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March 1, 2014
Celebrating 26 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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| Save the Date! |
The MPACT Board of Directors are holding a fundraising event on July 19 at The Magic House; St. Louis Children's Museum. This nationally acclaimed children's museum offers hundreds of hands-on educational exhibits for kids from one to 101. You and your family will create life long memories exploring the Children's Village, Star-Spangled Center, Jack and the Beanstalk Climber and more.
Enjoy beverages and snacks while participating in other activities for kids. The evening will also feature goodie bags, door prizes, a 50/50 drawing and an auction. Proceeds from this evening's events will benefit MPACT.
Mark your calendar now and watch the MPACT website for more information!
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| Power Up 2014 |
Registration for Missouri Assistive Technology's Power Up Conference is now open. Showcasing assistive technology with workshops, exhibits and demonstrations for persons of all ages and areas of need, Power Up 2014 will be held on April 14th and 15th at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Lake Ozark, Missouri. Power Up is Missouri's largest and most varied conference dedicated to technology, people with disabilities, families and professionals. Scholarships to attend Power Up are available for qualified individuals with disabilities and/or parents of children with disabilities.
Detailed information on Power Up and a link to the registration process can be found at www.at.mo.gov. For scholarship information, contact David Baker at david.bkr@att.net or via telephone at (816) 655-6703.
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| Midwest Special Needs Trust |
Missourians with disabilities are invited to apply for financial awards up to $1,000 to assist with unmet needs such as but not limited to wheel chair repairs, durable medical equipment, family education and support activities, safety equipment and transportation.
Information and the grant application can be found on the Midwest Special Needs website. Applications can be submitted four times per year.
Completed applications received by: Will be considered:
March 31 Last week of April
June 30 Last week of July
September 30 Last week of October
December 31 Last week of January
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| MO Vocational Rehabilitation (MVR) Public Hearings |
MVR will be holding public hearings on vocational rehabilitation services. Missouri citizens are asked to make public comment of the the MVR State Plan and on ways to improve services to persons with disabilities.
The 2014 Public Hearings are scheduled in several locations throughout the state.
March 12 Jefferson City
March 14 St. Louis Missouri
March 18 Cape Girardeau
March 24 Kansas City
March 27 Springfield
Details regarding the times and locations of the public hearings is available on the MVR website. Comments can be submitted in writing instead of in person until March 31, 2014 by email to info@vr.dese.mo.gov or by mail to:
Lisa Sone
Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation
Department of Elementary & Secondary Education
3024 Dupont Circle
Jefferson City, MO 65109
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The Parents' Guide to Student Success
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The National PTA has developed a new guide in response to the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics that more than 45 states have adopted, including Missouri.
"The Parents' Guide to Student Success" covers skills needed from Kindergarten to 12th grade and is available in both English and Spanish. Guides include key items students should learn in each grade, activities that parents can do with their students at home and methods parents can use to strengthen their relationships with their child's teacher. Download this valuable free resource today!
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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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| 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 the IEP Process
Understanding the IEP Process for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
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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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