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This webpage was created October 10,
2007, by Melody Orfei
Webpage
last
modified on April 29, 2009 - V26, by Melody
Orfei
|
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Calendar
of
Events 2008 -
2009
| DATE |
PROGRAM (If underlined click-on for more detail.) |
LOCATION (If underlined click-on for directions.) |
TIME |
| September 2008 |
School is back in
session |
||
| September TBA |
1st SPED PAC Parent Meeting Evening |
TBA | 7:00-9:00 pm |
| |
|||
| October 16, Thursday | Transition to Work for Young People with
Asperger’s Syndrome, Executive Functioning Disorder, AD/HD, NVLD, Bipolar, Tourette Syndrome, etc. This workshop provides practical strategies that parents can use to help their adolescents succeed in the critical first work experiences, thus laying the ground work for future career success. You’ll learn how to evaluate realistic jobs and work environments by “reading between the lines” of job descriptions and get ideas for using internships, volunteering and apprenticing as strategies for positive experiences. The pros and cons of disclosure will also be discussed. Worksheets and informational handouts are included. This workshop is free and open to the public. Presented by Barbara Bissonnette, Principal of Forward Motion Coaching |
7:00-9:00 pm |
|
| October 16, Thursday | College Planning for those with
Attention or
Learning Differences etc. Applying to college can be a stressful and demanding process for both students and parents. Students with ADD and learning disabilities must begin the process earlier to achieve positive results. This workshop will outline the necessary steps and focus on encouraging self-advocacy and student involvement. Sponsored by: Sudbury SEPAC. This workshop is free and open to the public. Presented by Renee Goldberg, Ed.D., Certified Educational Planner and Marvin Goldberg, MSW, Educational Options, LLC |
Lincoln
Sudbury Regional High School Conf. Rm. B 390 Lincoln Rd Sudbury, MA 01776 |
7:00-9:00 pm |
| October 16, Thursday | Basic Rights: Denied [This workshop is being offered in various locations through the year, so there are plenty of opportunities to attend this workshop on another date, and location.] Parents will learn how to handle the most common obstacles that face at each stage of the special education process: referral, initial evaluation, eligibility determination, IEP development, placement, and reevaluation. Attendees will also learn how to file a Massachusetts Department of Education complaint. Come learn the strategies used by the instructor during her long career as a successful special education advocate. The material, presented in a straightforward easy-to-understand format, is powerful and empowering. The workshop is suitable for those whose children already receive special education services, & for those who feel a child may have been inappropriately denied services. Presented by Ellen Chambers, president of SPEDWatch Fee for the workshop is $35.00 per person, SPEDWatch members $25.00 per person. Registration is required contact Ellen: 978-433-5983 or email: echambers@spedwatch |
Minute
Man Arc for
Human Services (MMAHS) 130C Baker Ave Ext. Concord, MA |
6:00-9:00 pm |
October 22, Wednesday |
Understanding
your Basic Rights Workshop This workshop provides families with an introduction to their rights and responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Massachusetts Special Education Law and No Child Left Behind (NCLB). It is designed to help parents learn how to be effective partners with the school, to decide the child’s eligibility for special education, to plan, make decisions and to monitor the educational progress of their child. Presenter Federation for Children with Special Needs Trainer. This workshop is free and open to the public. Co-sponsored by 4 PAC's: Acton/Boxborough (ABSpedPAC), Concord/Carlisle (CCSEPAC), Sudbury/Lincoln (SSEAC) and Minuteman Tech High School (MSEPAC). Register with the Federation for Children with Special Needs for the workshop. |
Ripley
Building Concord, MA 01742 |
7:00-9:00 pm |
| Return to index | |||
| November 6, Thursday |
Executive
Function Does your child or student have issues
that involve:
...Then Your Child Needs to Learn the Art of Self Management.
Presenter Sara Ward, M.S.,
CCC/SLP of Center
for Speech and Language
Pathology
Co-sponsored by: Andover SEPAC and Andover Parent to Parent |
Pike School 34 Sunset Rock Road Andover, MA 01810 |
7:00-9:00 pm |
| November 6th, 7th & 8th |
Learning
Disabilities
Worldwide (LDW) Conference
17th Annual World Congress on LD Keynote
Speakers:
Margo A.
