ESE Department Connection Weekly Newsletter
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The Department for Exceptional Student Education will provide a continuum of innovative support that helps to inspire students with disabilities to reach their highest potential as responsible, productive citizens.
Location: 805 Bill Beck Boulevard, Kissimmee, FL, USA
Phone: (407) 343-8700
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This edition's spotlight shines on Mariacarla Castaneda Cabeiro, one of our dedicated Registered Behavior Technicians supporting students across the Osceola School District!
In her role, Mariacarla implements individualized behavior plans and promotes positive behavioral interventions to support student success. She works closely with educational teams to create inclusive, encouraging learning environments where students can thrive both academically and socially. Through data collection, behavior support strategies, and a commitment to helping students reach their personal goals, Mariacarla plays an important role in fostering positive outcomes for the students she serves.
Fun Fact: Mariacarla loves spending her free time exploring theme parks with her family, especially Disney and EPCOT. She's also always on the lookout for new creative design projects and enjoys finding ways to express her creativity.
Thank you, Mariacarla, for your dedication to supporting students and strengthening our school communities. Your commitment to helping students succeed is truly lighting the way! ✨
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We are looking for 3 ESE teachers and 3 RCS's to participate in the district's BPIE assessment. If you are not familiar, BPIE stands for Best Practices for Inclusive Education, and is a FIN-facilitated process to identify and prioritize areas of need for best practices that enable all students with disabilities to achieve their highest potential.
The district BPIE process is intended to:
- Facilitate a self‐assessment for districts to evaluate current status of best practices for students with disabilities
- Develop measurable goals and action steps to increase or improve best practices across the district
- Develop measurable goals and action steps to increase or improve inclusive best practices across the district
- Validate areas of strength in the implementation of best practices for educating SWDs
- Monitor and report progress toward the implementation of best practices at the district level
- Provide data from districts to analyze and determine the status of best practices across the state
We are looking for representation from elementary, middle, and high schools, so the first representatives from each will be selected.
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Behavior Tip of the Week: Self-Monitoring/Self-Management
Explanation: Teaching students to observe, record, and evaluate their own behavior, leading to increased independence and self-regulation.
Behavioral Principle
Self-mediated antecedent and consequence control leading to independent behavior management.
When to Use
- For students who demonstrate awareness of their behavior
- When external monitoring is being faded
- For students with attention or organizational challenges
- When promoting independence is a priority
- For middle/high school students who resist external control
Implementation Steps
- Identify specific target behaviors for self-monitoring
- Develop an age-appropriate recording system
- Paper checklist, digital app, or visual scale
- Clear operational definitions of behaviors
- Teach self-observation skills explicitly
- Model noticing and recording behaviors
- Practice with feedback
- Establish a self-evaluation component
- Set realistic goals
- Teach comparing performance to standards
- Include self-reinforcement options
- Begin with high-frequency checks, fading over time
- Verify accuracy through periodic teacher checks
- Gradually increase student independence
Age-Specific Variations
Elementary: Use simple visual tools, concrete criteria, frequent check-ins
Secondary: Implement digital tracking, more complex self-evaluation, link to personal goals
Success Indicators
- Accurate self-recording (verified by staff)
- Improved target behaviors without external prompts
- Student initiates self-monitoring independently
- Self-management skills generalize to new settings
Common Mistakes
- Overly complex recording systems
- Implementing before student understands expectations
- Insufficient initial training and modeling
- Moving to independence too quickly
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Tip on Avoiding FTE Errors: Incorrect Attendance Survey Windows
Error examples:
- Student reported for FTE but does not meet attendance requirements.
- Enrollment and attendance records conflict.
Florida survey reporting requires careful monitoring of student enrollment and attendance during the survey period.
How to avoid it:
- Monitor attendance daily during survey week.
- Review students with excessive absences before submission.
