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"Federal officials indicate that less than half of states are meeting their obligations under special education law. The U.S. Department of Education says that just 19 states qualified for the "meets requirements" designation for the 2013-2014 school year. The rest of states were classified as "needs assistance" or "needs intervention.""

Click here to submit questions for the Meeting

What:
The purpose of Montana PAK is to develop a monthly forum for parents to collaborate and receive information about special education advocacy and the federal/state laws that protect their children. In addition, PAK aims to provide a public medium to discuss educational concerns and to raise awareness about the scope of services, as well as local resources, which are available for children. When:
10:00am - 12:00pm
Business Development Center
Conference Room 305 West Mercury St.
Butte MT Contact:
Questions? Call the PLUK office at 800-222-7585.
If you would like to attend, but need some support with child supervision, transportation, etc. just let us know and we will do our best to assist.

Click here to download the registration forms for this Conference

What:
The purpose of this conference is to provide up-to-date research and treatment strategies on a wide variety of special education issues. This conference provides numerous opportunities for professionals to acquire new information and ideas to work collaboratively to meet the needs of students with special needs. Therapists and educators will enhance their knowledge of best practice in instructional strategies. Participants will have the opportunity to hear nationally and internationally recognized speakers on a variety of topics. Educators can attend selected concurrent courses to best meet their professional needs. When/Where:
March 6-8, 2013
Multiple times
Shoreline Conference Center-Shoreline, WA (North Seattle Area) Contact:
Rehab Seminars
500 Goss Road
Port Townsend, WA  98368 Phone: (360) 379-6994 Fax: (360) 379-5271

Click here to submit questions online via the survey tool What: Andree Larose, Special Education Attorney will be presenting to the Butte PAK. If you are interested in getting information about special education procedures and the legal requirements surrounding student educational rights, we encourage you to attend. This is a great opportunity for parents, students, district staff, attorneys and providers to learn more about special education laws. Andree has extensive experience in the practice of civil rights law, in particular special education law. She has a long track record of successfully obtaining appropriate educational services for students with disabilities, both through settlement and litigation at administrative, district court and appellate court levels. Interested parties should submit their questions to Andree via an on-line survey tool. The purpose is to submit questions in advance of the meeting to help facilitate some of the discussions and to identify the most pressing concerns. If you plan on attending this meeting, please submit your questions via this survey tool. When: Saturday, April 13, 2013 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Mountain Where: Business Development Center 305 West Mercury Street Butte, MT 59701 Contact: Stephanie Clement at Disability Rights Montana (406-449-2344)  Diana Tavary at Parents, Let's Unite for Kids at (406-439-5570)

Download the flyer for this event

What:
Facilitated collaboration for researching American Indian and Montana Indian resources to meet identified Montana Common Core Standards (MCCS). Work with others to identify appropriate resources to substitute or sup-plement into classrooms that will assist implementing IEFA in your school/district AND meet the MCCS. Friday morning will be a round table discussion of IEFA additions in the MCCS. The afternoon and all day Saturday will be work sessions in grade level sub-groups. When:
April 19, 20, 2013
9:00 am - 3:00 pm Mountain daily, lunch provided. Where:
Gallatin Gateway School
100 Mill St.
Gallatin Gateway, MT 59730
Phone:(406) 763-4415 Cost:
Free of charge, 12 OPI renewal units available

What:
The Billings Regional Transition meeting is sponsored by the Montana Youth Transitions Project (MYTransitions). Please bring your ideas and issues related to the transition of youth with disabilities from school to the adult world.

When:
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
1:00 pm Mountain

Where:
LIFTT Conference Room
1201 Grand Avenue #1
Billings, MT 59102

Cost:
Free of charge

Register for this webinar and view all webinars in this series

COPAA is offering five webinars  as part of this summer series. You are welcome to register for individual sessions or for the entire series of sessions. More information: Summer series - Fall series What:
This presentation will focus on how thorough and careful preparation can provide advocates with the tools needed to successfully and effectively advocate for clients from start to finish. In this session, advocates will learn specific skills and strategies to fully prepare a case. We will focus on skills related to reviewing and summarizing documents, issue spotting in advance of IEP meetings, organization strategies, letter writing skills, and working with experts.

When:
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm Mountain

Cost:
$79.00 per session or
$275.00 for the fall series (all 5 sessions)
$599.00 Annual Webinar Subscription: Includes ALL Live and Archived Sessions
(Member discounts available)

Download the flyer for this event What:
Anyone wanting to know more about Legal Rights in Special Education; including parents of children who are receiving special education services in school, attorneys, providers, and district staff are invited to attend the upcoming PAK meeting featuring presenter Andree Larose Special Education Attorney

When:
Saturday, May 11, 2013
10:00 am - 12:00 pm  Mountain

Where:
Paris Gibson Education Center
2400 Central Ave
Great Falls, MT 59401

For more information contact:
Stormi Beutler
(406) 403-7033
stormi.beutler@pluk.org

Download the flyer for this event What:
Anyone wanting to know more about Assistive Technology rights and processes; including parents, schools, and support staff are invited to attend the upcoming PAK meeting featuring presenter Theresa Baldry.