Mastropieri, Ph.D., George Mason University, Evidence-based
Practices for Maximizing Learning
Thomas E. Scruggs, Ph.D., George Mason University, Teaching Roles and Responsibilities in Today's Schools: Strategies and Setting Anthony Colarossi, Ph.D. , Kingsborough Community College at CUNY and Alpana Bhattacharya, Ph.D, Queens College at CUNY; It's a family Affair: Adolescents, Learning Disabilities, Self Advocacy |
Marriott
Hotel Burlington, MA |
7:00 am - 3:45 pm |
| On November 13, there are 2 presentations to choose from: | |||
November.13, Thursday |
Estate
planning for families and children with special needs
Special needs trusts (also known as
"supplemental needs" trusts)
allow
a disabled beneficiary to receive gifts, settlements, or other funds
and yet
not lose his or her eligibility for certain government programs. Such
trusts
are drafted so that the funds will not be considered to belong to the
beneficiary in determining eligibility for public benefits. This
presentation
will review the rationale for the creation of special needs trusts,
describe
the legal process behind establishing such a trust, and help
participants
consider options for younger and older children.
Presenter Attorney David Feakes
is a certified Personal Family Lawyer – only one of four attorneys
certified in Massachusetts.
His law practice is focused on estate planning, primarily for families
with
young children. |
Alcott School Auditorium 93 Laurel Street Concord, MA 01742 |
7:00-9:00 pm |
| November 13, Thursday |
Parenting Strategies For
Children With Weak Executive Functioning Dr. Ann Helmus, Pediatric Neuropsychologist, Neuropsychological and Educational Services for Children and Adolescents (NESCA), Newton, MA. This presentation will provides practical strategies that parents can use to help their student with executive functioning skills. Executive functioning refers to skills associated with goal setting, carrying out organized steps, and modifying plans to complete a task successfully. Issues with attention, memory, impulse control, organization, planning, and hierarchical thinking fall under this umbrella. Co-sponsored by Westford SEPAC and Westford Parent Connection. |
Stony Brook Middle School 9 Farmer Way Westford, MA 01886 |
7:00-9:00 pm |
| December |
Happy
Holidays |
- |
|
| Return to index | |||
|
January 8,
Thursday 2009 |
Building the Eight
Pillars of Capable Young Minds Presenter Dr. Adam Cox, Psychologist will discuss the 8 Pillars of Executive Control: Initiating Action, Flexible Thinking, Sustaining Attention, Organization, Planning, Working Memory, Self Awareness and Managing Emotions. We will learn how to tell if a child is having trouble with Executive Control and strategies for intervening. He will emphasizes some of the global social and emotional impacts of executive functioning difficulties as they manifest across diagnoses. Co-sponsored with Lexington SPEDPAC and Minuteman Tech High School SEPAC Presenter Adam Cox, Ph.D. |
Minuteman
Regional High School
758 Marrett Rd. Lexington, MA Meeting in Professioanl Developement Center and Presentation in IRC (both on the Mezzanine Level) |
6:00-7:30 pm Minuteman SEPAC dinner meeting 7:30-9:30 pm Presentation |
| January 28, Wednesday |
2nd SPED PAC Parent Meeting Morning Topics of disscussion . Looking for topics of interest for
SEPAC presentations (2009-2010 school year)?