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Families of children who are deaf or hard of hearing are invited to attend the DHH Homecoming Pre-Game Event at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind (FSDB) in St. Augustine on Saturday, October 17, 2026, from Noon to 5:30 PM, with football game kickoff at 6:00 PM.
This free event is open to Florida families with children from birth through age 18 who are not enrolled at FSDB. Participants will have the opportunity to explore the FSDB campus, learn about the school's programs and services, enjoy sports-themed activities, meet the cheer team, and stay to cheer on the Dragons during their homecoming football game against the Maryland School for the Deaf. Siblings are welcome to attend!
Registration is required.
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For students with disabilities, consistent attendance is critical to accessing specially designed instruction, related services, accommodations, and transition supports. Every day a student is present is another opportunity to strengthen skills, build independence, and move closer to their postsecondary goals. Together, school staff can create welcoming, supportive environments that encourage students to show up, engage, and succeed.
Over the course of the next few weeks this section of the newsletter will be dedicated to providing strategies for staff to use to help boost student attendance.
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Attendance Strategy #1
Build Meaningful Connections Students are more likely to attend when they feel connected to adults who know, support, and advocate for them. Take time to check in regularly, celebrate successes, and show genuine interest in students' goals, interests, and extracurricular activities.
Staff Tip: Identify students with attendance concerns and ensure they have at least one trusted adult who conducts regular check-ins.
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Please help us spread the word to families across the district about our upcoming 2nd Annual ESE College and Career Readiness Parent Night on Thursday, October 22, 2026, from 5:00–7:30 PM. The event will be held at Gateway High School, 93 Panther Paws Trail, Kissimmee, FL 34744, and will begin promptly at 5:00 PM.
This districtwide event is designed to help students with disabilities and their families begin planning for life after high school. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with local agencies and organizations that provide supports and services related to postsecondary education, employment, independent living, self-advocacy, community engagement, and adult services. Families will also gain valuable information and resources to support successful transition planning and help students prepare for their future goals.
We encourage all schools to share this opportunity with their ESE families. It's never too early to start planning for the future!
Parents are asked to RSVP using the following link:
Flyers for the event are included below in PDF format and may be shared with families, staff, and community partners. We appreciate your support in helping us connect families with these valuable resources and opportunities. We look forward to welcoming families from across the district for an evening of learning, networking, and planning for future success.
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Shared from the Project SEARCH Newsletter from Week of September 28th:
Classroom Instruction:
This week we are focusing on our midway evaluations and making improvement plans for the next four weeks.
As a class we have looked over our midway evaluation and discussed our mentor feedback. Like always our mentors have made very informative feedback that will help our interns to grow and improve.
Project SEARCH Intern Highlight:
Richard: Richard is currently working at the SDOC administration front desk. Richard’s career goal is to work in communication. With this career goal, we have placed Richard in this rotation to help build the skills he needs to gain employment after the program. Even with a few spicy phone calls up front, Richard still loves his rotation!?
Project SEARCH SDOC Highlight:
This year we have eight interns. Over the summer we lost a few interns due to moving out of town. For the first rotation we are utilizing Cypress PE assistant, Cypress Nutritional Services, Cypress classroom assistant, Admin Front Desk, Print Shop, Warehouse, Custodial (Transportation), and Safety and Security.
Community Outings:
A couple of weeks ago all three Project SEARCH sites utilized the regular public bus to travel to Lynx Central to obtain our bus passes. After we obtained our passes, we traveled to Florida Mall for lunch and team building fun.
SDOC site program reminders:
The first rotation end October 30th.
Our first community week starts on November 2nd.
Project SEARCH Fun Fact:
SDOC’s Project SEARCH site still has the honor to say we still have a 100 percent completion rate. This is a huge deal for any Project SEARCH program. This wouldn't be possible without the help form our mentors and great support from our departments.
