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April 15, 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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| MPACT Needs Your Assistance |
MPACT Needs Your Assistance! Please help us gather information that will assist us in providing support, information, and training to parents and family members by taking part in our Family Needs Assessment. Your answers will provide data that will be instrumental in planning how we can best meet your needs.
The survey is available online.
As a thank you, all participants completing the survey will be entered into a drawing for a $25.00 gift card. Thank you in advance for taking the time to assist us in meeting your needs.
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Save the Date!
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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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DEADLINE EXTENDED - Call for Proposals: Family Presenters
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The Office of Special Education is seeking parent/guardian family presenters for the 2014 Missouri Transition Institute and Dropout Prevention Summit. Those selected will do a 60 minute professional presentation on a successful outcome that has been achieved by their child with a disability in transition for life after school. A successful outcome would include; : attending and/or graduating from a post-secondary institution; finding a stable, competitive job/career; being able to establish independent living; or successfully engaging with community activities and organizations. Parents are encouraged to invite their child to co-present at the conference.
The Missouri Transition Institute and Dropout Prevention Summit will be June 23-25, 2014 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia, MO. Individuals selected to present, will be provided the following by the Office of Special Education.
- Waive the registration fee for the institute.
- Provide travel reimbursement for mileage and lodging.
For more information and to obtain a presentation application, please contact John Stains at john.stains@dese.mo.gov or (573) 751-0225.
THE PRESENTATION PROPOSAL APPLICATION THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO APRIL 30, 2014. You will be notified by May 1, 2014 if your proposal has been accepted.
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| RSB and SRC Public Forum |
Rehabilitation Services for the Blind (RSB) and the State Rehabilitation Council for the Blind (SRC) invite you to a Public Meeting. They would like to hear your comments and concerns regarding the services provided to Missourians who are blind and visually impaired.
A panel of guests will share their stories about learning "Alternative Techniques of Blindness" for example travel, Braille, self care, learning to use voice output to access computer text.
The public forum will take place on May 2, 2014 from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm at the Capitol Plaza Hotel & Convention Center, 415 W. McCarty Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101.
You may participate via conference call by calling 1-877-820-7831,conference call pin number required 35666479#.
To contact RSB or SRC please call (800) 592-6004
Business Meeting: Friday, May 2, 2014 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, Capitol Plaza Hotel & Convention Center, 415 W. McCarty St. Jefferson City MO 65101. 573-635-1234
Conference call participants: after introductions the line will be muted for about 30 minutes while the guest speaker is talking. After which we will un-mute the line for comments and questions.
Interpreters: will be available upon request, if you need an interpreter, if you are deaf-blind, or would like a copy of this announcement in your preferred medium, please contact us at 1-800-592-6004 prior to the meeting.
Comments: You may submit written comments to Cindy.Bitterman@dss.mo.gov or by mailing them to Cindy Bitterman, P.O. Box 2320, 615 Howerton Ct, Jefferson City MO 65102-2320.
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| New Initiative - Early Developmental Screening |
With a new initiative, the Obama administration is looking to expand developmental and behavioral screening for children across the country.
The effort known as "Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive!" will engage educators, doctors, child care providers and other experts in local communities to encourage universal screening for kids and help families celebrate important milestones like a child's first words or steps, officials said.
"With as many as one in four children at risk for a social delay or developmental disability, it's critical to get screening resources in the hands of the adults who love, work and care for young children," said U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius. "This screening initiative will help identify warning signs early so that more children get the support they need as soon as possible."
Click here to read the entire news brief
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Changes in Transition from First Steps to ECSE Effective March 30, 2014
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Changes to the transition process between First Steps and Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE) will become effective on March 30, 2014. These changes are described in the Missouri State Plans for Special Education for Part B and Part C.
The Office of Special Education is providing guidance on these changes through a recorded presentation and live questions/answers session. Be sure to view the recorded presentation on the changes and then join us for the live questions/answers session.
RECORDED PRESENTATION
A recorded presentation is now available on Transition from First Steps to Early Childhood Special Education (ECSE). The presentation includes information on the First Steps requirements for notification to ECSE, opt out policy, and transition meeting types as well as ECSE requirements for the evaluation process for children transitioning from First Steps as well as timeline requirements.
LIVE PRESENTATION
Join a live questions/answers session over the content of the recorded presentation on April 15, 2014, from 10:00-11:00 a.m. If you have questions you would like to submit prior to the questions/answers session, please submit them to: sefirststeps@dese.mo.gov (indicate "Transition Webinar" in the subject line).
DESE will respond to the questions in the questions/answers session.
If you need an accommodation as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act to participate in the questions/answers session, please call 573-751-5739 at least 48 hours in advance of the session to discuss the accommodation.
It is hoped you will be able to join the live presentation on April 15, 2014
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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
Bullying Prevention: What Parents Can Do
Disagreement Resolution Processes
5/3/14 Kansas City
IDEA Boot Camp
Positive Behavior Interventions
Special Education Mediation
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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