Minutes from January 2017 SEPTA Meeting

Courtesy of SEPTA Secretary, Karen Sosnoski, here are the minutes from the most recent monthly SEPTA meeting.

Thursday 1/12/17 7-8:30 PM

Syphax Education Center

2110 Washington Blvd.

Arlington,

Rooms 101, 103

Minutes from December meeting

Officer’s Reports:

Treasurer’s Report: Adam Mann.
He came on board in September. This is his first full report.
He reviewed the actuals from last year, our budget and variances, reminding we still have six months to meet all of our goals.
Our goal for the year was 300 members. We’re currently at 142. All are invited to join.
One of our big events was the Phantom Ball. We received $2,565 in revenue, beating our $2,000 goal.
A Reflections workshop, currently under Speaker’s Fees, will be moved to a line item on Reflections.
We have $13, 021 in the bank; we’re in the black.

Fundraising Report: Caroline Levy for Linda Campanelli.
Auction will take place the first two weeks in March. Linda could use help with solicitations or uploading items.
Inclusion program event—Katherine Harris will take on and discuss at a later date.
Unstuck and On Target: We’re not going to do this this year.
Caroline Levy moves to transfer $500 from Unstuck and On Target to an OT Training program on low tone feeding that will run instead. Caroline Butler (former Treasurer) says you can’t just rename a budget item. Caroline Levy moved to add $500 as a line item budget for a low tone feeding OT workshop. All agreed.
Under APS County events, we have been asked to support a hospitality event for an Arlington County Career Program event.
Able Now accounts now open, a 529 type program for kids with disabilities. State of VA offers a tax credit.

Parent Liaison Report: Janna Dressel, Lead Parent Liaison.
Only six more schools need volunteers: ATS, Arlington Science Focus, Carlin Springs, HB Woodlawn, Washington-Lee, Career Center.
Next meeting 2/7, both morning and evening times.
Vickie Barr, Parent Resource Center: While there is no one set job description for the parent liaison, the most important role is to be a disseminator, cross pollinator of information among PRC, SEPTA, AESEC, Office of SpEd and Office of Therapeutic Recreation. Liaisons funnel info. back to the school through newsletters or at PTA meetings and information lives on longer than it otherwise would.

Keeping It Together: Organizing Your Way to Paperwork Peace of Mind

Presented by: Janet Chisel of BasicOrganization.com:

Here to tell us how to organize our papers. If you feel your paperwork is disorganized, you’re one of many.
Find a system that works for you to be an advocate for your child.
Just try something; you can always change your system.

Binders are helpful.
Start from today and with your current paperwork.
Think about your mail. It takes ten minutes to process if you do so weekly. It will take much longer if you wait months or years.
Keeping papers organized helps you remember crucial pieces of information to prepare for IEP meetings, meditation or hearings. It helps you keep track of your child’s progress.
For your binder, you can set up TABS and/or folders with TABS.

Documents to save:
Emergency information, primary, secondary insurance information, parents’ information.
Communication log: keep a chronological log of all communication you have with professional.
Meeting log/notes. Notes on every conversation/meeting.
School records: report cards, progress reports, standardized test scores..
School work samples.
Evaluations
IEP
Regulations
Goal Tracking
Medical Records
Legal records
Documents, correspondence from teachers and administrators re. discipline.
Invoices and cancelled checks for services provided.

Using an education binder:
Divide into sections.
Label the sections.
Date all records.
Use post-it-notes or pencil.
Arrange paperwork chronologically.
Keep most recent papers in front.
When in doubt save it. (But you don’t have to bring it all with you to meetings.)

More tips for staying organized:
Keep current school records.
Visit school or SpEd office every once in a while to take a look at child’s student records.
Documents help you tell story to get help.
Documents clarify understandings and prove events happened the way you say they did.
You will probably need a new binder for each school year.
File Folder system is a good way to archive paperwork.
A digital system works if you know you’ll carry a laptop or tablet.
Evernote/Dropbox/Google can be good methods of sharing.
Put calendars in your folder too.
Kathleen Donovan: Putting IEP meetings on your calendar can be a way of ensuring you prepare in advance.
Teach your kids time management. You can use a laminated monthly calendar and get your kids to write on it too, so kids get used to the idea of planning.

Questions and Answers:
Q: How do you part with things to which you’re emotionally attached? A: It’s up to you and also a question of space. If you don’t have much space, you have to give more up. Try honoring 1 or 2 projects per year; let your child help you decide. Kathleen Donovan adds that you can access your child’s records through APS.

Q. If a child goes to college, what do they need to take with them? A. Vickie Barr from the Parent Resource Center explains that as a general rule the IEP doesn’t follow the student to college. There might be some value to bringing the IEP if the student is seeking services from the college. Sometimes the college will provide services temporarily before they discuss the IEP and talk to the student. Their most recent assessment and documents/evaluations should follow them to college to give colleges a baseline.

Hands On Workshop Time: Parents began work sorting their own paperwork into binders.

Submitted by:

Karen Sosnoski, Secretary

Date minutes approved: _____