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The collaboration of public and private instructional personnel (PIP) shall be designed to enhance but not supplant the school district’s responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The school, as the local education agency, shall provide therapy services to meet the expectations provided in federal law and regulations and state statutes and rules. Collaboration of public and private instructional personnel will work to promote educational progress and assist students in acquiring essential skills, including, but not limited to, readiness for pursuit of higher education goals or employment. Where applicable, public and private instructional personnel shall undertake collaborative programming. Coordination of services and plans between a public school and private instructional personnel is encouraged to avoid duplication or conflicting services or plans.
For the purpose of implementing this subsection, a school district may not impose any requirements beyond those requirements specified in this subsection or charge any fees:
The provision of private instructional personnel by a parent does not constitute a waiver of the student’s or parent’s right to a free and appropriate public education under IDEA.
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Excerpt from email to Ms. DeLuca...
I just wanted to take a minute to reach out and tell you how incredibly grateful we are for you and your entire department. I know we often reach out when we need help navigating something difficult or when we have a million questions, but I don’t know that we stop often enough to tell you just how much your support means to us.
You are always available when we need guidance, and you have created a team that consistently makes us feel supported rather than like we are trying to figure things out on our own. Every single person we have worked with from your department has been kind, responsive, knowledgeable, and genuinely willing to help.
Yajaira has been amazing with our RCS. She is always there to answer questions and has truly gone above and beyond to help us navigate the beginning of the year and FTE.
Amanda has been wonderful about coming out to support us, providing feedback, supporting the resource room and next steps for MRPs, and then continuing to check back in with both our team and our teachers. That follow-through means so much.
Alma has been incredible in supporting us with one of our students. She hasn’t just provided pre-made resources or suggestions, she has worked directly with the student, trained us on strategies we can use, provided feedback and next steps, and, most importantly, continued to follow up. She checks on the student, but she also checks on us to see how things are going and what else we may need. That level of care and support has made such a difference for our team.
I know everyone is busy, and there are so many schools and students your department supports, which makes the time and attention your team continues to give us even more meaningful.
I just wanted you to know that we see it, we appreciate it, and we are incredibly thankful. Having a department we know we can call when things get difficult, and knowing we will be met with support, solutions, and kindness, means more than I can say.
Thank you for your leadership and for the amazing team you have built. We are very grateful for all of you!
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Do you know a coworker who is Lighting the Way—someone who radiates positivity, supports students wholeheartedly, or brings light to the work we do?
Help us highlight their impact!
Submit a staff shout-out recognizing someone who is:
⭐ Making a difference for students
⭐ Spreading positivity
⭐ Helping others shine
⭐ Going the extra mile
Your shout-out may be featured in an upcoming newsletter so we can continue celebrating the amazing people who are Lighting the Way across our department and district. Let’s keep the light shining bright! ✨🌟
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The Bureau of Exceptional Student Education and Student Services (BEESS) Weekly Memo provides current action and informational items related to trainings, jobs, conferences, resources and other information relevant to students with disabilities. "The Buzz" can be accessed using this link: BEESS Weekly Memo and then simply click on the date for the corresponding week. |
The contact information below has not yet been updated. Once a revised contact list is received, it will be shared. |
Get ready for a day of learning, collaboration, and inspiration! The October Professional Learning Day will feature a variety of sessions designed to empower educators, spark new ideas, and strengthen instructional impact. From innovative teaching practices to meaningful networking opportunities, you'll find valuable experiences that support your professional growth. Join colleagues from across the district as we learn, share, and lead together.
For a complete list of course opportunities please visit:
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This section highlights upcoming District Professional Learning opportunities, important certification renewal information, and other key updates to support your professional growth and success. Be sure to check back for valuable resources, deadlines, training opportunities, and important announcements.
Links to Professional Learning Newsletters:
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Registration is located on the FDLRS Action Website - register now
Below you will find the PDF of the flyer as well as electronic access to the flyer is also available. |
Beginning October 21, 2026, and continuing through March 17, 2027, these monthly Zoom sessions will provide valuable information to help families better understand Florida's graduation options, diploma pathways, transition planning, college and career readiness, accommodations, assessments, and available graduation resources.
