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MPACT ENews

February 28, 2013

 

Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence!

Greetings!


Did you miss an issue of the MPACT ENews? Delete it by mistake? Wish you could find a past article? Well you can! To view current and past issues of the MPACT ENews visit our website at http://ptimpact.org/News.aspx

Online Trainings offered through MPACT

MPACT has just added another online training to our resources, Extended School Year is now available along with: 
  • Special Education: What I Need to Know
  • IDEA Transition Requirements
  • Transition to Post Secondary Experiences (Part 1 & 2)
  • Connecting Goals to Coordinated Activities and Services for Transition
  • Transition Resources - Disability Disclosure
  • Soft Skills

You can access them by going to our Training page and clicking on Online Training, oCLICK HERE .

In This Issue
MPACT Online Trainings
Parent Mentor Program
Wrightslaw Conference
MPACT Trivia Night
MPACTs First Steps Webpage
MoSPIN
Missouri Youth Leadership Forum
First Steps Summer 3rd Birthday Changes
Give the Gift of Knowledge
Upcoming Trainings
Join Our Mailing List!
Quick Links
Surveys- Let us know how we're doing.
Contact Us!

 MPACT Parent Mentor Program

MPACT Parent Mentors are available to offer support and guidance to parents of children with disabilities throughout the IEP process.  Parent Mentors are volunteers who receive 24 hours of initial training, ongoing monthly training, and technical assistance from MPACT staff with regard to special education law, the IEP process, conflict resolution, and effective communication.  Their goal is to help parents build a collaborative partnership with the school district so their child may receive an appropriate education.  To view the list of current MPACT Parent Mentors, go to http://ptimpact.org/Volunteer/MentorList.aspx.

 

If your school district has had a MPACT Parent Mentor in attendance at an IEP meeting, please take a moment to complete a brief online survey located at http://ptimpact.org/Surveys.aspx if you have not already done so.  A separate survey should be completed for each mentor who has provided services to parents in your district.  These surveys assist MPACT and DESE with identifying and addressing areas of success and improvement with the Parent Mentor Program.

For more information about MPACT or if you have questions regarding the status of a Parent Mentor, please contact MPACT by telephone at (800) 743-7634 or by e-mail at [email protected].    You can also view the MPACT website at http://www.ptimpact.org.

Wrightslaw - Special Education Law Training 

 

MPACT presents Wrightslaw Special Education Law Training featuring Pete Wright. 

Tuesday, May 14th - 9:00am - 4:30pm

University of Missouri - St. Louis

 

Some of the topics to be covered include: 

  • IDEA
  • Understanding Tests and Measurements
  • Evaluations and IEPS
  • No Child Left Behind
  • Tactics and Strategies
For more information CLICK HERE.  Be sure to register before March 30th to receive the Early Bird Discount!
MPACT Trivia Night - April 20th

  

Saturday, April 20th at 7pm
Our Savior Lutheran in Fenton

  • Cash prizes for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd place
  • Softdrinks and bottled water provided
  • 50/50 drawing

Registration is $96 for a table of up to eight people.  Get three Mulligans for an additional $10 per table at the door.  Doors open at 6pm.

Silent Auction Items include, but not limited to: 

  • 4 One-day Disney Park Hopper Passes (valid for two years)
  • One-night Deluxe King Suite at Camden on the Lake Resort, Spa & Yacht Club at Lake of the Ozarks
  • St. Louis Cardinals David Freese Autographed Baseball
  • St. Louis Rams Marc Bulger Autographed Jersey
  • 4 Missouri Botanical Garden Tickets
  • 4 $10 Gift Certificates to The Old Spaghetti Factory
  • 2 $10 Gift Certificates to Fitz's
For more information CLICK HERE.  

 

Check out MPACT's First Steps Page

 

Early intervention services are designed to meet the needs of infants and toddlers who have a developmental delay or disability. Sometimes it is known from the moment a child is born that early intervention services will be essential in helping the child grow and develop. Often this is so for children who are diagnosed at birth with a specific condition or who experience significant prematurity, very low birth weight, illness, or surgery soon after being born. Even before heading home from the hospital, this child's parents may be given a referral to their local early intervention office.

 

Some children have a relatively routine entry into the world, but may develop more slowly than others, experience setbacks, or develop in ways that seem very different from other children. For these children, a visit with a developmental pediatrician and a thorough evaluation may lead to an early intervention referral. However a child comes to be referred, assessed, and determined eligible-early intervention services provide vital support so that children with developmental needs can thrive and grow. Eligible children can receive early intervention services from birth through the third birthday.


