Conductive Education Communications Center (CECC) Launched to Assist Children with Cerebral Palsy.

Sixten’s Foundation wishes to share with parents, educators, medical professionals and others involved with children with cerebral palsy the existence of the Conductive Education Communications Center (CECC) at www.ConductiveEducation.net. This new website, blog and discussion forum will be a valuable resource for those wishing to learn more about Conductive Education. Please take a look!

Care to Share? Help Sixten's Foundation Establish Employer Contribution Programs.

Many fans and supporters of Sixten's Foundation may not know that because we are a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, we are eligible to be part of many employer-related sharing programs. Even in these tough economic times, these employers allow employees to automatically deduct contributions from their pay on a regular basis -- AND many employers are matching or giving a percentage themselves.

Please consider checking with your employer's human resources department about their policy on this type of giving. Sixten's Foundation can assist you and them with the IRS documentation that you need to complete the process. And, if you are interested in helping further, we can also work with your employer to notify other employees of the important work Sixten's Foundation is doing. Many people are willing to make these types of structured contributions, and we want to let you know that Sixten's Foundation is qualified, ready to assist with the paperwork, and sincerely grateful.

Thank you.

IN THE NEWS! Sixten's Foundation and Conductive Education Featured on Washington, D.C. ABC T.V. Network Affiliate

Sixten's Foundation is excited to announce that it has been featured on Washington, D.C.'s ABC Network television affiliate Channel 9.

The segment, in the works for some time, features Sixten Helm Kurz, the Prince George's County Public Schools, Anna Helm (Sixten's mom and Sixten's Foundation co-founder and vice president)and the pilot program the foundation has been working so hard to implement.

http://www.wusa9.com/video/default.aspx?aid=77997&storyid=89302

It should be noted that the segment wraps up with a statement implying that Prince George's County Public Schools is looking for funding for the position. This is not entirely accurate. We have received a commitment from them if we can locate a qualified Conductive Education instructor who can pass the necessary testing to get in place.

Please enjoy the segment, and if you are or know of a qualified Conductive Education instructor interested in being part of a groundbreaking program here, please contact Sixten's Foundation President Robert Kurz at bobbasses@aol.com. The compensation package is very attractive.

Thank you!

Conductive Education Instructor - Job Position Employment Opening

Sixten’s Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization with the mission to incorporate Conductive Education programs into public school systems throughout the United States. (www.sixten.org)

Working the with Prince George’s County Public School system in Prince George’s County, Maryland, the foundation has successfully completed a Conductive Education pilot program for a class of children with cerebral palsy during the 2008 – 2009 school year.

Prince George’s County Public Schools has notified us that it wishes to continue a Conductive Education program indefinitely, and a certified Conductive Education instructor is needed for the 2009 – 2010 school year. This is an as-of-yet unadvertised position, and we encourage qualified and interested conductors to contact us about the application procedure, job requirements, compensation package and relevant dates.

About the Prince George’s County Public School System
Prince George's County Public Schools in Maryland is the 2nd largest school district in the state of Maryland and 18th largest in the United States guiding more than 140,000 students. Pay is competitive and would be commensurate with experience. According to official Prince George’s County information, the current salaries are, for a 10 month teaching position and teacher with 10 years of experience with only a bachelor's degree (B.S. or B.A.) would start at $54,863 with full benefits and retirement, bachelor's degree plus 30 would start at $57,446 and bachelor's plus 45 or masters would start at $60,143. With 20 years of experience a teachers with only a bachelor's would start at $58,148 with full benefits and retirement, bachelor's plus 30 would start at $76,826, and bachelor's plus 45 or masters would start at $80,436. Please note: candidates with far less than the 10 year experience example cited here are encouraged to apply. We have not heard of any minimum experience requirement with the proper certification.

