Number 1 Friday 28^th January 2000

Inside This Issue

• Welcome
• PD Program 2000
• Parking at the SVRC
• SVRC Website
• Staff News
• Student News
• Contact Details
• VCE
• Post Graduate Studies at Renwick College
• VT Program
• VCE 2000 Form
• Programs for ‘Low Vision’ and ‘Braille’ Days

Everyone seems well rested after the summer break. It has been a rather cool start to the new year – I hope the weatherman doesn’t have too many days of 40º temperatures planned for us before the leaves begin to change! We look forward to seeing you or hearing from you soon!

Professional Development for 2000

Another full professional development program will be open to Visiting Teachers and others supporting students with vision impairments this year – see below. Activities offered by staff of the Statewide Vision Resource Centre appear in bold; the other activities listed below are being conducted with input and assistance from the staff of the SVRC.
 

Term	Professional Development	Date
1	Visiting Teacher PD Day	Friday 18 February
1	Braille Day	Monday 6 March
1	SPEVI Evening Discussion and Catered Dinner – 5.30pm Statewide Vision Resource Centre	Monday 6 March
1	Low Vision Day – Supporting Students with Low Vision in the Classroom	Friday 24 March
2	SPEVI Evening Discussion and Dinner	Monday 1 May
2	Mountbatten Users’ Discussion Group	Wednesday 3 May
2	TALG – Technical Aids Liaison Group	Fri-Sat 5-6 May
2	Counselling Skills for Visiting Teachers – Geoff Bowen  2 or 3 half days during term 2	TBA
2	Combined Visiting Teacher Conference – Daylesford	Sun-Mon 14-15 May
2	Round Table Conference	May 21 - 23
2	Supporting Vision Impaired Students with Additional Impairments in the Classroom	Friday 2 June
2	Visiting Teacher PD Day	Friday 9 June
3	Visiting Teacher PD Day	Friday 11 August
3	SPEVI Evening Discussion and Dinner	Monday 21 August
4	Combined Agencies Networking Day – St Paul’s School	Monday 2 October
4	Mountbatten Users’ Discussion Group	Monday 23 October
4	SPEVI Evening Discussion and Christmas Drinks	Monday 13 November
4	Visiting Teacher Professional Development Day	Monday 4 December

Visiting Teachers and those receiving their Bulletin via email will find copies of the programs for the Low Vision Day and Braille Day with this edition. Please distribute these widely to your staff, parents and interested others. Please call if you need further copies of the program.

Parking at the SVRC

Please note that visitors are not permitted to park in the driveway outside the SVRC. Heatherwood School requires clear access for delivery vehicles and ambulance at all times. If you arrive to find the SVRC car park full, please drive round to the Donvale Sports Complex next door. It is only a short walk to the SVRC. Thank you.

SVRC Website

Remember to look at our website which can be found at www.svrc.vic.edu.au/. There is a lot of interesting and informative material there including back issues of The Bulletin.

Staff News

• Carolyn Mentiplay has moved office and will now be located at Auburn PS with Jenny Williams. Their address is Rathmines Road Hawthorn East. It is probably easiest to contact Carolyn on her mobile phone: 0411 114789.
• Jeni Blake and Louise Cooper have both moved from their 1999 base schools.
• Last heard, Denise Probert was still looking for a new base in Eastern Region.
• Sue Reynolds from the Wodonga area has retired and her students will now be seen by Maureen Lonergan and Faye Squires.
• We are waiting to see who will be visiting students with vision impairments in the Mildura area after Kirsty Jungwirth left to go to England.

A full time position in the metropolitan area may be available in term 2 for a suitably qualified VT – VI. Please contact Deb Lewis or Yvette Higgins ASAP.

Student Results and News

• Marion’s student Bernadette from Nazareth College, who many of you would have met as a speaker at our Braille Days, will be one of the Olympic torch-bearers – what an exciting honour!
• Sarah from Castlemaine achieved the following results in the September CATs:

English – C, C+; Food – B, B+; and Legal Studies – C, C+

Do you have students studying units 3 & 4 subjects? Please complete the attached sheet and fax it to us urgently. Lyn Robinson and I will be making times to attend VCE Support Group Meetings in the near future.