 

Fore more information regarding First Steps services, how to qualify, online training, MPACT resources, or a chance to share your story regarding First Steps follow this link:  

http://ptimpact.org/PartC/PartC.aspx  

  

  

ECSE Parent Education - MoSPIN

  

Districts serving children who are blind, visually impaired, or deafblind in Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) may be interested in learning more about Missouri Statewide Parent Involvement Network (MoSPIN).  In this parent training program, MoSPIN Parent Advisors visit the student's home on a regular basis to instruct parents on a variety of issues that are unique to children with visual impairments.  This instruction is based on the nationally recognized INSITE curriculum and may include topics such as the child's specific visual impairment and the resulting impact on communication, motor, or other areas of development.  These services are provided at no cost to families or districts.  This service is available to families of children birth through 5.

For additional information about MoSPIN or to learn more about becoming a Parent Advisor, please contact Ginny Williams at [email protected] or visit our website at http://www.msb.dese.mo.gov/Outreach/services.htm.   

Missouri Youth Leadership Forum 

If you have any questions, please contact the Governor's Council on Disability at 800-877-8249.


The Governor's Council on Disability is now accepting applications for the Missouri Youth Leadership Forum July 21-24, 2013, at the University of Missouri-Columbia.  This is a great opportunity for high school students with disabilities age 16 to 21 to learn about leadership skills and career development strategies and hear from outstanding mentors and speakers sharing their experiences with school and careers.  The youth delegates make new friends from all over the state.  The Forum is at no cost to participants.

For more information and the application, go to http://disability.mo.gov/gcd/ylf.htm.  Deadline is April 1, 2013.
 
First Steps Summer Third Birthday Changes

  

Note: This webinar includes information about the changes in the proposed Missouri Part C State Plan which will be effective on June 1, 2013.   

  

Please join us for a webinar on First Steps Summer Third Birthday Services March 7, 2013, from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.  The webinar will focus on the new definition of summer third birthday children and the requirements for a Summer Third Birthday Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), including important timelines, the required meeting participants, and content of the IFSP.

  

At the beginning of the webinar, we will show a PowerPoint presentation followed by a live Q&A about items discussed in the presentation.  If you have questions you would like to submit prior to the webinar, please submit them to: [email protected] (indicate "Summer Third Birthday Webinar" in the subject line).  We will respond to these questions and others received during the webinar as long as time allows.  We will later post the recorded webinar on the website.

  

To register and participate in this webinar, go to: http://dese.mo.gov/webinar/webinar-03-07-13SE.htm.  ALL participants ARE NOW required to register before viewing a webinar.  Registration only requires your name and email address.   

  

The webinar will be recorded and posted under the Webinars - Recorded button at http://dese.mo.gov/webinar/.   

  

If you need an accommodation as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act to participate in this webinar, please call 573-751-5739 at least 48 hours in advance of the webinar to discuss the accommodation.    

  

We hope you will be able to join us for this webinar.

 Give the Gift of Knowledge - Donate to MPACT

MPACT welcomes donations in any amount and will acknowledge all donors in our Annual Report and on our MPACT Facebook page. Agency, organization and business donors making a contribution of $200.00 or more will be recognized by placing their name and logo in our monthly e-news letter and on our website's donation page. Individual donations of $50.00 or more will be added to our Friends of MPACT list which will appear in an edition of our monthly e-news letter and on our website. Donations may be made by credit card through PayPal on our website - http://ptimpact.org/Store/Donations/Donations.aspx; or by sending a check to the state office: MPACT, 8301 State Line Rd., Ste. 204, Kansas City MO, 64114. Every donation will receive a receipt for tax purposes.

 

Please help us to continue to provide the support that families of Missouri's children with disabilities are requesting by making a donation to MPACT. MPACT is a 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax deductible.   

 

2012 MPACT Donation Letter

Free MPACT Trainings
MPACT trainings are provided    free of charge to parents of children with disabilities. To sign up for an upcoming training, follow the links below, then click on the 'SIGNUP' button located next to the training name. Fill in your name, email address, phone number, the name of the training you wish to attend and the date it is being offered.

 

While registering for a training is not mandatory it does ensure that the trainer has an adequate amount of handouts. This also allows MPACT to contact you should a training need to be cancelled or rescheduled. To view a comprehensive list of all trainings provided by MPACT go to http://ptimpact.org/Training/Training.aspx

 

Please be sure to double check the website training pages for any updates or changes to trainings offered.

 

Steps to Success Series: 

 

Family Record Keeping

 

Parental Rights

IDEA Part C to B (First Steps to Early Childhood)

 

IDEA Boot Camp (Understanding the IEP Process, Special Education Law, and Disagreement Resolution)
 
Understanding the IEP Process  
The Art of Effective Advocacy

 

Special Education Law

04/29/13   St. Louis 

 

Special Education: What I Need to Know

04/08/13   St. Joseph 

   

Bullying Prevention: What Parents Can Do

04/27/13   Macon 

 

Positive Behavior Interventions  

 
Understanding ADHD
  
Student-Led IEPs - NEW
Parents Facilitate, Youth Take Action

Journey to Adulthood
 

Solving the Employment Puzzle

03/27/13   Herculaneum  

 

Question? Comments? Suggestions? Send them to [email protected] or 

contact the MPACT State Office at 1-800-743-7634.