. Our SEPAC library (located in Jessica office), are members using it? . Team Meeting Survey, how are your meeting working? . Activities of Daily Living (ADL) teaching space update . Looking for parent feedback on the Lightspeed: Soundfield Classroom Amplification Systems Infrared Amplification Systems in our schools. . Need volunteers for board positions of President, Vice President. . Need volunteers for liaisons for Sanborn middle school, Early Intervention, and Preschool. . Have you visited our school district updated website? Our Sped dept now has it's own webpage, and they have a link to our SEPAC website. |
La Provence 105 Thoreau St. Concord, MA 01742 |
10:00 am - noon |
| February 12, Thursday |
IEP Clinic Presented by Educational Advocates, Barbara Rich and Liz Hopkinson The IEP is the most powerful tool parents have to create a successful learning environment for their child. In this presentation, you will learn about the different parts of the IEP, their purpose and function within the IEP, and how they can be developed to create a document that drives a successful program for your child. At the conclusion of the program, the presenters will discuss with the attendees general questions about individual IEP issues. The presenters will give suggestions about possible next steps that the parents and school system might take to create a useful and well-written IEP. For more information or to register for this workshop, please contact Sarah Gallo, Director of Family Services, The Family Services Program at Minute Man Arc, 978-287-7922 or sgallo@minutemanarc |
7:00-9:00 pm | |
| March 3, Tuesday |
Success with ADHD: How to Turn Any Person with ADHD into a
Total Winner Dr. Hallowell will present new material from his book published in Jan. '09 called Superparenting for ADD: An Innovative Approach to Raising Your Distracted Child. He will discuss a range of interventions as well as a new way of conceptualizing ADD and explaining it to others. He will also give tips on how to work with schools (for children) and workplace and marriage (for adults). Co-sponsored by The Lincoln-Sudbury Education Advisory Council (LS-SEAC), The Sudbury Special Education Advisory Council (SSEAC) and Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Metrowest Boston (CHADD) |
Lincoln
Sudbury Regional High School Auditorium 390 Lincoln Road Sudbury, MA 01776 |
7:00-8:30 PM |
| March 4, Wednesday |
All Things Considered... A
Healthy Outlook Connecting With Your Child A talk by therapist and researcher Irene Janis, MA, will discuss how to use Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to help you become a better parent. DBT contains four basic modules: mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. DBT is used in various forms for parents, adults, and adolescents who are living the "normal" life, but could use some skills to help them along. DBT is essentially skills coaching, with interactive and easy to remember tips, skills, and suggestions on how to make it through certain interpersonal conflicts, difficult situations, or just generally feeling down. CCHS students may attend a student-focused DBT presentation as a part of Health Week on Tuesday March 3. In a recent survey, 49% of students stated that they feel stressed to perform well at school always or most of the time. This stress can transfer into risky behaviors and stress at home. This Parent presentation will teach you how to support, validate and connect with your child as you both learn to better tolerate and survive the stressors of everyday life. |
Concord
Carlisle Regional High
School Library |
7:30-9:30 pm |
| March 6, Friday |
Advocating for an
Asperger's Syndrome Child in Public Schools Presenter: Jean Stern, MS, Director of Children’s Services at AANE, has been an educational consultant in MA for over 20 years. This workshop is designed to help empower advocates/educators and parents of AS children as advocates in the IEP process. We must learn about the IEP process for AS children, which services are needed in school, and MA laws that apply. But how does it all fit together? How do we document, prepare and build collaboration? This workshop answers these questions and more about how to work within the MA educational system. It also has special focus on addressing the non-academic skills such as: social, self-advocacy, independent living, generalization and socially invisible organization. Everyone will leave with a worksheet for IEP planning that can be used each year. Discussion/questions follow and individualized phone support is available following the workshop if needed. Pre-registration is recommended to ensure sufficient space and materials are available. Register online at www.spanmass.org |
Paparazzi
Restaurant 16 Washington St. Wellesley, MA |
Networking 9:30-10 am and Presentation 10 am-noon |
| March 18, Wednesday |
Understanding Testing :
Psychological, Neuropsychological
& Educational Evaluation for your Child Dr. Joseph Moldover, pediatric neuropsychologist at Integrated Center for Child Development specializing in learning disabilities, ADHD, autism spectrum, brain injury and psychiatric disorders, will explain to parents and teachers the types of evaluations available, what is done during the evaluation process, and how to interpret a report. |
Burlington High School School Committee Room 123 Cambridge Street Burlington, MA |
7:00-9:00 pm |
| March 24, Thursday |
Shut Up About Your Perfect Kid
Gina and Patty, the “shut up sisters” and
authors of Shut Up About Your
Perfect Kid are coming to talk at Milestones. Gina and Patty are
inspiring as they use their comedic wit to tell stories and share
experiences about what it’s like raising children with special needs.
