The Belchertown SEPAC is responsible for advising the Department of Student Support Services, Superintendent, and School Committee on matters that pertain to the education and safety of students with disabilities. The SEPAC is meant to function as an important resource to families of children in the Belchertown community between the ages of 3 and 22 who are in need of Special Education and related services. We work collaboratively with the Department of Student Support Services to help guide priorities and programming.
Participating in the SEPAC is a great way for parents and caregivers of students with disabilities to meet one another as we all learn more about Special Education, our rights, and the rights of our students.
We are excited to announce that Belchertown will now be working collaboratively with area towns so that we may be involved in more workshops! This year the Belchertown SEPAC, in collaboration with area districts, will be holding virtual meetings. You must register via the Zoom link in order to receive the meeting link and passcode for the workshop. You can find out more about Zoom by clicking this link Introduction to Zoom for Families.
Specific meeting dates for the 2021-2022 school year are:
Saturday, September 10, 2022, 10:00 a.m. @ The Common, Meeting Link; https://fb.me/e/
Monday, October 24, 2022, 7:00 p.m. – Meet the Team – @Chestnut Hill Community School Library, Portions of the meeting will be available virtually – Meeting link: meet.google.com/uut-quyh-
November 7, 2022 – 6:30 – 8:30 pm – Basic Rights: Understanding the IEP – Presenter: Jessica Sales Cohen – Registration Link: https://fcsn-org.zoom.
December:
Monday, January 30,2023 – 6:30 pm @ Clapp Memorial Library all purpost room (downstairs) – Link to fb event: https://fb.me/e/2s6NRTNZb?
February TBD
March 13, 2023 – Hadley Public Schools – Turning Three Essentials – A free virtual workshop for parents and professionals – link to Turning 3 Flyer: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vTdpCFQq7jfuwny_6v5YXy8pZTd45bhE/view
April TBD
Monday, May 8, 2023, 7:00-8:30 PM – “How to Advocate for Your Child” Presenter: Leslie Leslie, Project Director Please register to get zoom link: https://fcsn-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsd-ysrzwqHdO-NtLDwle_g3cWNP_FN55A
2021 – 2022 Worshops
October – Bullying: What Parents Need to Know – A Free Virtual Workshop for Parents and Professionals – October 25, 2021, 7:00 – 9:00 pm, Registration Link: https://fcsn- org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEuce6vqjMuGNQM9jx6DYKn7unJf9odsTJo – Hosted by Belchertown SEPAC
November – Basic Rights – Understanding the IEP – November 1, 2021 – Registration Link: https://fcsn-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUpdOGrqDwpG9RJrN6S8bqyx3qS0F… – Hosted by South Hadley
504 Plans – November 8, 2021 – Hosted by Granby
February – Basic Rights – Evaluation and Eligibility – February 28, 2022 – Registration Link: https://fcsn-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrdemorjwpHNy5fOFZQ8pwZFWGXu… – Hosted by Belchertown
March – Creating a Post Secondary Vision – March 8, 2022 – Registration Link: https://fcsn-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwtfu6gpzkoHdLvZ2FF097VeWZZcJ… Hosted by Hadley
April – Sensory Processing by Lori Osborne – April 7, 2022 – In person and virtual- meet.google.com/zut-rpoj-der – (US)+1 470-268-2027 – PIN: 582 107 847# – Hosted by Belchertown
Our Mission:
“The Belchertown Special Education Parent Advisory Council represents the collective voice of parents and students by fostering positive and constructive discussion to ultimately advise the School Committee and District leadership in matters regarding children with special needs. In doing so, we endeavor to ensure that our children are provided every opportunity to reach their full potential.”
SEPAC Officers
Kate Nadeau, President btownsepac@gmail.com
Jennifer Matos