Sessions will be held from 1:00–1:45 p.m. (EST) and are designed to help families make informed decisions as they support their student's journey toward graduation and postsecondary success.
Be sure to review the flyer for the complete session schedule and registration details.
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Empower Your Practice: Free Professional Learning for Florida Educators
Are you looking to strengthen your ability to meet the diverse needs of students with disabilities? The BEESS Portal to Professional Learning Alternatives (PLA) offers free, flexible, and high-quality online courses designed specifically for Florida teachers and paraprofessionals.
Whether you're new to the field or a seasoned educator, PLA courses provide:
- Self-paced and facilitated options to fit your schedule
- In-service points for certification renewal
- Evidence-based strategies to support inclusive practices
- Specialized modules on autism, assistive technology, behavior support, structured literacy, and more
Courses are developed by experts and supported by the Florida Department of Education’s Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (BEESS), ensuring content that is both relevant and impactful.
Explore offerings like:
- Positive Behavior Support
- Technology for Varied Learners
- Differentiating Instruction
- Supporting Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
Visit https://fl-pla.org to register and start learning today. Your growth supports student success!
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FIN collaborates with all districts, schools, and IDEA- funded state projects to provide customized services and supports ensuring all students with disabilities have the same educational, social, and future opportunities as their peers.
- Inclusion practices resources
- Co-teaching support materials
- MTSS & problem-solving facilitation guides
- Videos and online modules
- Leadership tools for inclusive models
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The Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS) is a statewide network of support for families, educators, and school districts, working together to help every child with a disability reach their full potential.
Through a network of Associate Centers across the state, FDLRS offers high-quality services, training, and resources to families and school personnel in every Florida school district. Whether you’re a parent seeking support, a teacher looking for professional learning, or a district leader supporting Exceptional Student Education (ESE) programs , FDLRS is here to help.
- Professional development courses
- Instructional strategy videos
- MTSS & intervention supports
- Parent training resources
- Child Find information
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SeaWorld Orlando offers Florida certified K-12 classroom teachers a SeaWorld Florida Teacher Card FREE.
Research and education are key pillars to the foundation of what SeaWorld does every day. In recognition of the importance SeaWorld places on education and the critical role educators play in shaping the knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the next generation of global citizens, SeaWorld will offer free admission for Florida certified K-12 classroom teachers to amplify their educational efforts both in and out of the classroom. The SeaWorld Florida Teacher Card is valid for unlimited admission to SeaWorld® Orlando through September 2, 2027.
Just pre-register online using the ID.Me process to receive your SeaWorld Florida Teacher Card eVoucher. To take advantage of this offer, select the Teacher ID button in the top-right, select "Sign up" and then enter an e-mail address (personal e-mail address recommended) and a password.
If you are already "pre-registered" simply go to
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Osceola High School's ESE Transition Program recently celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with the support of an outstanding community partner, Compare Foods. Thanks to Bernardo and the Compare Foods team, students participated in a hands-on learning experience that brought Hispanic culture and traditions to life.
During the visit, students selected ingredients and prepared cultural dishes while practicing valuable transition skills, including shopping, budgeting, meal planning, teamwork, and food preparation. Experiences like these help students build independence while developing important life and job readiness skills.
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Let us help you share the wonderful things you are doing. Please send pictures and a brief description of the events and activities to Sarah McKenney at Sarah.McKenney@osceolaschools.net
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Full pdf of schedule in attachments |
10/3: Sheyla Vargas
10/5: Maria Pagan
10/10: Demitriis Leirzsey
10/12: Veronica Nigaglioni
10:17: Larissa Silfa-Velez
10/18: Milagros Torres
10/21: Sang Tran Ponce
10/22: Alexandra Charles
10/28: Jill Stanton
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