Post Graduate Studies in Vision Impairment

Renwick College in Sydney is offering a Master of Special Education (Sensory Disability) and a Graduate Certificate of Educational Studies (Special Education) in a combination of off-campus packages and residential schools. Further details are attached or you can call the College Secretary on (02) 9872 0303

Regards from Deb Lewis

deblewis@svrc.vic.edu.au

 SOUTH PACIFIC EDUCATORS IN VISION IMPAIRMENT (SPEVI)

Welcome to 2000! This is a message from the Councillors and ‘Friends of SPEVI’. We met late last year and decided to try to give meetings a new look to provide the opportunity for greater social as well as professional communication when we come together.

We plan to have termly get-togethers at various venues hosted by different Agencies as well as the Combined Agencies Day which will be at St Paul’s on Monday 2 October. Meetings will be on Mondays and will be held in March, May, August and November.

The first meeting will be on Monday March 6 hosted by the DoE at the Statewide Vision Resource Centre in Donvale It will start with drinks at 5.30pm then at 6pm we hope Alan Johnson, Optometrist will talk with us for about an hour with opportunities for questions and discussion. Following this we will have dinner either at the DoE or at a restaurant with opportunities for further informal ‘shop’ talk as well as gathering socially. There will be a charge for dinner. We hope that all the meetings will include dinner afterwards.

2001 will be the SPEVI Conference in Auckland so let’s hope you are all saving for the trip. The final call for papers is the end of February (not long!) and we hope there will be many offered from Victoria. To keep up to date with plans for the Conference consult the Net on rnzfb.org.nz.

We plan to keep you informed about our local meetings as soon as plans are complete. We do hope to see you at the SPEVI meetings and please bring your friends with you.

If you have any queries please contact your local SPEVI Councillors:

Deb Lewis - Statewide Vision Resource Centre - deblewis@svrc.vic.edu.au

Chris Thrikell - Carronbank - thirkell.christine.c@edumail.vic.gov.au

Sandie Mackevicius - RVIB - mackesa@burwood.rvib.org.au

SPEVI Evening Discussion 6 March 5.30pm

Professor Alan Johnson has agreed to be the featured speaker for the SPEVI Evening Discussion and Catered Dinner at the Statewide Vision Resource Centre on 6 March 2000 at 5.30pm (straight after the SVRC Braille Day).

Professor Johnson has lectured and conducted extensive research in his field of optometry with the University of Melbourne for 30 years. More recently he has begun work as the Director of Research with Vision Australia Foundation.

In the past, we have very much enjoyed his humorous and hugely informative sessions and look forward to him sharing his enormous wealth of knowledge again. We strongly encourage you to join us for this session and also to further your network through contact with your colleagues.

Where: Statewide Vision Resource Centre 360 Springvale Rd Donvale (near the end of the Eastern Freeway)

Who is welcome: Everyone

Cost: $12.50 for SPEVI Members and $15.00 for non-SPEVI Members. Payable in advance to a SPEVI Counsellor

RSVP: (To assist with catering) by Monday 28^th Feb with your payment

On behalf of the SPEVI Counsellors:

