Contents

• Co-President's Comment
• Our Favorite...
• Inclusion Parent Forum Update

Co-President's Comments

Welcome back to fall and back to school! We've all had a chance to attend back to school nights and meet our children's teachers. Kids are settling into new school-year routines. As the days become more routine and bumps get settled we find many families begin searching for guidance on how best to support their children as students. In response, this month we wanted to share with you some of our board's favorite resources. The books, movies, websites, local and national organizations that we turn to again and again because of their great content. Happy Reading!

- Carol Yelle and Shaina Brito SEPAC Co-Presidents

Our Favorite...

MASSACHUSETTS ORGANIZATIONS

• Asperger/Autism Network (AANE) - Watertown, MA. AANE works with "individuals, families, and professionals to help people with Asperger Syndrome or similar autism spectrum profiles build meaningful, connected lives. We do this by providing information, education, community, support, and advocacy--all in an atmosphere of validation and respect."
• The Federation for Children with Special Needs- Boston, MA. The Federation "offers information, support, and assistance to families and professionals who support children with disabilities." This site has many useful links including: Training and Development, a Call Center for parent questions, a newsletter, and many other resources. We'd like to highlight their Parent Consultant Training Institute (PCTI) which is an intensive training program designed to provide parents and professionals with a solid foundation in special education laws, procedures, and related subjects.
• Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE)- This is a great resource to learn about Massachusetts student education and Massachusetts Special Education Law. We'd like to highlight the Council Empowerment Fund Program which "reimburses up to $250 of your expenses to attend relevant conferences or other events held in Massachusetts" and "empowers people with developmental disabilities and their families to learn and grow."
• Mass Advocates for Children-Boston, MA. Massachusetts Advocates for Children’s mission is to "remove barriers to educational and life opportunities for children and youth." The SEPAC would like to highlight on this website Bill Crane's blog on special education. Bill has now stopped writing but the archives are available and fantastic.
• Research Institute for Learning and Development- Lexington, MA. "The mission of the Research Institute for Learning and Development is to: Empower students to understand their own learning profile so they can develop the persistence and resilience they need to succeed in school and in life." They help students develop strong executive function strategies and teach them how to learn which provides students with a strong foundation and in turn promotes academic and life success.

CONCORD ORGANIZATIONS

• Center for Parents and Teachers serves families and schools with programming that offers guidance and skills for the many challenges parents and teachers face raising and educating a child.
• Concord Youth Services- offers INTERFACE which is a mental health resource and referral helpline that Concord has contracted with to help children, adults and families become connected with mental health and wellness resources.
• Concord Recreation offers a variety of Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation Programs. 

MOVIES

• The Big Picture: Rethinking Dyslexia
• Including Samuel
• Intelligent Lives
• The Power of Introverts TED talk

ONE MORE (fun) THING...

"I LOVE Omar’s World of Comics (store) in Lexington. We go there once a week (to buy comics) and it is an amazing store that creates opportunities for connection for a range of kids, as well as employment. Love it!" - SEPAC Board Member

Do you have a resource or recommendation you want to share? Email us at concordsepac@gmail.com and we'll share it on our Facebook Page or in our next newsletter!

Inclusion Parent Forum Update

Thank you to the many parents, faculty, administrators and school committee members who attended the September forum on inclusion and the valuing of all learners. SEPAC was pleased to co-host this powerful and collaborative event with Superintendent Dr. Laurie Hunter.

The forum asked parents to envision what our schools look like five years in the future with a culture of meaningful inclusion and support for students on IEPs and 504 plans. This was contrasted with areas of success or with room for improvement in the present and lastly with a request for input on how we reach our vision for the future. The SEPAC board and administration value the honest input and ideas parents shared.

The information gathered is being reviewed in the context of the district strategic plan. The districts and schools will be creating goals related to ensuring all students feel welcome and valued in our schools. A follow-up public forum will be held this winter (details to come) to share plans for the development and implementation of these goals.