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June 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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MPACT is hiring!
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MPACT is currently seeking a full-time Regional Coordinator in the Kansas City region.
This position is designed to support parents in their efforts to advocate for their children with disabilities and become effective participants in the planning of their children's education. Support is provided through the delivery of MPACT services including training, information and resources. Parents of children with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Thank you in advance for sharing this news with friends and colleagues who might be a good fit for this position. The details of the position and our on-line application are available on our website.
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Stop Summer Slide with "Read MOre, Missouri!" Reading Challenge
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Missouri students can keep their reading skills sharp over the summer months by joining the "Read MOre, Missouri!" reading challenge.
"Kids who read during the summer are much less likely to lose the skills they gained during the school year," says Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro. "Read MOre, Missouri!" can instill the joy of reading in our children and help reach the goals of Missouri's Top 10 by 20 initiative."
The reading challenge is an effort to prevent "summer slide," the loss of learning skills that many students experience during their break from classes. Experts say that reading just six books during the summer can keep students from regressing and having to catch up once school begins again in the fall. Parents are encouraged to read aloud to their children and to have their kids read something every day.
There are many ways to select the texts to share with children-school and public librarians are a great resource and there are numerous book lists. The goal is to engage children with books-lots of different kinds of books (or magazines, short articles, even websites). The best way to build reading skills is to read!
The Department is distributing materials to Missouri school districts and encouraging every district to take part.
For more information, contact:
Sarah Potter, Communications Coordinator
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education
Is your school district not participating in the challenge? Contact your local library to see if they have a summer reading program. Most do and will be excited to have you and your child participate!
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MPACT Family Fun Night at the Magic House!
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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. Check the MPACT website for a current list of auction items. Proceeds from this evening's events will benefit MPACT.
Ticket information is now available on the MPACT website. The price is $10 for one individual and $15 dollars for two. When you buy 4 or more tickets, each ticket is just $5! Bring some friends for an evening of low cost fun. Don't wait too long to purchase your tickets. At these prices, we expect to sell out quickly.
Are you or your business interested in sponsoring the MPACT Family Fun Night at the Magic House? Sponsorship is affordable, beginning at just $100. Get more information on the MPACT website.
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| DESE Transition Institute and Dropout Prevention Summit |
Registration is now open for the DESE Transition Institute and Dropout Prevention Summit! This year's event will be held on June 23-25, 2014 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia, Missouri. The registration fee will be $15.00 per person.
The theme this year is "Engagement: Parent, Student, Community". Participants will be given opportunities to receive valuable, up-to-date information on how to improve engagement for students, their parents, and increase positive school and community engagement.
Keynote speakers and breakout sessions will focus on parent involvement in their child's educational career; dropout prevention strategies for school personnel, agency personnel, and parents; technical assistance in transition action planning; and, support agency involvement in engaging students.
Registration closes on Friday, June 13 so don't delay! Register on-line or contact Regina Miller, regina.miller@dese.mo.gov or call 573-751-0187 if you need assistance.
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| Video Message from the Commissioner of Education - May 2014 |
Missouri Commissioner of Education, Chris Nicastro, discusses Missouri's education leadership training MoLEAD, Missouri's Gold Star Schools, several student award winners and more. View video via YouTube or webstream.
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| MO DESE Launches Redesigned Website |
The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has launched a redesigned website. The new site features easier access and navigation for teachers, parents and students.
Check out the site at www.dese.mo.gov. You can send them your feedback by clicking the feedback button at the top of each page.
The Department also produced a webinar explaining background information and how to navigate the site.
MPACT requests your patience while we update our documents as some things on the DESE site have moved to new locations. If you have trouble finding a document and want help, email info@ptimpact.org. We will get back with you as quickly as possible.
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| Missouri Learning Standards Newsletter |
The MO Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has launched a newsletter devoted to learning standards in Missouri. This e-newsletter will keep Missourians up to date on the latest information on Missouri Learning Standards and includes blog posts and videos. For more information on the standards, including how to subscribe to the newsletter, visit the Missouri Learning Standards website.
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| UMKC Research Subjects Needed |
The University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) is currently seeking volunteers to assist in a Study on Family Involvement in Special Education.
To participate, you must be:
- A parent or primary care giver to a school-age student (K-12) in the Kansas City area.
- Your student must attend an urban or suburban public school or a charter school.
- You student must have an individualized education program (IEP).
If you qualify and are interested in participating, you can click here to access the online survey. When you finish the survey, you will be mailed a $10 Target gift card.
Please contact Dr. Zach McCall at 816-235-2456 if you have questions or would like additional information.
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Read this interesting blog about how 3 middle school students in Virginia are highlighting the importance of IDEA and special education on the official blog of the U.S. Department of Education.
These three young students were inspired by relatives who are involved in special education. It is exciting to see our next generation of advocates in action!
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| MOCOR Services Satisfaction Survey |
In October, 2013, Missouri launched a new website and toll free number to connect people to community based long term supports and services, called Missouri Options and Community Resources (MOCOR). The MOCOR website also includes an on-line satisfaction survey for people receiving MO HealthNet funded home and community-based services. If you or a family member receives MO HealthNet funded home and community-based services, we would like to invite you to complete the survey.
Participation in the survey is not a requirement for receipt of services, and the survey is anonymous. This survey is an important tool for the state to evaluate the impact of home and community-based programs.
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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
Writing Post Secondary Goals for Students with ASD
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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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or contact the MPACT State Office at 1-800-743-7634.
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Empowering families to advocate for themselves so that children with special education needs can reach their full potential in education and life -
through support, training and education.
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