Deb Lewis (Statewide Vision Resource Centre) deblewis@svrc.vic.edu.au

Christine Thirkell (Carronbank) thirkell.christine.c@edumail.vic.gov.au

Sandie Mackevicuis (RVIB) mackesa@burwood.rvib.org.au
 

	Visiting Teacher Term 1 - PD Day Statewide Vision Resource Centre  360 Springvale Rd. Donvale PO Box 201 Nunawading 3131 Tel (03) 9841 0242 Fax (03) 9841 0878
Venue	Statewide Vision Resource Centre 360 Springvale Rd Donvale
Cost	$15.00 which includes morning and afternoon teas and lunch. Payment in advance would be appreciated.
RSVP	In order to assist with planning the day, please call to let us know that you will be attending.
8.30 – 9.30	Registration and Resource Time
9.30 – 10.00	The Importance of Braille Literacy Maryanne Diamond Blind Citizens Australia
10.00 – 11.00	Pre-Braille Skills and Early Braille Literacy Teaching and Assessment Odette Budge, Visiting Teacher – Western Region Julie Robottom, Visiting Teacher – Northern Region
11.00 – 11.30	Morning Tea
11.30 – 12.00	The Neale Analysis – How Does It Work? Carolyn Mentiplay, Visiting Teacher – Eastern Region
12.00 – 12.30	Assessing Sustained Reading Rates Denise Probert, Visiting Teacher – Eastern & Northern Regions
12.30 – 1.30	Lunch
1.30 – 2.00	Orientation and Mobility Training Kaye Jones, Training Centre Manager – Guide Dogs
2.00 – 2.30	Futures for Young Adults Program Helen Caldow, Visiting Teacher – Eastern Region
2.30 – 2.40	Learning Media Assessment – Referral Form to Register Student for Large Print – VT Describes Her Findings Trish Potter, Visiting Teacher – Loddon Campaspe Mallee
2.40 – 3.00	SVRC Update Staff of the SVRC
3.00 – 3.30	TBA – But Hopefully: VCE in 2000 Jan Vinall-Richardson – Board of Studies

 

VCE 2000

27.1.2000

Dear Visiting Teachers-Vision Impairment

Could you please fill in the following details if you have a student in Year 12 requiring special arrangements for examinations. Please fax your responses to (03) 9841 0878.

Assistance may take the following form:

• production of tests / examinations in braille, large print or audio tape
• additional time for tests / examinations eg extra time for reading and production
• separate room with individual supervision
• permission to use technology eg. computer

Lyn

Please fill out as much detail as possible - particularly school details and the VCE Co-ordinator’s name. (Don’t worry if you don’t know the details for the student’s special arrangements yet!)
 

Student Name:
School:
School Address:
VCE Co-ordinator:
School Ph. No.	School Fax. No.
Visiting Teacher:
Will student sit for GAT in June?
Units for 2000:	Requirements e.g. Large Print

RENWICK COLLEGE
University of Newcastle

Two University of Newcastle postgraduate awards specialising in Vision Impairment, the Master of Special Education (Sensory Disability), and the Graduate Certificate of Educational Studies (Special Education), may now be completed through a combination of off-campus packages and residential schools in addition to their being offered in the regular, on-campus mode at Renwick College. The reverse side of this sheet outlines a typical program of study. Individual units in the program may also be undertaken for credit towards a degree at another university through cross-institutional enrolment.

Units offered off-campus comprise a package including student handbook, course outlines and guides, readings, library and online reference guides and a schedule of bulletin board activities. Access to a computer and the internet are essential for off-campus units. Other units will require attendance at Renwick College at least once during the semester for week or weekend residential schools. Maximum opportunity will be provided during these on-campus sessions for access to support from the College library and specialist staff of the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children. Student accommodation at budget rates is available on campus for week and weekend residential schools.

The Graduate Certificate requires completion of four 500 level units, while the Masters degree requires completion of an additional four 500 level units for a total of eight units

The following units will be offered in distance mode in the 2000-2001 academic years. Units with codes underlined must be completed for accreditation with the NSW Department of Education and Training as a teacher of students with a vision impairment.

2000

EDSD 531 Sensory Systems, Perception and Child Development (Distance package)

EDSD 591 Seminar in Sensory Disability A (Directed study)

EDSD 592 Seminar in Sensory disability B (Directed study)

EDSD 532 Orientation & Mobility for Students with Vision Impairments (One Week Residential School)

EDSD 535 Teaching Literacy to Vision Impaired and Blind Students (Package and weekend residential school)

EDSD 546 Developing Communication Skills in Students with Dual Sensory Disabilities (One Week Residential School)

EDSD 502 Practicum in Sensory Disability (by individual arrangement)

                    EDSD 591 Seminar in Sensory Disability A (Directed study)

                    EDSD 592 Seminar in Sensory disability B (Directed study)

                    EDSD 533 Special Curriculum for Students with Vision Impairments (Distance package)

                    EDSD 534 Applications of Technology in the Education of Students with Vision Impairments
                    (One Week Residential School)

                    EDSD 502 Practicum in Sensory Disability (by individual arrangement)

                    EDSD 555 Integration and Inclusion for Students with Sensory Disabilities (Distance package)

                    Renwick College, 361-365 North Rocks Road, North Rocks, SYDNEY 2150