Happy New Year! We hope everyone enjoyed the holidays. We spent most of January finalizing our winter/spring programming and we are excited to share what we have coming up. We have some exciting events planned for students as well as parents in the coming months. Read on and mark your calendars!
Mark Your Calendars for these Upcoming Events and Programs!
Monthly SEPAC General Meetings
Event Description: Join the SEPAC Board for informal meetings to discuss upcoming programming, volunteer for event committees, or get information about how to be involved! We meet on the first Tuesday of every month and all meetings are open to the public!
Location / Time*
Norfolk Public Library
2 Liberty Lane
Community Room
7:00 p.m *
Upcoming Meeting Dates - Mark your Calendars now!
Tuesday, March 3, 2020 - Combined with a Special Education Reading Curriculum Overview (see details below)
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
Upcoming Community Presentations:
Tuesday, February 11, 2020, 7pm - SEPAC presents 2019/2020 Update to Norfolk School Committee
Tuesday, February 25, 2020 - Norfolk presents SEPAC Overview to Norfolk Lions
Music Workshop with Mr. Ken!
Event Description: Ken DoRosario, MT-BC, Norfolk’s own board-certified music therapist will provide a sampling of music therapy activities and interventions utilized in music therapy sessions in a fun and relaxed environment for Norfolk students at both the H.Olive Day and Freeman-Kennedy Schools. Learn more about Music Therapy at musictherapy.org.
Event Logistics
Freeman-Kennedy Event
Location / Time*
Freeman-Kennedy School
Music Room
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
3:30 PM
H. Olive Day Event
Location / Time*
H. Olive Day School
Music Room
Thursday, February 27, 2020
3:30 PM
Sensory Jump at Altitude Trampoline Park
Location / Time*
303A East Central St. Franklin, MA
Monday, March 2, 2020
4:00 -6:00 PM
No Registration Required. Mention Norfolk SEPAC at the door and the SEPAC will receive 20% of sales.
Let's Talk Reading and Writing!
Dr. Anna Eberwein-Tupper/Director of Student Support Services, in conjunction with Mrs. Carrie McSweeney/FK Language-Based Teacher will provide an overview of special education reading and writing programming across the district, grades Pre-School through Six. Please join us for an overview of special education reading and writing methods, curriculum, teacher training/qualifications, and implications for development of IEP's during this presentation and question and answer period.
Location / Time*
Norfolk Public Library
Community Room
Tuesday, March 3, 2020
7:00 PM
Art Workshop for 5th and 6th Graders
Join Ken DoRosario, MT-BC for a fun and interactive art workshop for fifth and sixth grade girls and boys. More info on theme, planned activities, and registration to come - keep your eye on your inbox!
Girls Event
Location / Time*
Freeman-Kennedy School
Art Room
Thursday, March 10, 2020
3:30 PM
Register Here!
Boys Event
Location / Time
Freeman-Kennedy School
Art Room
Thursday, March 12, 2020
3:30 PM
Register Here!
Managing Anxiety in School Aged Children
Join Norfolk SEPAC and Dr. Nadja Reilly for a presentation on managing anxiety in school aged children. Dr. Reilly will be discussing many topics including providing insight for parents on identifying signs of anxiety in children, tactical activities that parents can do at home to support children with anxiety, and an overview of community resources for families.
Location/Time:
Monday, March 30, 2020
King Philip Middle School Auditorium
18 King Street, Norfolk MA
7:00 PM
Parent Education
There are many different kinds of therapies that can be used to supplement school-based services, which parents may wish to pursue to support their child at home, beyond their child's school program. Read below to learn about three ways to reinforce concepts and skills by participating in different activities led by skilled therapists.
