CSEPACChelmsford Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) is a parent led group with membership open to all interested parties the community. Archives
June 2020
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June 30 Meeting6/3/2020 Please join CSEPAC for a virtual meeting on Tuesday, June 30 at 6:30 PM.
We will be appointing an interim board. The interim board will oversee the start of the 2020-21 school year and the election of board members at a later date. PUBLIC INPUT: Interested community members may submit comments through either the CSEPAC Board, via e-mail to [email protected] or comments can be submitted in live time via the chat function. Comments submitted will be read under the public participation portion(s) of the agenda. VOLUNTEERS: If you are interested in volunteering for the interim board, please email [email protected]. More information about board positions, election process, and interim board responsibilities can be found in the bylaws: https://chelmsfordsepac.weebly.com/meetings--minutes.html. Official meeting agenda will be posted to the Chelmsford Town Meeting Calendar. The Chelmsford Special Education Parent Advisory Council intends to conduct a virtual remote meeting using the Zoom electronic platform. All participation will take place remotely, not in-person. The meeting will be live-streamed by Chelmsford Telemedia and posted to the CSEPAC website for interested community members to access and watch RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/2691589151130113/
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Advocating during a Meeting1/24/2020 In September 2020 CSEPAC and the CPS student services administration collaborated to host a meet & greet event for the community.
As part of our discussion, it was asked "What can parents bring to meetings to best advocate for their children and have a productive conversation?" - Write out your concerns before the meeting. Consider sending your concerns to the team chair or liaison before the meeting so that they can be prepared to discuss them at the meeting. - Send concerns after the meeting if you are unable to fully express the ideas during the meeting or if you have additional thoughts afterward. - Be honest. - Ask questions, especially if you don't know the terms that are being used or how the process works. - Remember that everyone is there to figure out the best way to help your child. - You can ask additional questions to team members outside of the meeting. - Do what you need to do to feel comfortable during the meeting: ask questions, bring resources, consult with an advocate, bring and advocate or other support person with you to the meeting. Additional information for the student services department can be found here: https://www.chelmsford.k12.ma.us/Page/106
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VOC Lottery1/24/2020 As a part of our MassPAC membership, CSEPAC has 1 spot to give to a Chelmsford parent to attend Visions of Community (VOC). VOC is a 1 day conference held in Boston with a variety of topics presented in a variety of languages.
Please email by February 3rd at [email protected] if you are interested in a chance to attend at no cost. A Conference for Families of Children with Special Needs and the Professionals Who Serve Them Saturday, February 29th, 2020, 7:30am – 4:15pm | Seaport World Trade Center | 1 Seaport Lane, Boston, MA Registration Deadline: February 21stWorkshops on: Assistive technology, Autism, IEP goal-setting, self-care, transition planning, …and more!
Note: Onsite childcare will NOT be provided. The Federation will offer limited stipends to support childcare expenses for low income families. Conference App Make your day an engaging experience. Following registration, download our Conference App for live updates, conference details, networking, and more. Registration is $125.00. FCSN is offering an early bird special price of $100 from January 6, 2020 to February 6, 2020. https://fcsn.org/voc/home/workshop-schedule/
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CSEPAC at CPL9/16/2019 Laurie McCarron, CSEPAC Secretary, has been hard at work collaborating with the Chelmsfor Public Library to provide resources to our families! Her efforts resulted in the established SEPAC section at our Public Library. Laurie met with Sara Dempster, Head of Youth Services at CPL, and State Rep. Tom Golden to highlight and share the awesome work put into having a Free, Public Resource for SEPAC Members, and all interested parties, and to help further support SEPAC Awareness! Sara’s amazing work at the library is a crucial support system in adding and updating resources for parents/guardians and children! Representative Tom Golden and Representative Jim Arciero (Jim missing from photo) have been dynamic in supporting this movement of SEPAC Awareness for Chelmsford, Westford and throughout Massachusetts! #SEPACAWARENESS #MassachusettsSEPACAWARENESS
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Volunteers Needed for Open House8/27/2019 Do you want to help provide support to families in our community? CSEPAC will be hosting an information table at open houses throughout the district this September.
We are looking for volunteers to help share information about CSEPAC - meeting times, workshops, what we do. We are working on a script and have a great new brochure that includes much of the information we are sharing with the community. It would be easy to do before or after your open house time. Please follow the link for more information. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d4da8a82ba1fa7-csepac
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2018-19 CSEPAC Community Awards6/18/2019
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Introducing the 2019-20 CSEPAC Board5/22/2019 Congratulations to the 2019-20 CSEPAC Board! Our members voted unanimously for the following candidates:
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SEPAC Day on the Hill4/19/2019
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2019-20 Board Nominations Now Open4/1/2019 How Are Nominations Collected? Nominations will be emailed to the nomination coordinator. Absentee candidates can only be nominated with their written permission. This year's nomination coordinator is Laura Miller: [email protected]. Please include the nominees name and contact information. You may nominate yourself if you are interested in volunteering. Nominations will be announced at the April 25th meeting. Who Can Vote? Voting Membership shall be open to parents/guardians of children with special needs who are receiving services through the Chelmsford School System. Members must have attended at least one previous business meeting during the current school year to vote in Elections. When Do We Vote? Annual elections will be held at the general meeting in May. Officers shall be elected by a majority vote of all voting members in attendance. What are the Board Positions & Duties? Additional officer positions may be established and/or combined as needed. The term of office shall be one year from June to June. Board members shall represent SEPAC as a non-partisan organization. Chairperson: Determine business meeting agenda and facilitate meetings. Coordinate representation of SEPAC at public functions. The chairperson shall manage the activities of the organization. Communicate with administration and the school committee regularly. Coordinate new board members receiving open meeting law materials. Coordinate management of electronic communications, duty shared with secretary. Duties may be shared with a Co- Chairperson. Secretary: Shall be responsible for recording meeting minutes. The secretary shall maintain a permanent file of the organization’s by-laws, the meeting minutes, and records of Certificate of Receipt of Open Meeting Law material by board members. The secretary shall maintain a record of all outside correspondence and post all meetings in accordance with open meeting laws. Coordinate management of electronic communications, duty shared with Chairperson. Treasurer: Shall be responsible for maintaining the records for all monetary transactions of the organization. Manage purchase order requests and financial transactions made on behalf of SEPAC. Provide a report of monthly activity and funds balances at every general meeting. Provide a report of yearly activity and funds balances by June 30th. Communicate with administration and/or school committee when needed. The full description and duties can be found in the bylaws.
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Volunteers Needed for Subcommittee3/29/2019 There are two subcommittees being formed. Both will meet two times and present their findings at the May CSEPAC meeting. We will need a chair person to coordinate meeting times, invite interested parties, and lead the presentation. At least one board member will be a part of each subcommittee and ensure that open meeting laws are followed. If you are interested in participating, email [email protected] by April 4. |