Qualifications
Successful candidate must be a Conductive Education Teacher with a minimum of a four-year degree from a qualified Conductive Education educational program such as those offered by the Peto Institute in Budapest, University of Birmingham England or Aquinas College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Under most situations, this Conductive Education accreditation will suffice as the “bachelor's degree” requirement in Special Education required by the State of Maryland in order to be hired and certified as a Conductive Education/Special Education Teacher. We can help clarify this further.

Additionally, In order to be certified, one must take and pass the Praxis I and Praxis II exams. Praxis exams are scheduled for July 25, 2009, so anyone interested will have to start registering for these exams as soon as possible! (We apologize for the short notice. News of the continuation of the program just reached us.)

Here is a link to information on the Praxis Exams. Exam registration and testing costs for qualified applicants will be reimbursed by Sixten’s Foundation, Inc. upon acceptance of the position by the candidate with Prince George’s County Public Schools.
http://www.education.umd.edu/EDSP/current/graduate/PraxisIIinfo09.html

For further information, contact Robert Kurz, President, Sixten’s Foundation, Inc. at 301.805.9406 or through bobbasses@aol.com.

Please pass this information along to anyone whom you feel might be interested.

READY! SET! GO! The Race is Tomorrow! Get Your T-Shirt!

Well everyone, tomorrow is the "Steps for Sixten" fun run and race at the National Harbor. The instructions for participating are in the posts below, but here are some things to remember:

1) If you don't know anyone running who you can sponsor and can't make it yourself, you can still donate to Sixten's Foundation through here or the PayPal button on this blog. Remember, Sixten's sponsorship sheet gets all of these donations, and we'd love to see him win by getting the most donations!

2) We have a very talented designer and volunteer working with us named Lorenzo d'Aubert. He designed the event flyers you may have seen, some other materials and the smashing t-shirt pictured in this post. If you recall, the t-shirts are available for free to anyone who raised $50 in sponsorships, but you can also buy one (or more!) for only $15 each. They are of terrific quality (Jerzees, Heavyweight blend, 50/50) and available in Adult S, M, L and XL and Child sizes S, M and L. You can send the money to PayPal, drop a check to the Sixten's Foundation mail address or just let Anna or Robert know you want one at 301.805.9406 or sixtensfoundation@gmail.com.

3) Anna and Robert will be at the race by about 7:15 a.m. Remember, this event is the Riverfront Revolution race, and "Steps for Sixten" is simply our group within it. Greg Taylor of Riverfront Revolution has very generously consented to allow us to share the race space with his group, but their registration area will have no information on Sixten's Foundation. Please call Anna's cell phone at 301.805.9406 if you need help locating us.

Finally, here are directions to National Harbor: http://www.nationalharbor.com/Directions.aspx

If you haven't registered yet, there's still time. Just go to http://www.riverfrontrevolution.com/register.html, and we'll see you there!

"60 Minutes" Segment Revisited

Sixten's Foundation was excited to learn that one of the producers of the original "60 Minutes" segment was interested in revisiting what has since taken place with Conductive Education.

Robert Kurz, president of Sixten's Foundation, Inc. and father of the our foundation's namesake Sixten, brought "60 Minutes" up to speed on Conductive Education. You can see an update here on the "60 Minutes" Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/60minutes. For the time being, this is what CBS has immediately planned regarding this story, be continue to be hopeful and appreciative of any such coverage that we receive.

The original story aired in 2004 and can be seen here: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/02/24/60II/main601944.shtml

"Steps for Sixten Sponsor Forms Now Available!"

For all of you interested in running (or walking!) with us on May 8 for "Steps for Sixten," the sponsorship form you will need now available. Just click here and print the form so you can go find your sponsors (black and white is OK, and it's two pages).

Remember, registration itself is through Riverfront Revolution here, but it is up to us to keep track of the individual friends, families, co-workers, loved ones, significant others and businesses with the forms here.

Please e-mail us at sixtensfoundation@gmail.com if you have any questions. And remember, if you can't join us or find someone to sponsor, we welcome your donation through PayPal here.

Thank you again, and we look forward to seeing you in body (or at least spirit!) on May 8 at the National Harbor!