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SEPAC General Meeting Minutes
March 11, 2008
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Call to order: 7:15PM
- Chairperson, Pam Spiegel, welcomed everyone and introduced Audrey Seyffert, Director of Student Services and Jack O’Brien from the School Committee. Audrey commended SEPAC on its speaker series.
- Discussed a change in meeting format, whenever time permits:
7:00- 7:30 parent networking, with more formal meeting activities to follow from 7:30 – 9:00 PM.
Next meeting – April 8 will include elections.
May 13 meeting with guest speaker from SNCARC (no time for networking that evening.)
- SEPAC is in the process of applying for a grant from the WEF to help fund a Social Skills Development Group planned for July and August. All members are urged to complete the social skills ability survey for the purpose of needs assessment…so that future social skills groups may be developed with the appropriate population (s) of children in mind. (Survey is currently available on the website.) All feedback is for planning only and will remain confidential.
- Treasurer’s report by Tracey Stoll: Bank account balance = $3.200.00.
$1000 will be put toward 2 scholarships.
- The My Gym activity was a success with groups of 26 and 19 students attending sessions in Walpole.
- Seeking $15, 000 in grant money for the proposed social group for children with ASD. Group would be structured to teach pragmatic social skills to young children (preschool – early elementary) on the autism spectrum or with similar social needs. (Idea of the group arose from parents with children on the spectrum and that is why the pilot program will address that population.) Proposal is to serve up to 24 children, possibly at the Deerfield School this summer. Program is being planned for 7 weeks; 90 minute session, one time per week. Applicants will be screened by interview with a clinical specialist. Hope to hire professional staff this May-June to run the program. Partial funding may need to come from families, but would be local and still be less costly than most similar programs (possibly $20-50, rather than $75 per session). Future goal = serve groups with a different diagnoses.
- Elections: Nominations being accepted for all executive board positions. Notify Joyce Ford by April 1 for the April 8 ballot to nominate yourself or someone else.
Last meeting, Jen Maggiacomo was elected co-chair for the remainder of this school year.
- April 8 meeting, Audrey Seyffert will speak about school programs and services currently available in Westwood.
- Tonight, Audrey commented on the Coordinated Program Review (CPR), recently conducted by the Dept. of Ed.. Westwood received 6 commendations and only a few items needing attention such as slight modifications in some paperwork. Audrey said that mainly the report commended administrators, teachers and providers who work with children with and without disabilities in our town. She is proud of the work that has been done and feels that DOE left with that same sense of pride.
Audrey also said that she has an open-door policy and welcomes questions and concerns and looks forward to working in warm partnership with families.
- Jen Maggiacomo reported on Updating the Website: Plans are in place to list resources such as Doctors, therapists, neuropsychologists, dentists, hairdressers, support groups based on disability type and specialists of all kinds, based on member recommendations. Lists may require a few updates initially, then only annual or semi-annual updates. Hope to have initial descriptions of disability types and some resources named by May.
Janet Hodges recommended using “Survey Monkey” to help compile suggested resources.
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| Meeting Adjourned 7:40pm |
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| Program: Guest Speaker, Janet Hodges from Parent/Professional Advocacy League (PAL) spoke on the topic of Childhood Mental Illness. For information, refer to www.ppal.net |
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