Tuesday, November 8, 2011
HINGHAM SPECIAL EDUCATION PARENT ADVISORY COUNCIL (SEPAC)
Hingham Public Schools
Hingham Public Library, Fearing Room, 66 Leavitt St., Hingham, MA 02043
Meeting Agenda
Introduction and Rules
Acceptance of Minutes: October 11, 2011
Treasurer’s Report:
Communications:
Questions & Comments:
· Audience comments are always welcome as agenda items are discussed. In addition, SEPAC has set aside ten (10) minutes on this agenda to enable members of the audience to raise questions and make comments on any matter of general concern. To facilitate this process, interested parties are asked to provide the Hingham SEPAC Chairpersons or the Hingham Public Schools Director of Student Services with the nature of the question/comment, in writing, prior to the start of the meeting.
Old Business:
· Update on SEPAC 2011-2012 calendar: SEPAC representation at upcoming PTO meetings -South (11/16) and HMS (11/17); fundraising; presentations
· Update on Fun Run for April 2012
· Confirm details to prepare 2nd SEPAC newsletter mailing
· SEPAC banner update
· Board member responsibilities
· Vacant Co-chair position
New Business:
· Christmas in the Square, December 2, 2011
Subcommittee Reports:
HPS Director of Student Services Report:
Announcements & Adjournment:
· Upcoming SEPAC events:
- November 9, 2011, “Let’s Get Organized”, Hingham Public Library 7:00 p.m.
- December 7, 2011, Panel Presentation Inclusive Schools Week, HHS Room 103, 7:00 p.m.
- December 13, 2011, SEPAC board meeting, HPL Fearing Room, 10:00 a.m.
The provision of Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) according to federal and state laws and regulations related to the education of children with disabilities includes the following areas: Assessment of Students, Student Identification, Parent and Community Involvement, Curriculum and Instruction, Student Support Services, Faculty, Staff and Administration, School Facilities, Program Plan and Evaluation and Record Keeping.
Meeting Minutes:
Co-Chair Donna Keaney called the meeting to order at 10:10 a.m.
Present: Marisa Ronan, Donna Keaney, Pam Berigan, Kim Cross, Jean Garrity, Pamela Gillig, and Jaime Kenney.
The minutes from October 11, 2011, were reviewed and approved.
Communication: Marisa Ronan reported on e-mails from Larry Epstein. SEPAC is trying to set a date for Mr. Epstein to do a presentation on ThinkKids – an approach to discipline and the explosive child. The cost for this program is $500.00; however, Mr. Epstein has replied that he is flexible with the price. Donna will check with HHS to see about the availability of Room 103 for this presentation. Possible dates Donna will check are April 4, 5, 11, 12, 25, or 26. The program will run from 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. This will be updated at future meetings.
Treasurer: Kim Cross updated us on the changes to the SEPAC account -- the check made payable to Donna for the return-address stamp and envelopes has cleared, and there are still outstanding checks for the cost of the printing of the September mailing, as well as Kim’s check for coffee purchased for a previous meeting.
Old Business:
SEPAC Calendar: There was a review of the presentations for the remainder of the year:
November 9 – Let’s Get Organized – 28 RSVP’s
December 7- panel discussion – Liz O’Neill from South School will be presenting on specialized reading, Dr. Loud will present
on the history of special education, and Jen Milia from East School will discuss supporting typically developing siblings.
January 17 – Red Flags for Struggling Readers (snow date 1/24 at HHS)
February 8th – Tracey Stoll presentation at Hingham Public Library (snow date February 15th at HHS)
March 7 – Dr. Moldover presentation in the Whiton Room of the Hingham Public Library.
PTO Meetings: Pam Berigan will cover the South PTO meeting (11/9) as well as the HMS meeting (11/17)
Fun Run: Jean and Pam have been working on drafting a proposal to present to the Bare Cove Park Committee at their next meeting on November 15to get approval to use the Park for the event. Contact has been made with Hingham Little League to check for possible conflicts with the April date and baseball games. Possible costs for registration are $12/person with a $45 cap for families. Marisa will check to see if our website has capability to have online registration. Pam and Jean are hoping to get sponsors for the race to cover costs of the t-shirts. One thought was to see if people who send us information about their services would be interested in being a sponsor. SEPAC is looking to make it a fun day with possible balloon guy, face painting, a raffle table, and small items from Oriental Trading to give away to participants. We would need to have at least two water stations. The SEPAC would be responsible for the clean up afterwards. Pam and Jean will report back at the next meeting.
Bottle Drive: SEPAC bottle drive to be held at HMS on Saturday, May 19, 2012. SEPAC can choose the times for the drive to run. We need to look into either the Cohasset or Weymouth redemption center to see which place reimburses the most money.
Antique Show: John from Goosefare Antiques replied to the SEPAC e-mail. He is trying to decide between the March 24 – 25th weekend or the March 31st – April 1st weekend. He has agreed to split the cost of the cafeteria worker for both days, agreed to SEPAC not doing ads in the program guide, and also agreed to SEPAC having a scaled- back café both days. He does need the café but is fine with us limiting the choices of food available for purchase. Concern for SEPAC remains finding enough volunteers to staff the café. One idea that was suggested was waiving the Fun Run registration fee for any antique show volunteers.
New Business:
Christmas in the Square: Marisa has been in touch with the Downtown Association to reserve a spot for SEPAC to have a table selling things. This will be a great opportunity for SEPAC to get some visibility, as well as make a few dollars. Marisa will look into Oriental Trading to get some ideas of things to sell at this event. A motion was made and passed unanimously to spend up to $500.00 on Christmas in the Square (cost to reserve spot and items to sell) on December 2, 2011.
Next SEPAC Mailing: It was agreed that the next mailing should be ready to be folded and stuffed by the week of December 5. Once the newsletter is ready for mailing, it is hoped it will be mailed during the week of winter break to arrive after the first of the year.
The meeting was adjourned at 12:35pm.
