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August 15, 2013
Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence
Serving Missouri Families!
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Greetings!
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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.
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MPACT Is Hiring
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MPACT is currently taking applications for a Regional Facilitator who will deliver trainings in the Northeast and St. Louis regions of the state. Click here for more information about this employment opportunity.
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Six Free iPad Apps for Making Healthy Choices
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Back to school is the perfect time of year to establish routines and remind students about making healthy choices. Children of all ages should have an understanding of the impact of their decisions related to the food they choose to eat. There are a variety of games and resources to promote discussions about healthy eating and to help students make smart choices.
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| Reading Comprehension Instruction for Students with LD |
School has started for most children in Missouri. Reading comprehension skills can affect every aspect of a child's success in school. A review of three recent studies has resulted in recommendations that can be used to improve your student's skills.
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Serving Homeless Children with Disabilities
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The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) recently released a Dear Colleague letter that addresses questions related to the education of children with disabilities who are homeless. The letter covers issues such as
* the interplay between the McKinney-Vento Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) on the provision of FAPE (a free, appropriate public education) and on school placement,
* funding school transportation for children and youth experiencing homelessness and receiving special education services, and
* the usage of special education buses to provide school of origin transportation.
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Special Education Office Moves Toward Measuring Student Outcomes
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The U.S. Department of Education will shift its focus from meeting compliance indicators for students with disabilities to the steps districts are taking to improve student outcomes, according to Melody Musgrove, director of the Office of Special Education Program. Read More
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Guidance on Dispute Resolution Procedures
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The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services with the U. S. Department of Education have issued a Questions and Answers document on IDEA Part B Dispute Resolution Procedures. The lengthy Q & A addresses the areas of mediation, child complaints, due process complaints and hearings, resolution meetings, and expedited due process proceedings. Districts and parents should become aware of the requirements for them and the state when there is a dispute between a public agency and a parent.
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Autism Infant Sibling Study
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WashU in St. Louis is studying the brain development of infants at risk for autism to increase our understanding of how the brain develops and to look for abnormal patterns of brain growth. In order to look at infants at high risk for autism, we are looking for infants who have older siblings with an autism diagnosis. For information on the study and how your family can participate, click here.
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| Does Your Child Receive First Steps Services? Visit MPACT's First Steps Page | |
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MPACT Parent Mentor Program
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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. Click here to view the list of current MPACT Parent Mentors.
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 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 info@ptimpact.org. You can also view the MPACT website at http://www.ptimpact.org.
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FREE Online Trainings offered through MPACT
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Our free online trainings will help parents to understand the special education process in the state of Missouri. You can access the MPACT online trainings listed below by going to the Training page on our website and clicking on Online Training.
- Extended School Year
- 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
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Free MPACT Trainings
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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.
The Art of Effective Advocacy
Special Education Mediation - New!
Student-Led IEPs - New!
Understanding the IEP Process - New Sessions Added!
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Give the Gift of Knowledge - Donate to MPACT
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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 on our website's donation page. Individual donations of $50.00 or more will be added to our Friends of MPACT list. Donations may be made by credit card through PayPal on our website 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.
MPACT Donation Letter
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Question? Comments? Suggestions? Send them to info@ptimpact.org or
contact the MPACT State Office at 1-800-743-7634. |
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