Structured

Learning
Handbook

Denton Creek Elementary

2015-2016

Dear Families,
Welcome to Denton Creek Elementary! We are looking
forward to having your child with us this year. The beginning
of the school year is such an exciting time for parents and
children. We want to make this a wonderful and successful
school year.
This handbook introduces our Structured Learning
program and will hopefully answer some of the questions
that you may have. Please keep it on hand for reference as
the year progresses.
You know your child best, and I am so grateful that I get
to work with and learn from you! I am delighted that we will
be able to play a part in the continued education of your
child. Working together, we can make school a great
experience for your child.
Emily Payton-Duf
214-496-8132
eduf@coppellisd.com

What is Structured Learning?

Instruction in the Structured Learning Classroom
includes academics, behavior, communication, and social
skills. We will focus on 1 on 1 instruction by using parts of
Applied Behavior Analysis to guide your child to accomplish
his or her goals. We will also use the concepts of Verbal
Behavior to drive your childs education and programming.
We will work on IEP objectives that are based on the ABLLS-R
assessment and the TEKS. You will receive updates on your
childs goals every 9 weeks based on daily and weekly data
collection. Your child will participate in group activities
where they will experience social interaction, following
directions, attending to task, making choices, and cognitive
development. We will also have small group instruction and
independent work time that will integrate academic skills,
life skills, and vocational skills. All tasks and activities will
be centered around the structured learning approach, where
the activities are visual for the students and have a clear
beginning and end. We will use a variety of other
instructional approaches to enhance the curriculum and the
diverse levels of each student. Gross motor and fine motor
skills will also be addressed through motor lab, handwriting,
and other activities. Our goal is to actively engage the
students in learning. Each Structured Learning student will
have the opportunity to participate in the general education
classroom in order to practice and generalize his or her
academic skills. Communication will be enabled through
numerous visual supports such as schedules and labeling.
Our goal is for each child to develop meaningful expressive
and receptive language. We focus all aspects of our day on
manding or requesting items wanted and needed. Social
skills will be practiced by greeting teachers and peers, and
through modeling play and social interactions. Students will
have the opportunity to learn in the natural environment of
the Structured Learning room where they will practice play
skills, work on other social interactions, and receive
instruction. Structured Learning students will have the
opportunity to interact with their peers during lunch, recess,
and specials to utilize their abilities.

Staf

The following is a list of the special education staf that will

be working at Denton Creek this year (the services your
student receives are based on their IEP):
*Structured Learning Teacher-Emily Duf
*Structured Learning Assistants-Debbie Eckley, Jessica
Horner, and Jessica Kreais
*Speech Pathologist-Trish Walberg
*Occupational Therapist-Cherie Hazelwood
*Adaptive PE Teacher-Angela Campbell
Arrival, Departures, and Absences
*School begins at 7:50 am every day. Students are expected
to arrive between 7:30 and 7:50 am each morning at the
side door closest to Middle School North. Someone from the
Structured Learning staf will be there to greet them. If you
are late bringing your child to school, please sign your child
in at the office and a member of the office staf will bring
your child to the classroom.
*School ends at 3:05 pm each day. If you are picking up your
child, it is best to arrive no later than 3:00 as the car loop
line gets long very quickly. If you have other children
attending Denton Creek, please let us know how you would
like siblings to be picked up. We usually have siblings come
to our room, and we will meet you at the side door. If you are
going to pick up your child early from school, you must come
into the front office to sign your child out-please do not come
to the room.
*If your child is absent from school for ANY reason, please
send a handwritten note with your original signature and the
date stating your child was absent from school. We will make
sure it gets to the office!

Transportation Services
If your child receives transportation as a related service,
they should be ready 5 minutes before scheduled bus arrival

time. The bus driver will wait 3 minutes and then leave after
that period of time. If your child is not riding the bus
that particular day, please call the transportation
department (Dallas County Schools) at 214-496-8090.
Please notify your childs teacher if changes need to be
made.

