meant to inspire and equip future STEM professionals in aerospace.
• Virtual Field Trips
• TGR EDU  assists with exploring personal interests and facilitating family discussions, as well as provides STEM videos, and Design Challenges.
• Social-Emotional Learning Strategies for Parents

Hi, I’m Jacqui Washington. I am currently a Care Team member at iLEAD Exploration. I enjoy supporting kids and teens and have worked in the education field for more than 8 years. I earned a Bachelor’s in Family & Child Development (2016) and a Master’s in Human Service Counseling (2019) from Liberty University. More recently, I have been honing my skills and passion with Executive Functioning support. My passion for this stemmed from overcoming my own personal and academic challenges which then caught the attention of my friends and family members who began asking for support with their children and their challenges too. I saw the growing need for extra support in this area in both my personal and professional life. I am passionate about using real-life, daily challenges as springboards to support our learners who struggle with these necessary life skills to succeed in home, school, and social environments. Aside from my time as a Care Team member, I love spending time with my family and friends, going to the beach or lake, cooking, journaling, and going on walks.

Fun Facts:
I am an Auntie of 4. I love expressing my creativity through makeup. I have a double-jointed finger.