TE lll Journal Posting #1

Here is a very brief background... I work as an on-the-job DHH teacher for the Sheboygan School District.  There are two of us that cover the district; one for mid-middle schools (depending on caseloads) thru high school and the other (me) for Early Childhood thru mid-middle school.  I currently have 16 students and though I am working for one district, it is set up as more of an itinerant position.  At the moment, my students are spread throughout nine different schools.  I am case manager for most of my students and, in this district, that means I also set up IEP meetings, manage their evaluations, coordinate with staff, and write their IEPs.  This is only my second year in the position and it has been a whirlwind of a ride.
My schedule is late in posting, because today is the first day I finally had confirmation from staff that student times will work.  Four of my students utilize interpreting services and it is part of my role to set the interpreter schedules.  My first two weeks consist of scheduling the interpreters to best suit the students (and coordinate with the other DHH teacher for captioned classes).  Prior to Week one I do a meet and greet with all staff that will work with one of my students and inform them of any special arrangements or equipment each student needs.  I also need to locate a place to work, secure each classroom's schedule, work with special education or related services of each building to seek out appropriate times and work with students that have transitioned to new schools.  Week one is where the crazy schedule and trouble shooting begins.  In the first two days I visit all of my students in their classrooms.  I make sure they have what they need, address any teacher concerns, make sure the interpreters are an adequate fit for the time being (we are short one whole interpreter position) and ensure all equipment has been delivered for use.  Our district works with a CESA audiologist that covers many schools, so I need to coordinate with her for any malfunctions or questions.  I then work with as many students as possible to get their equipment up and going now that they are in class.  I check in on all the interpreters and teachers.  I also fill in the gaps where students are not covered.  The second week I solidify the interpreter schedule, meet with the other DHH teacher, field any remaining teacher questions, and begin all initial classroom observations (I am about halfway finished with these at the moment). By the end of the second week, I have a draft of my schedule in order and a draft of a welcome letter to all teachers/ parents in place.  Week 3 Monday/ Tuesday I have a final schedule set, the welcome letters set to go out by Wednesday and am meeting with students for their initial times.  It is my goal to get a time slip to all students so they know their set times, and a communication folder ready for sending home on Fridays.  The communication folder is tricky though, since several of my students are bilingual and may need translation for communication home.
In addition, one of my students is due for her 3-year Re-eval and will have a great deal of testing.  However, her meeting is due the very beginning of October.  I am coordinating with teachers, related services, and family to set the meeting, make sure all testing is complete and get her paperwork written up.  She has transitioned to a new school and it is their first time working with an interpreter ever... so this has been a lot of learning for them.  There is a time crunch because the beginning of school does not allow for the typical 60 day time allotment to complete all testing.
For this week, it is my intention to do a meet and greet with all students, complete the welcome letter to teachers and parents, make sure all students have access to their scheduled times, get an initial classroom observation completed for each student, begin an initial assessment for each child and complete the re-eval student's testing.  Today, I was able to confirm a working schedule. Hopefully, it will remain with little alterations...