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October 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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| IT IS ALMOST HERE! The MPACT 2014 Transition Summit is October 29, 2014 |
The MPACT 2014 Transition Summit will be held on October 29 in Jefferson City. Make plans to attend the Summit today! Details, including participant registration, are posted on the MPACT website. Parents and professionals who bring students attend at NO COST. Yes, that means you and your students attend for FREE! Don't delay! The registration deadline for participants is October 17!
The Summit is a one-day learning experience designed for students who have disabilities, special education transition personnel and student teams, family members, case managers, VR counselors, and Centers for Independent Living personnel. Summit sessions are focused on the preparation of youth for transition to postsecondary education, employment, independent living and community experiences.
This year's keynote speaker will be Lauren Zeliff. Lauren's address, "Great Things Can Happen When You Believe in Yourself!" will focus on Lauren's journey dealing with her own disability and the important things she learned along the way.
Business partners, we need exhibitors and sponsors to support this event. We also need donations of goodie bag items and door prizes. Exhibitor and sponsor information is posted on the MPACT website. If you are interested in donating items for our participant gift bags or participant door prizes, please contact Connie Smith at csmith@ptimpact.org or (800) 743-7634. Don't delay! The deadline for sponsors and exhibitors is also October 17.
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| Quick Links | |
Volunteer
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Board of Directors Applicants Wanted
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MPACT (Missouri Parents Act) is looking for enthusiastic individuals to help develop a diverse community-based board of directors. We seek members with a broad variety of backgrounds, ethnicities and experience, people with disabilities, parents of children with disabilities, people with experience with other children's issues, people simply interested in child education, people with fundraising expertise, business professionals and educators.
For more information and to apply, please download our Board Member Application packet.
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MPACT is Hiring
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MPACT is current seeking a Regional Coordinator for the South East Region of Missouri. This area includes Bollinger, Butler, Cape Girardeau, Carter, Dunklin, Howell, Madison, Mississippi, New Madrid, Oregon, Ozark, Pemiscot, Perry, Reynolds, Ripley, Scott, Shannon, St. Francois, Ste. Genevieve, Stoddard and Wayne Counties.
Download the Job Description for full details on duties and qualifications. Our employment application is available on our website.
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Shop On-line and Support MPACT!
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Help MPACT every time you shop on-line! We get $5 for each new supporter in October. Plus, iGive is also giving away a special $2,000 in October to the top three people who get the most friends to join and use the iGive Button. Friends can support our cause, or their own favorite group. There will be one $1,000 winner, and two $500 winners. All you need to do is try the iGive Button through January 15, 2015. No purchase necessary! So, help us by joining iGive!
Learn more about how to help MPACT every time you make an on-line purchase!
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2nd Annual Youth Leadership and 23rd Annual Inclusion Awards
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The Governor's Council on Disability promotes full participation and inclusion of the nearly one million Missourians with disabilities in all aspects of community life by educating citizens, businesses, schools, universities and others of their rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Youth Leadership Award recognizes an outstanding Missouri youth (age 18-30) with a disability that has demonstrated exemplary leadership by making a difference in their community. More information about the award and how to submit a nomination, click here.
The Inclusion Award is presented annually to recognize and honor a Missouri resident, organization, business or state/local government division that illustrates excellence in leadership for the "best of the best inclusion practices." Innovative universal design and assistive technology concepts that incorporate people with disabilities may also be submitted. The nomination form and criteria are available here.
The deadline to submit nominations is December 1, 2014 for both the Youth Leadership Award and the Inclusion Award.
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| The Inclusive Class |
The Inclusive Class is a website that offers strategies and solutions for teaching children in the inclusive class. Its founder is a parent, special education advocate, and an elementary educator who has spent over 15 years teaching in an inclusive classroom setting. Through her experience, Nicole has solutions and strategies for supporting the inclusion of special needs children in the classroom. You will find resources and information including a blog and regular podcasts.
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Understood.org
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The purpose of Understood.org is to give parents a direct path to the support they need most to make them feel more confident and capable, less frustrated and alone. You will find well-researched, practical information that's easy to apply to everyday life, daily access to expert advice that's free of charge, clearly communicated and never influenced by commercial interests, and resources and tips to help parents work constructively with schools, professionals and others in their community.
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| Getting the Facts About Medication and the Child with Attention and Learning Concerns |
Decoding Dyslexia-MO will be hosting a training event on November 5 titled "Getting the Facts About Medication and the Child with Attention and Learning Concerns".
Dr. Darrin Friesen, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Dr. David Kaufman, a Clinical Neuropsychologist, will discuss the benefits, possible side effects, and most recent research about the use of stimulants, non-stimulants and mood stabilizers for children with attention and learning concerns. They'll also discuss how these medications impact learning and how testing can help you make decisions about medication.
The event will occur from 7pm-9pm at Holy Cross Academy School, Annunciation Campus
16 West Glendale, St. Louis, MO 63119. To RSVP or to learn about events being held in other parts of the state, visit the events section of the Decoding Dyslexia-MO website.
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| Education Commissioner's Video Message |
Missouri Commissioner of Education Chris Nicastro discusses House Bill 1490, Missouri's Blue Ribbon Schools and her retirement. Watch via YouTube or webstream.
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MPACT Mentor Program
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MPACT Mentors are available to offer support and guidance to parents of children with disabilities throughout the IEP process. 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 Mentors.
If your school district has had a MPACT 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 MPACT Mentor Program.
For more information about MPACT or if you have questions regarding the status of a 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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| Does Your Child Receive First Steps Services? Visit MPACT's First Steps Page | |
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FREE Online Trainings offered through MPACT
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Our free online trainings will help parents 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.
Art of Effective Advocacy
Bullying Prevention; What Parents Can Do
Disagreement Resolution Processes
How to Write Measurable Annual Goals
IDEA Boot Camp
McKinney-Vento Act Overview
Interested in training in your area? We are always looking for groups to host MPACT trainings! Contact Lori Williams, Training and Resource Coordinator, at 800-743-7634 or by email at lwilliams@ptimpact.org to find out how to bring MPACT training to parents located near you.
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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 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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Help MPACT every time you shop on-line by joining iGive.
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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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