Special Education

College View School celebrated the departures of some familiar faces on Tuesday — once for a handful of students who are moving onto other schools and once for its principal, who is retiring. The special education school, which serves children age 3 to 22 with severe disabilities, held its graduation ceremony Tuesday morning for six students. "When we feel, as a team, [that the students] are ready to handle a regular education campus with special education support, we send them off," said Principal Nancy Epstein who is retiring after four years at the helm.

GLENDALE — A division of special education at Glendale Unified was honored by the state Friday for its innovative instructional programs. The Foothill Area Community Transition Services, or FACTS program, was selected by the California Advisory Commission on Special Education, which presented the award in Sacramento. The program is for 18- to 22-year-olds from Glendale Unified or La Cañada Unified who've finished high school but need further social or developmental skills, said Amy Lambert, the assistant superintendent of special education for Glendale Unified.

Gary Moskowitz District officials, parents and students will meet tonight to discuss how special-education students can be best prepared for life after high school. The Foothill Special Education Local Plan Area will present its annual Family Transition Forum from 5:30 to 8:30 tonight at the Glendale Civic Auditorium, 1401 N. Verdugo Road. The event is open to all families of special-education students, but the deadline for dinner reservations has passed.

Judy Seckler Special education students at College View School got a treat when four Widney High students, enrolled in a special education song-writing class, gave an informal concert. The Los Angeles Unified School District special education high school group performs all over the city, and was invited to the school by a staff member. The students write their own pop tunes with themes such as going to the doctor, being happy and what they see when they look out the window, said College View Vice Principal Mike Hawley.

The board heard a report on school performance during the Great Southern California Shakeout, the statewide disaster drill that took place last week. Deputy Fire Chief Steve Howard and Hank Paz, coordinator of student support services, told the board about minor communications problems and a need for more runners to increase efficiency and coordination, among other things. WHAT IT MEANS The district will continue to review findings from the shakeout exercise, hoping to improve any problems in its disaster response procedures, which functioned well overall, officials said.

Vote for Glendale's Rose Parade float GLENDALE -- The Rose Bowl is more than 10 months away, but it is not too early to begin thinking about the 2005 Tournament of Roses Parade. The Glendale Rose Float Assn. is asking the public to vote for two finalists for Glendale's entry in the 2005 parade from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Sunday at Virgil's Hardware, 520 N. Glendale Ave. Josh Kleinbaum Adams Hill homeowners to meet SOUTHEAST GLENDALE -- The Adams Hill Homeowners Assn.

Darleene Barrientos Glendale High School co-Principal Lou Stewart is on the verge of returning to some familiar territory. The Glendale Unified School District Board of Education will consider appointing Stewart as the district's director of special education today at its 4 p.m. meeting. "I started my career as an educator in special education, and through a lot of other positions and responsibilities, I guess I've come full circle," Stewart said of her possible appointment.

A group of parents of children with special needs experienced frustration firsthand on Saturday when they were asked to perform a series of exercises designed to test their visual perceptions and thought processes. The word “Red” was printed in blue, and when parents were asked to say the color's name, they shouted “blue.” But they were supposed to say “red.” The exercise was designed to acquaint parents with the frustration and processing difficulties experienced by their special-needs children.

The following educational programs will be broadcast on Charter Cable 15. For more information, call 241-3111, Ext. 218. TODAY 7 a.m. - Glendale Unified School District Calendar 6 p.m. - GUSD Calendar 7 p.m. - GUSD Issues: Special Education, Special Children 8 p.m. - GUSD Measure K Project Tour 9 p.m. - GUSD Rosemont Holiday Showcase 1999 TUESDAY 7 a.m. - GUSD Calendar 6 p.m. - GUSD...