Their stories will have you laughing, crying, and inspire you with
courage to go back out there in our ‘perfect world’ with renewed hope!
Their book and presentation is straight from a parent's heart: brave,
honest
and real, a support group in a book! This movement of imperfection is
long overdue. What they have so wonderfully done is wake us up and
remind us to love our children unconditionally, appreciate who they
are, learn from them, laugh with
them. If laughter is the best medicine, their talk and book is Prozac
for those of us raising children with challenges!” Free for ALL | Space is limited ‐ Register here: Tfahy@advancingmilestones.com Visit the Shut Up Sisters’ website: www.shutupabout.com Light refreshments will be served. |
Milestones 460 Totten Pond Road, Suite 300, Waltham, MA 02451 |
7:00-9:00 pm |
| April 2, Thursday |
Wrightslaw Special
Education Law and Advocacy Conference This is a Wrightslaw training program featuring attoney Pete Wright, Esq. One-day special education law and advocacy programs focus on four areas:
Sponsored by The Autism Resource Center of Central Massachusetts. Cost $100. per person, or $150. couple, for other discounts see their website. |
The Manor 42 West Boylston Street West Boylston, MA 01583 |
8:30am
|
| April 11, Saturday |
Dyslexia
and the Reading Brain: Challenges and Unusual Gifts Dr. Maryanne Wolf, Renowned author, researcher and professor, will present an evolutionary view of the reading brain that helps us reconceptualize dyslexia and our intervention. Individuals with dyslexia may possess a somewhat different organization of the brain that predisposes them to both challenges and unusual gifts. A book-signing of Dr. Wolf's "Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain" will follow the presentation. Free for ALL | Space is limited ‐ Register Questions? Irena Sinclair at 978-927-1456 or irenasinclair@comcast.net |
Landmark High
School |
8:30am
|
| April 25, Saturday |
What Parents Need to
Know About Language-Based Learning Disabilities Erin Broudo, Faculty, Landmark High School The term "LBLD" is being used increasingly by educators and evaluators in conversations, meetings, and evaluations. Based on Landmark's focus on LBLD for over 37 years, this workshop will provide parents with a better understanding of LBLD, related "catch-phrases," and myths that should be dispelled. Practical strategies used at Landmark to help students learn will also be discussed. Free for ALL | Space is limited ‐ THIS WORKSHOP IS FULL |
Landmark
School Drake Administration Building |
|
| April 30, Thursday | Understanding Autism and
How Research Can Help: An Overview of a Whole-Body Approach to Autism Dr. Martha
Herbert, M.D., Ph.D., Pediatric Neurologist, Massachusetts General
Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Director of the TRANSCEND Research
Program. Presentation will address A whole-body approach to
autism, Applying a whole-body approach to treatment and research
linking brain, body and behavior to other autism features such as:
Seizures,
Sensory Problems, Sleep
Problems, GI and Immune Issues, and Studying a whole-body approach to autism development
starting from infancy.
|
Alcott School Auditorium |
7:00pm-8:30pm Presentation 8:30pm-9:00pm PANEL DISCUSSION |
| April TBA |
3rd SPED PAC Parent Meeting Evening |
TBA | 7:00-9:00 pm |
| May 9, Saturday |
Landmark's
Approach to Developing Phonemic Awareness |
Landmark Elementary-Middle School | 9:00-11:00am |
| May TBA |
Out-of-district
Parent Social Join us for our 3nd out of district parent social An evening of dessert, coffee and conversation. Come and mingle and talk with other out-of-district parents. This is wonderful opportunity to visit with old friends and meet new ones. Out-of-towner are welcome. |
TBA |
TBA |
| June TBA |
4th/End of the year SPED PAC Parent Meeting Morning Voting for PAC offices |
TBA |
10:00 am - noon |
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This webpage was created October 10,
2007, by Melody Orfei
Webpage
last
modified on April 29, 2009 - V26, by Melody
Orfei
|
|
|