We will describe the Watertown Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC), how to become more involved, and, most importantly, hear what Watertown Caregivers would like to see from your SEPAC during the 2023-2024 school year.

Our membership and meetings are open to all interested parties.

Agenda preview

The first half of the meeting will include a special education update from WPS Director of Student Services Kathleen Desmarais, including information on the district's newly enrolled participation in the LABBB Collaborative. Kathleen will also be available to answer questions.

The second part of the meeting, starting at ~7:00 PM, will be a caregiver-only space for parents to share and discuss stories, topics, and priorities.

Zoom link: https://watertown-k12-ma-us.zoom.us/j/82224214750

We will have a special officer election in November to formalize changes in officer roles and to give SEPAC voting members the opportunity to run for Board positions!

All officer roles are shared between co-officers. We currently have vacancies for one or more of each of the following roles secretary, public relations officer, and training coordinator. More information on the duties of each role can be found in our By Laws.

To be a voting member, you must have attended two Watertown SEPAC events in the past 12 months. If you have yet to attend two events in the past 12 months, make sure to attend our October 11th meeting and our November 1st training!

Wednesday, November 1st from 6:30 -8:30 PM on zoom.

Basic Rights: The IEP presented by Federation for Children with Special Needs

hosted by the Watertown SEPAC

Registration Required

https://fcsn-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAsceiurTItH9Frq1jevzx7VweiAd6mi3_V#/registration

In the meantime, below is a list of training calendars from various MA organizations. Many of them are free, open to all, and held virtually. Check out to the below links to see what is available in October!

• Free trainings offered by the Federation for Children with Special Needs (FCSN): https://fcsn.org/news/#calendar

• Special Needs Advocacy Network (SPAN) training Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/span-parent-advocacy-network-313399547

• Parent Professional Advocacy League (PPAL) training list: https://ppal.net/trainings/

The Watertown Public School District (WPS) Student Services Office is hosting and presenting monthly workshops for Watertown caregivers. While this workshop is geared toward families who are going through an initial evaluation for the first time, it is open to everyone.

The student services office will also host and present some additional trainings during the school year. For more information about these events and for other updates from the Student Services Office, see the most recent student services newsletter: https://www.smore.com/uwjsp-welcome-back

One common concern we hear from parents of children with disabilities is safety, safety, safety!!!

Children who are non-speaking, autistic, intellectually disabled, and or have a tendency to elope and hide are particularly vulnerable during emergencies. You can register with the city that a disabled individual resides in your home. This means fire and police dispatched to your home will be provided that information.

We were thrilled to see The Watertown Family Network will be holding an event at the Brigham House focused on safety! We have reached out to the organizers of the event, and have confirmed that there will be a representative from the Police Department in attendance who can provide you with more information on the process of registering your family members' information.

https://sites.google.com/watertown.k12.ma.us/watertown-sepac/mailing-list