A hearty welcome to the ‘08-’09 school year and to the Mamaroneck- Larchmont Special Education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTA)

I am very excited about this year. Last year, I had no co president; nor do I have one this year.  Nonetheless I am as committed as ever to lead the charge but again I NEED ALL OF YOU.

Our mission statement guides us:  Recognizing that students have a broad range of learning styles and abilities, SEPTA works to promote a quality leaning experience for all children.  SEPTA  aims to promote a better understanding of children’s learning differences and to be a resource for all parents.

We raise our entire year’s funds by 3 means:

·        Your membership.  Everyone is encouraged to join: School Board members, Administration, all faculty, all parents (those with children who are classified and those with children who are not).(click here for membership form)

·        Your purchase of our in-demand ‘mini’ calendars sold at Back to School night and other events, or by our SEPTA school reps.

·        Your consideration in making a donation.

 Thank you for supporting us!

Our resources go right back into serving our constituency.  As SEPTA has grown and matured, we have diversified our offerings to increase the depth and breadth of our “reach”.  In addition to our program series, please check out our newsletter, Special EDition and added parent networks and workshops*.  Also we are so pleased we can give back to the faculty, who work so hard to support our kids, through our grants program.

Our programs are free and open to all.  Please mark your calendars for the following dates:   

·        The first is our Welcome Back Breakfast slated to take place on Wednesday, September 17^th at 8:45 am in the HMX cafeteria.  Dr. Minotti will say a few words, members of the school board and district administration will be in attendance as well as faculty members that are free at that hour.  Many thanks to Barbara Lambert, for arranging the hospitality for this, and subsequent SEPTA programs. 

·         Tuesday, October 21, The new co- teaching model

·         Monday December 8th, Emotional and social learning needs 

·        Wednesday, February 11^th, TBD. Our speaker chairs Patty Wolff and Lisa Marr are working with the Mamaroneck Schools Foundation (MSF) Larchmont Listens district speaker series point person to find a speaker with broad appeal

·        Thursday April 16^th, Sensory Integration in the General Education classroom- come hear Lori Olsen, district consultant and MSF grant recipient   

·        Thursday May 28^th, Dr. Minotti Asst Supt for Student Support Services will give a presentation entitled  Student Support Services- the year in Review

 Feel free to contact our program chairs Lisa Marr (LMarrz6@aol.com) and Patti Wolff (wolffhome@optonline.net) with any suggestions.

 Also please look for updates by email blast (click here to sign up)

Once again we envision publishing a fall and spring issue of our newsletter, Special EDition.  I have been overwhelmed by the feedback and especially impressed by our newsletter’s impact on a broad range audience.  If you would like to suggest or submit an article, kindly contact the undersigned.

We will offer networking meetings under the able guidance of Wendy Weiner and Linda Banta.  The dates are in the district calendar: Tuesday October 14^th and Monday, November 10th.  We have found when SEPTA facilitates a discussion around either an age group and/or around a specific challenge – bonds form and individuals feel less isolated.

Along these same lines our district, through a NY State Education Department Model Transition Program contract, will offer, among other things, evening workshops on services available to help students move into post-secondary education and other job training opportunities that lead to employment. Last year this grant was in the making, this year it is off the ground and will be coordinated by a transition team, led by our district’s new Special Education Director of Secondary, Karen Gatto. This topic is geared for a relatively specific audience; SEPTA is looking into possibly inviting a life planning specialist as an adjunct to these Transition planning workshops.

As it relates to faculty grants, our Grant chairs, Lori Stevenson (Lori48oak@yahoo.com) and George Hebron (Hebron@mamkschools.org) are looking forward to disseminating information to the faculty and convening a sub committee to evaluate and approve grants to support creativity in serving our kids. Grant review represents a very limited commitment in terms of time and is a great way to support and be involved in SEPTA. If you are a member of faculty reading this, (both general and special ed) you are welcome to apply for a SEPTA grant.  Please click on our grants section on the left side of the SEPTA homepage to see a list of grants awarded last year.

We have a great executive Board (click here for names)

We are all volunteers.  The guiding thread is our passion for ‘our’ kids.   As a team, we will be more successful than any one individual.  We strive to make incremental growth, step by step- action by everyone.

In my view, the following are requisites for success:  Communication, passion and partnership!

·        Dr. Minotti and I, in my capacity as President of SEPTA, will be meeting monthly, continuing a long tradition of dialogue between SEPTA and administration.  This year once again, a perquisite for those on the SEPTA Board, is that one member will be invited to attend each meeting on a rotating basis.

·        And again, we are planning for Special Education Directors Roni Kramer and Karen Gatto to attend our monthly SEPTA executive Board meetings.  This enhances dialogue and keeps us in parallel with other PTAs in our district, whose principals sit ex officio on their boards. 

·        If you have a passion, please pursue it with us.  We encourage you to let us know what is on your mind.  Please trust us to partner with you and call upon us with your suggestions and concerns. Your goals are our goals. 

In closing,

I thank the entire SEPTA Board for their hard work, their dedication.

Let’s enjoy the year and work together.

I’m motivated, excited, challenged and I have faith that this will be a productive year for our kids.

On behalf of the entire SEPTA Board,

Thank you

Amy Lieberman

Pres. SEPTA

dashdoar@aol.com

NB We are always seeking new CSE parent members to attend CSE/CPSE meetings as required by law.  This is a terrific opportunity to give back while gaining valuable knowledge!  For more information about Parent Members and their training, please click here.   Please note: Any parent of a classified child that attends private school with in the Mamaroneck school district is welcome and encouraged to become a parent member.