Welcome to Union Memorial School's Special Education and Speech-Language Program! Judy Lilley, our Special Educator, and Judy Hillis, our Speech-Language Pathologist, and Penny Aceto, our Special Education Reading Teacher, work with many students in grades K-2.
Mrs. Lilley works with students in the areas of reading, writing, math, and behavior. She works with classroom teachers and parents to provide evaluations and implementation of Individual Education Plans (IEP's). Most students work in the classroom on their individualized goals with modifications in the regular curriculum. Others have a more intensive program requiring individualized workspaces with one-to-one adult assistance. Mrs. Lilley works closely with outside agencies and consultants to help address the diverse needs of our students at Union Memorial School.
Mrs. Hillis works with students in the areas of oral language, articulation, fluency, voice and hearing. Some students work on goals in their Individual Educations Plan (IEP's), while many others are working on their sound pronunciation through the Speech Improvement Program. Mrs. Hillis provides screening, diagnostic, consultative, and therapeutic services to students and is a member of the UMS Educational Support Team.
Mrs. Aceto works with students in the areas of reading and writing. She gives students extra practice with the skills they are learning in their classrooms. She also provides them with direct, explicit instruction in decoding (breaking apart sounds in order to spell words), fluency, comprehension, and reading strategies (things to try when they encounter a tricky word). Mrs. Aceto works closely with classroom teachers to make sure she is meeting the individual needs of her students. She also helps to write their Individual Education Plans (IEP's) for reading and writing.
To visit Colchester School District's Special Education Web Page, click here.