Clothing
Students need to wear clothing and shoes, which allow for
easy movement. It is recommended that your child dress in
clothing that is acceptable to get dirty and easily washed.
Please dress your child in appropriate clothing for the
weather and shoes that will protect the feet. Clothing should
be easy for your child to remove for bathroom purposes.
Please send a full change of clothes (shirt, underwear,
pants and socks) at the beginning of the school year.
They will be kept in their cubby and used only in
emergencies. They will be returned at the end of the year.
Please label all articles of clothing that your child brings to
school.
Lunch
All students will eat lunch in the cafeteria with their peers.
They can buy their lunch or bring a lunch. If your child plans
to purchase lunches in the cafeteria, you can add money to
their account through the Parent Portal. We will notify you
when the balance becomes low. A monthly lunch calendar
will be sent home in your childs folder. Nutrition is an
important part of school, especially for our students, so if
your child is a picky eater or on a special diet, you may want
to consider sending their lunch to school with them so that
they are able to eat the foods they like and have enough
energy to finish the day!

Edible Reinforcers and Snack Time

Reinforcement can be given to children in a variety of ways:
praise, extra attention, toys, or food. For children with

autism and other developmental disabilities, edible

reinforcers are frequently used because these children do
not naturally have an interest in the kinds of activities and
rewards that their typically developing peers find reinforcing.
If necessary, your children will be receiving edible
reinforcers, paired with praise, throughout the day for sitting
quietly, finishing their work, participating with their peers,
etc. Computer time, toys, and other items that your children
love will also be used as reinforcers. We will also be having a
traditional snack where children can practice manding
(requesting), table manners, etc. Please send edible
reinforcers and/or a traditional snack to school with your
child each day. The best edible reinforcers are those that
already come in small, bite-size pieces. If your child is on a
special diet, we will use edible reinforcers sparingly. Please
let me know if you have any questions! This practice has
been proven very successful in extinguishing maladaptive
behaviors and teaching new skills!

Illness
If your child becomes sick at school, you will be notified of
the illness from our school nurse. Make sure there are
current phone numbers in the office and on file with the
teacher. It is your responsibility to pick up your child. If you
are unavailable, the specified emergency contact persons
you listed will be called.
A child with any of the following conditions should not be in
school:
* Fever or vomiting
* Diarrhea
* Undiagnosed skin or eye irritation
In order for your child to return to school, they need
to be fever and symptom free for 24 hours!

Daily Note
Parents will receive a note each day about their childs
experiences, IEP goals, related services, behavior, etc.
However, there will be some instances when a note does not
come home or does not contain any details due to

unforeseen circumstances. If there is something important

that needs to be relayed to you, then I will send you an
email. Notes will be kept in a folder as a daily log with a
place for parent/teacher correspondence. If you would like to
set up a meeting or have a question this would be the best
place to mention it. If you are sending money, permission
slips, or anything else to school, it can be placed in the
pocket of the childs folder. The folder will travel between
school and home in the childs backpack, which should be
large enough to fit needed items (folder, lunch box, etc.) but
small enough to be placed in one of the cubbies.
Communication
* Parent conferences are held twice a year, in the fall and in
the spring. The conference is an opportunity to discuss your
childs progress with their IEP goals.
* Please immediately advise the teacher when there is a
change of address, phone numbers, or emergency numbers.
* Please let the teacher know when there is a change
(hospital, illness, death, divorce, trip, new baby, etc.) in your
home. This information will be kept confidential. These
events could afect your childs mood or performance in
class. We want to help your child through any difficult times.
*The best way to reach me is at eduf@coppellisd.com or you
can call my extension at 214-496-8132 and leave a
message.

Newsletter
I will send out a monthly newsletter with important dates,
events in our classroom, and any additional information you
may need to know. I will also put the newsletter on my
website: emilyduf.weebly.com.
PTO

You will receive information about joining the Parent Teacher

Organization for our campus. All parents are welcome to join
and attend PTO functions.
Volunteering
If you want to volunteer for any event at Denton Creek, you
must complete a background check. The forms are available
in the office.
District Policies
There are many district policies in place that protect the
rights and safety of all Coppell ISD students. School board
policies can be viewed online at www.coppellisd.com. Please
ask if you have specific questions regarding special
education policies or procedures.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALLOWING

YOUR CHILD TO BE PART OF OUR
CLASSROOM!! WE ARE GOING TO
HAVE A GREAT YEAR!!!