January is School Director Recognition Month and the Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 leadership team is grateful for the dedicated Board of Directors that supports its endeavors in serving children in Northampton, Monroe, and Pike Counties. The CIU 20 board serves 86,000 students and they make sound decisions when it comes to programs, services, budgets, and other needs that affect students and staff in all 13 school districts.

Comprised of 13 members, the CIU 20 Board has the same responsibilities and powers as local school boards. Board members are nominated by their district, but are elected by all 117 school board members of the 13 districts. Colonial IU 20 looks forward to continuing to work with its Board of Directors to provide high quality services and programs for children and families.

Colonial Cafe 71 is a full-service coffee shop operated by students that promotes independence and supports skill building for future employment opportunities. Located at the CIU 20 Central Office in Easton, the cafe is open three days a week for CIU 20 staff and attendees of on-site events to enjoy specialty beverages and snacks. Open since November 2023, the current staff includes Mr. Chris Felcin's Life Skills Support classroom, with future plans to incorporate students and job coaches from other CIU 20 locations.

Previously, Mr. Felcin's students operated a coffee and snack cart that sold drip coffee by the cup and only accepted cash. These same students are now operating electronic point-of-sale systems and making specialty drinks from a commercial grade coffee machine with the support and guidance of CIU 20 staff.

Thanks CIU 20 Supervisor Mr. John Heaney and CIU 20 Director of Special Education Ms. Kasey Kinney for the administrative support to make the Colonial Cafe 71 idea into a reality. The cafe exclusively uses coffee beans from Seth & Co. Special Brew, a local business that inspires healthier work opportunities for individuals with special needs. Click here to see a video of the Colonial Cafe 71 in action!

Colonial Intermediate Unit 20 is accepting nominations for the 2024 Excellence in Education (EIE) Awards until March 1, 2024. This annual recognition for outstanding education programs throughout the public schools across the region is presented by CIU 20 and its member districts. Nominations may be submitted by any resident, school student, school employee, or school entity on behalf of the public schools in Monroe, Northampton, or Pike County. Learn more at this link.

The 2024 CIU 20 Excellence in Education Awards Ceremony will be celebrated this year on May 9th, with more details being released in the near future. The ceremony will also feature students who achieved the distinction of National Merit Scholars. A student achieves this honor by scoring in the top 3.3% on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®).

CIU 20 Executive Director, Dr. Christopher Wolfel and Liberty HS Principal, Dr. Harrison Bailey testified at the January 17th PA House Education Committee meeting on the topic of mental health in schools. Dr. Wolfel and Dr. Bailey discussed strategies that CIU 20 and Liberty High School have implemented to address the local impacts and concerns regarding this issue, including recommendations to increase funding to sustain mental health services and supports in our school communities.

In partnership with Carbon Lehigh IU 21, Colonial IU 20 hosted a regional swatting summit with multiple law enforcement agencies and school district officials. Organized by the School Safety & Security Coordinators of CIU 20 (Mr. James Stout) and CLIU 21 (Ms. Ronda Andrulevich), the event featured discussion and strategy sharing about keeping schools and communities safe. Swatting refers to making a prank call to emergency services in an attempt to dispatch a large number of armed police officers to a particular address.

Guest speakers included representatives from the PA State Police, PA Center for Safe Schools, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

Sydney Slone is in her 4th year of teaching in the CIU 20 Autistic Support program. She previously worked as a substitute paraprofessional in several CIU 20 programs while she obtained her teaching degree. When asked to describe her successful approach to supporting students, she says "frequent and clear communication with families in order to make sure we are always on the same page. I have also found building relationships within my school has helped to get my students plenty of opportunities beyond the classroom."

Her advice to a new employee starting out is, "My first year of teaching was 2020-2021, right when students and teachers returned to school from being home due to COVID 19, and the biggest thing I learned that first year was to be flexible and always willing to adapt to situations. The more you are able to change and adapt plans to whatever the day brings you, the more success you will have! Being a special education teacher takes a village, don't be afraid to ask for help and use any resources you have available."

Ms. Slone's students recently got the thrill of a lifetime when they conducted a zoom interview with Natasha Kravchuk, the person behind "Natasha's Kitchen" New York Times Best-Selling Book and YouTube Channel. Sydney's students enjoy watching Natasha's cooking videos during snack time, so she decided to take it a step further by reaching out via an email found on one of Natasha's social media channels. To the surprise of everyone, Natasha offered to meet with the class via zoom. She also graciously sent copies of her book to the whole class.

Reflecting on the whole process, Sydney says "This experience with Natasha helped my students learn how to prep for an interview by preparing questions, researching her, and building their confidence with social communication skills. All of my students enjoyed getting to meet someone they usually just watch on YouTube! It was a great experience for us all. Thank you Natasha for taking the time to speak with us!" 

The mission of the Colonial IU 20 Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (EIB) committee is to provide positive, safe, equitable and inclusive learning environments. The EIB committee seeks to utilize and advocate for a culturally-responsive approach in which diverse strengths and identities are valued, thereby creating a community of belonging. Below is what is being celebrated this month.

Students in Emily Pfeiffer's Autistic Support classroom at Moore Elementary, Northampton Area School District, read an interactive book and created a craft that focused on Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy.

The CIU 20 EIB Committee has researched and purchased new books for the lobby areas of the Central and North offices that have a more inclusive representation of the students and families we serve. Amanda Sechrist, the author of "Rolling with Olivia" and "Beeping with Finn" donated two copies of each book for the library upgrades. Ms. Sechrist is currently an Adapted Phys Ed teacher with Colonial Intermediate Unit 20.

Follow us on our social media channels to learn more about the resiliency of #AmazingIU20Kids and creative approaches to learning that our #AmazingIU20Staff have implemented!

At Colonial IU 20, we believe in RELATIONSHIPS that support student growth, RESPONSIVENESS to stakeholders crucial needs, RESULTS demonstrated through effective services and programs, and INNOVATION to improve student outcomes.