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Vol 1, Issue 1 |
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February 1, 2014
Celebrating 25 Years of Excellence
Serving Missouri Families!
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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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| Schneider Family Book Awards |
Most of us are familiar with the Caldecott and Newbery awards for children's literature but there is another award that is often over looked by the public.
The Schneider Family Book Awards are given annually by the American Library Association at the same time the group awards the Newbery and Caldecott Medals. The honor is presented to authors and illustrators "for a book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for child and adolescent audiences."
This year's winners include books which include stories of a wounded soldier, a princess with a deformed foot and a look at medical experimentation by Nazi doctors
Read more about the Schneider Family Book Awards and this year's award winning books on DisabilityScoop.com.
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| Missouri Governor Proclaims February - Lifelong Learning Month |
Jay Nixon, Governor of Missouri, has signed a petition proclaiming February "Lifelong Learning Month'. The proclamation celebrates the benefits that learning every day brings to our society.
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| Changes in High School Equivalency Testing |
As of January 2014, Missouri is using the HiSet® test to determine high school equivalency.
"People taking the new test (HiSET®) in 2014 are starting from the beginning and will take all five sections at least once," said Tom Robbins, director of adult education and high school equivalency testing at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE).
The new test will continue to determine high school equivalency with sections in reading, writing, math, science and social studies, but it can also be used to measure college- and- career readiness. "It is important that the high school equivalency certificate represent the content equivalent of what high school graduates are learning," said Robbins.
College- and career- readiness is a primary goal for the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education'sTop 10 by 20 initiative, which calls for education in the state to rank in the top 10 nationwide by 2020.
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| Missouri Learning Standards Blog |
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently launched a blog devoted to learning standards in Missouri. The site will feature regular blog posts designed to keep interested parties informed of the latest information on Missouri's standards. The site is a great place for people with questions. Check out MissouriLearningStandards.com for the latest.
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| MSBA Board Approves Student Transfer Proposal |
During its January meeting in Columbia, the MSBA Board of Directors approved a plan designed to address the turmoil caused by the current student transfer law. That law allows students in unaccredited school districts the opportunity to transfer to nearby accredited school districts. The MSBA plan would keep students in their community schools and require unaccredited school districts to enter into a contract with the State Board of Education that would include certain interventions in struggling school buildings.
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| Video Message from Commissioner of Education |
Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro discusses feedback opportunities regarding unaccredited school districts, Missouri's new high school equivalency test and a pair of Missouri students who were selected to participate in the United States Senate Youth Program. View video via YouTube or webstream.
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The Governor's Council on Disability is now accepting applications for the 2014 Missouri Youth Leadership Forum, July 20-23, 2014, at the University of Missouri, Columbia. The Missouri Youth Leadership Forum is a unique career leadership-training program for high school students with disabilities, ages 16-21. Youth delegates are selected from their local communities to cultivate leadership, citizenship, and social skills at this four-day summer program. The Missouri Youth Leadership Forum is available to student delegates at NO COST. Delegates are responsible for providing their own transportation to Columbia and back. The deadline to apply is April 1, 2014.
Detailed information and the application can be found on the State of Missouri Disability Portal.
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| RSB & SRC Public Forum |
Rehabilitation Council for the Blind (RSB) and State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind (SRC) invite you to a Public Meeting on Feb 6, 2014 from 6:00pm-8:00pm at Ramada Oasis Convention Center, 2546 N. Glenstone Avenue, Springfield, MO 65803.
They would like to hear your comments and concerns regarding the services provided Missourians who are blind and visually impaired.
You may participate via conference call by calling 1-877-820-7831 and using the required pin number 35666479#
To contact RSB or SRC please call (800) 592-6004
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Find Mental Health Services Near You
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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 live 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
Special Education: What I Need to Know
Steps to Success: Family Record Keeping
Understanding ADHD
Understanding the IEP Process
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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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