Music Therapy
Music Therapy is the clinical and evidence-based use of music interventions to accomplish individualized goals within a therapeutic relationship to address physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of children and adults. Through creating, singing, moving to, and/or listening to music, the abilities of individuals can be strengthened and transferred to other areas of their lives. Music Therapy can address several needs simultaneously in a positive and exciting medium: it may provide pleasurable learning that promotes success. Music Therapy also provides avenues for communication that can be helpful to those who find it difficult to express themselves in words.
Music Therapy is different than music education because music therapists don’t teach music, but rather USE all the different aspects of music to induce and observe positive change in both musical and non-musical areas by focusing on achieving therapeutic goals. Most people, especially children, enjoy music – therefore, music therapy can be the therapy that reinforces all other therapies. Learn more at https://www.musictherapy.org/ .
Art Therapy
Art therapy is an integrative mental health and human services profession that enriches the lives of individuals, families, and communities through active art-making, creative process, applied psychological theory, and human experience within a psychotherapeutic relationship.
Art therapy, facilitated by a professional art therapist, effectively supports personal and relational treatment goals as well as community concerns. Art therapy is used to improve cognitive and sensorimotor functions, foster self-esteem and self-awareness, cultivate emotional resilience, promote insight, enhance social skills, reduce and resolve conflicts and distress, and advance societal and ecological change. Learn more at https://arttherapy.org/.
Hippotherapy
The term hippotherapy refers to how occupational therapy, physical therapy and speech-language pathology professionals use evidence-based practice and clinical reasoning in the purposeful manipulation of equine movement as a therapy tool to engage sensory, neuromotor and cognitive systems to promote functional outcomes. Find a local provider here.
Incorporating hippotherapy into an occupational therapy, physical therapy or speech language pathology session can serve as a powerful tool for the facilitation of the key neuromotor systems that support function. Skillfully applied equine movement, under the direction of a therapist, can offer the patient the opportunity for complex motor learning. Hippotherapy is combined with other standard therapy tools/strategies in an intervention plan designed to address the treatment needs of the client.
SEPAC Books of the Month
Finally Focused: The Breakthrough Natural Treatment Plan for ADHD That Restores Attention, Minimizes Hyperactivity, and Helps Eliminate Drug Side Effects
Finally Focused provides proven natural and medical methods to easily treat problems such as nutritional deficiencies or excesses, dysbiosis (a microbial imbalance inside the body), sleeping difficulties, and food allergies, all of which surprisingly can cause or worsen the symptoms of ADHD. Using Dr. Greenblatt’s effective Plus-Minus Healing Plan, parents will first understand the reasons behind their child's symptoms, and then be able to eliminate them by addressing the child’s unique pattern of biological weakness. Adults with ADHD can do the same for themselves. And if conventional medication is still necessary, this integrative approach will minimize or even eliminate troublesome side effects. Using Dr. Greenblatt’s expert advice, millions of children and adults with ADHD finally will get the help they need to achieve true wellness.
Big Life Journal, Second Edition: A Growth Mindset Journal for Children
In this growth mindset journal, children discover how to believe in themselves and face challenges with confidence. They learn that mistakes are opportunities to GROW and they can achieve anything when they're persistent!
GROWTH MINDSET: helps children develop a growth mindset and promotes social-emotional learning
CONNECTION TOOL: completed with a Journal Buddy — a parent, grandparent, teacher, older sibling, etc. Journal Buddies will love their special time connecting, listening to kids’ ideas, sharing their own stories, and enjoying great conversations about life.
COMES WITH A PODCAST: the Big Life Kids Podcast accompanies the journal for a multisensory learning experience. The podcast is absolutely free and available everywhere you find your podcasts (Apple iTunes, Spotify, etc.)
Our Mission
The Norfolk Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) strives to collaborate with and advise the school committee and administration to continually improve the education opportunities for all children in and outside of our school district. We promote improved education and success for students with disabilities, ensuring they receive equal access to education opportunities within our school and community. The Norfolk SEPAC provides a network for parents of children with disabilities to access resources, gain support, and share ideas. SEPAC encourages families to be involved in all district policy discussions.
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