WELCOME AUBURN, MASSACHUSETTS FAMILIES!

Welcome to our blog - the place for sharing, support and information for parents of children with special needs in the Auburn, MA community. More and more parents are signing up to join our online community, and that is very exciting! It also means that our community recognizes the need to be supportive to each other and to our schools. Raising a child with any special need is at best, difficult, and at worst it is heartbreaking, frustrating, and exhausting. Emotions can run the gamut, from elation to anger. We need to support each other through all of it.

As the manager of several online support communities since 2003, I have seen people vent their frustrations in a seemingly secure environment, only to find out that their words and print have been shared and caused significant problems for them. Please remain cautious about negative comments toward any particular persons, districts or situations that could be hurtful or harmful to your family or anyone else's family. This blog is not being moderated, but there are members here who work in the school systems, who have been invited as part of our efforts to create a cohesive, transparent, supportive community.

If you are having trouble with your school district, team, administrator or teachers, the most appropriate place to discuss those concerns are with your child's team. Thank you!

Disability Scoop

Wednesday, September 12, 2012


BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND - TOPSoccer!!


Once again Auburn is offering TOPSoccer – The Outreach Program for Soccer, a community-based training and placement program for young athletes with disabilities. The TOPS program is designed to bring the opportunity of learning and playing soccer to any boy or girl with a mental or physical disability. This could include Downs Syndrome, ADHD, any form of Autism, and Cerebral Palsy. Each program is developed and structured to the specific needs of the participants. Modifications are made to the game and training environment to allow full participation and enjoyment to each athlete that participates.

More information can be found at http://www.mayouthsoccer.org/topsoccer.aspx
or by contacting Auburn coach Dan Hastings (508 721 9834); cdhast@msn.com

BASIC RIGHTS WORKSHOP KICKS OFF THE NEW YEAR


We hope that everyone's year has started smoothly, and are looking forward to meeting new parents at our first meeting of the year!  Please join us!

Tuesday, October 2, 2012 at 7:00pm5 West Street, Auburn (APS Administrative offices)


The Workshop will address the rights and responsibilities of both parents/guardians and the school system in Special Education.  

We will have a brief business meeting immediately following the workshop.  Light refreshments provided.

Hope to see you there - look for the flyer coming home soon!  Pass it along to anyone you think might be interested - our meetings are open to all Auburn Public School families. 

Monday, February 13, 2012


our April meeting:
Estate Planning for Special Needs Children: Everything You Need to Know about Minors and Adult Kids

Did you know that the single most common obstacle to your special needs child getting or continuing to receive his governmental benefits is a parent’s lack of estate planning? Are you concerned that you haven’t done any planning or that what you did may be inadequate? Then this program is for you!

If you are the parent(s) of a special needs child -whether she’s a minor or an adult- join us for an interactive, hands-on workshop. Attorney Kristina Vickstrom, of Vickstrom Law, will explore practical estate planning strategies that you can apply to safeguard your child’s wellbeing. Topics covered will include:
  • How to plan your estate for future government benefits of your child
  • Using Special Needs Trusts effectively
  • How to properly name beneficiaries on your retirement and investment accounts
  • How to balance the needs/ inheritance rights of your special needs child and your other children
  • Obtaining Guardianships and Conservatorships at/after age 18
  • Dealing with the Social Security Office

Tuesday, April 3rd at 7pm
5 West Street, Auburn MA 01501

Please RSVP to Cheryl Chan by calling 774-260-2426 or to Attorney Kristina Vickstrom online at admin@vickstromlaw.com or by calling 508.757.3800. Seating is limited so reserve your spot today. Refreshments will be served.



Wednesday, December 28, 2011

TOPSoccer program starting in Auburn!



AUBURN SOCCER
NEW PROGRAM BEING DEVELOPED


SEPAC Board Members,

My name is Dan Hastings. I am a coach and current Board Member with United Soccer of Auburn. I have been a coach and board member for eight years. We are currently in the early stages of developing a new soccer initiative within our community.
TOPSoccer – The Outreach Program for Soccer.
This is a community-based training and placement program for young athletes with disabilities.
The TOPS program is designed to bring the opportunity of learning and playing soccer to any boy or girl with a mental or physical disability. This could include Downs Syndrome, ADHD; any form of Autism, including Asperger’s and Cerebral Palsy. Each program is developed and structured to the specific needs of the participants.
Modifications are made to the game and training environment to allow full participation and enjoyment to each athlete that participates.
We are committed to providing the necessary resources to make TOPSoccer successful in every way. There are currently 28 successful TOPSoccer programs running throughout other parts of Massachusetts, with only two in this immediate area, Holden and Millbury. We are looking to join them in developing this program within our area.
However, at this stage of developing this program, we need your help. We are looking for your input and information on the number of athletes in our community that could utilize this program, as well as the various disabilities that we would be working with in order to create a successful program.
After the initial information has been gathered, we can have an open house meeting for all parents of athletes who are interested in participating in this program to answer questions and inform you of the next stages of implementation.

More information can be found at http://www.mayouthsoccer.org/topsoccer.aspx

Thank you,
Dan Hastings (508 721 9834)

United Soccer of Auburn

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

NOVEMBER 1, 2011 - MEETING CANCELED.

WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO RESCHEDULE?  If I don't hear back, we'll see you in January!

Cheryl

Monday, October 24, 2011

So what we gonna do?

NOVEMBER 1 is our next meeting - let's talk topics!

I've received an email from Dan Hastings of Auburn - Dan is starting a TOPSoccer program here in Auburn, and would like to spread the word.  That's really exciting - I know of other programs that have been really successful!  I'm going to ask Dan if he'd like to come and talk to us about it.

At the end of November, a few of us plan to attend a hearing at the State House in Boston, on the legislation currently under review to amend MA State law to require State programs to look at functioning level, instead of purely IQ, in its DDS eligibility requirements.  Our Director, Phil, talked about this important initiative at our September meeting.  If you didn't receive the handouts, I'll post them here this week.  Please consider joining us at the hearing - we can carpool, I've been there many times and don't mind driving.  The more who come in support of this bill, the better chances it has of passing.  Most importantly, it will have a tremendous impact on many of YOU.  We will hear an update about this at the November meeting from Phil.

We will also look at the remaining meetings this year and get some ideas from you about topics, so please don't make me do this alone!  See you on November 1 at 7:00pm at the APS offices at 5 West Street!

Cheryl

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Excellent Bullying workshop tonight!

Bullying Prevention – A Community Presentation   As part of our effort to improve school culture the Mary Rowlandson Elementary School and Luther Burbank Middle School will be hosting a Bullying Prevention presentation by the Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center (MARC). MARC offers presentations for parents, Parent Teacher Organizations, and community groups.  Information for parents is tailored to the needs and wants of the community and involves both an easy-to-understand update on typical online activities of children, internet safety (including cyber-bullying), and how parents can work with their children and their schools in both bullying and cyber-bullying situations.  The emphasis is on practical, concrete knowledge, and parents do not need to be computer experts to become more aware of how to help their children navigate the online world safely.  It is also imperative that parents understand how to approach schools for help effectively and how to assist school administrators successfully resolve bullying situations.  The presentation will be held on October 12, 2011 , tonight, in the Mary Rowlandson Elementary auditorium, 103 Hollywood Dr, Lancaster, MA 01775 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. We hope to see you    Sean O'Shea  Principal