When:
Saturday, May 4, 2013
10:00 am - 12:00 pm  Mountain

Where:
Business Development Center, Conference Room
305 West Mercury Street
Butte, MT 59701

For more information contact:
Diana Tavary
1-406-439-5570
dtavary@pluk.org

What:
This month's Grandparents (or relative) Raising Grandchildren Support Group meeting features a guest speaker from the Yellowstone Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children (CASA). CASA is a group of community volunteers who speak up for abused and neglected children in Yellowstone County. The CASA concept is based on the commitment that every child deserves a safe, permanent home. CASA volunteers are appointed by the courts to gather accurate and complete information about a child's circumstances, serve as an advocate, and make objective recommendations in the best interest of the child. This is the last spring meeting for 2013, there will be a picnic potluck, and grandchildren are welcome. If you are able to bring dish contact the Extension office to confirm.

When:
Thursday, May 16, 2013
6:30 pm Mountain

Where:
North Park
6th Ave. North
Billings MT, 59102

Contact:
(406) 256-2828

   

Click here to register for this course - Course #2876
Click here to view the flier for this event

What:
The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) require both students and teachers to demonstrate digital literacy skills by publishing texts online and developing communication skills through the use of different technology tools. The Mapping Media to the Common Core course (part 1) introduces teachers to six different multimedia products which students can create to meet the CCSS requirements; These strategies can also be used to differentiate instruction to meet the  needs of students with disabilities or those with high abilities! Each participant will use an iPad to access the interactive course eBook, as well as, create and share a variety of media products during the course.   Participants will need access to an iPad for this course.

When:
March 7, 2013 - Introduction (4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Mountain)
March 14, 2013 - Interactive Writing (4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Mountain)
March 28, 2013 - Narrated Art (4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Mountain)
April 11, 2013 - Radio Show (4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Mountain)
April 25, 2013 - Five- Photo Story (4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Mountain)
May 9, 2013 - Visual Notetaking (4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Mountain)
May 23, 2013 - Narrated Slideshow/Screencast (4:30 pm - 5:30 pm Mountain)

Where:
Sessions will be offered electronically at Vision Net Sites.
Contact Kay Fladstohl at kay.fladstol@vision.net  or 406-750-4379 to reserve a site near you.
     or
https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&gl=us&daddr=32+Campus+Dr,+Mis

For more info please call 406-256-2828 What:
Grandparents raising grandchildren invites you to come join their support group meeting at the Forever Families Building. There will be child care available if this is a concern for some. There will also be some speakers from Youth Dynamics discussing the services they offer, And a time to discuss and share other topics you would like to see addressed. When/Where:
Forever Families Building
1414 4th Ave North Suite B
Thursday, February 21, 2013
6:30pm Contact:
Shaye Skovgaard
406-256-2828

Click here to register for this workshop
November 5, 8:30AM to 4:30PM
Designing and Implementing Services for Gifted Students?(Program Planning)
Course Description: School teams, comprised of teachers, administrators, counselors, specialists, academic coaches or anyone working with programming options for gifted students, will be presented with the OPI Framework for Gifted Education Programs and a Gifted Program Planning Template. This is a working session, at the end of which, the teams will have a firm grasp of the state framework and will use the template to construct a gifted program that fits their district and population. Time will be provided to work on individual program plans.
Click here to register for this workshop
November 12: 8:30AM to 4:30PM
Practical Strategies for Meeting the Needs of High Ability Students
Course description: This course will focus on the Identification of Advanced Learners. Topics will include: Working from a collaborative written philosophy; using formative assessment--observing student behaviors, pre-assessment, etc. to modify instruction; using summative assessment--making formal identification of students for services. This will be a hands-on workshop with time for discussion and application of content to specific settings and situations. 
Click here to register for this workshop
November 19: 8:30AM to 4:30PM</

What:
Kalispell Support Group Meeting When/Where:
Serious Ju Ju Skateworks at 1896 Airport Road
Kalispell, MT
6:30pm to 8:30pm Target Audience:
open to all parents, caregivers, professionals and kids The indoor skate park will be available for use and movies will be played on a big screen to help entertain the kids. Contact:
Tim
(406) 257-8758

What:
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is holding a series of Affordable Care Act implementation forums throughout the country. We encourage you all to attend these broad policy-focused meetings, as they present a valuable opportunity to insert the consumer voice into the implementation process. Although registration for the Washington, DC session has been closed due to space constraints, it will also be webcast.

HHS will use these forums to provide information to stakeholders on the Affordable Care Act implementation process. Additionally, they have promised ample time for Q&A, making these events a great opportunity to talk to key federal officials about pressing issues, such as: How you would like to see open exchange policy decisions decided, either for Federally Facilitated and Partnership exchanges, or for unresolved state exchange issues that require federal guidance. How HHS will engage with stakeholders, including consumer groups, in states that are pursuing Partnership or Federally Facilitated Exchanges (FFEs). Input on additional information that HHS could provide to help your state define a comprehensive Essential Health Benefits package. Please click here to RSVP for one of the following sessions: August 14, 2012: Washington, DC (webcast only) August 15, 2012: Atlanta, GA August 21, 2012: Chicago, IL August 22, 2012: Denver, CO