Happy new school year 2015-16!
I had a wonderful summer and hope you did too.
In between vacation and barbecues, I gave a presentation to the Virginia PTA conference in collaboration with the president of the Stafford County SEPTA. We spoke about how to start a Special Education PTA and how PTAs could serve special needs families and educators. I will continue to share ideas with other SEPTA leaders in Virginia and encourage others to organize and advocate for their special needs communities.
Do you want to learn more, do more to help your special needs children/students learn and develop?
Join SEPTA
- get a welcome gift
- access to our new members-only forum where you can post information or questions and get support from other members.
- access our members-only directory.
Website
SEPTA just launched a revamped, snazzier and more useful SEPTA website, with members-only resources (training videos, forum), and blog posts, photos and a resource directory. See for yourself!
Monthly meetings
- student self-advocates speaking about their experiences
- info night in October on how APS can improve inclusion of special needs students in general education
- SEPTA Superintendent Chat with Dr. Patrick Murphy featuring refreshments catered by special needs catering students from the Arlington Career Center.
SEPTA members will have the opportunity to submit questions to Dr. Murphy for public discussion. - financial planning for special needs families
- children/youth mental health issues and Arlington’s mental health services
- Medicaid waivers that could help your children and family
- ways to educate typical kids about their special needs peers
- info on 2016 summer school/activities/classes/camps
Workshops
- We will offer two free, intensive workshops for Arlington’s teachers (continuing education credits available) to give them additional tools and strategies for helping their special needs students learn and thrive.
- We’ll offer the popular Unstuck and On Target training and at least one workshop on meaningful inclusion.
- Plus mini-grants for educators are back! We have doubled our budget for these popular grants so hurry over to the new website for details. This year’s deadline is moved up to October 15.
- Free parent workshop on Conscious Discipline to help parents provide their children with ways to control their own behavior
- Two Special Artists Workshops, on Sept 12 and Oct 2, where our kids can produce artwork for the PTA Reflections Art Contest
- Two SEPTA picnics, the first on October 17 at the Barcroft Picnic Shelter
SEPTA in the community
During the spring and summer, SEPTA board members and I met with Arlington candidates for school board and county board to let each of them know and understand issues facing the special needs community in Arlington, and what we need to see happen to help our special needs kids and their educators and parents.
As your new SEPTA president, I want all those in Arlington who are involved in the education and development of children, parents, educators, caregivers, our children themselves and others, to receive the information, support and resources they need to help children and families thrive.
Together, we can make sure every child in Arlington gets what he or she needs to succeed!
I am so I spied to start a,SEPTA in Richmond and would definetely need some help from you establishing this,sort of organization in Richmond.
Looking forward to hearing from you.
We are trying to start one as well or at least get organized. We are south of you in Dinwiddie area. Have you had any luck starting so far.?