Welcome New and Returning 2021–2022 Montclair SEPAC Members!
Wishing everyone, especially our students and staff a very safe and easy back to school transition.
We are happy that you have chosen to be involved with SEPAC this school year and look forward to hearing your ideas, concerns, and volunteer interests in our Committee. Your membership is valuable to us! Please also find the attached NEW SEPAC Newsletter.
The goal for SEPAC this year is to continue to work closely with parents and the district to share systemic concerns. As we receive updates from Pupil Services, we will be sharing them in our e-newsletters and on our website. Dr. Goldblatt has reported to us that one of the biggest changes we will all see this year as caregivers is that principals and/or vice principals from each school will be attending IEP meetings. The principals and vice principals of each school will be going through professional development on Child Study Team (CST) and IEP procedures prior to the first day of school. Also, prior to the first day of school, other staff members will be trained on DIBELS®, the new reading assessment tool that will be used on all K-8 children. The district will provide parent training on this tool and how to support reading at home. Finally, the district will be offering continued professional development to address many of the issues raised in the audit. As we learn more specifics, we will share.
SEPAC plans to meet at 7:00pm on the last Monday of every month. Please see the dates posted on our website. Due to Covid-19 concerns, these meetings will be virtual. We will also hold a parent support call on Monday September 27. Please consider joining us and getting involved with one of our subcommittees. We have an ambitious agenda this year and need our members to be effective.
We would also like to introduce you to our Leadership Team:
Alexis Dudley
Alexis is a returning team leader as our Board of Education Liaison and head of the Events & Presentations Committee. As BOE Liaison, Alexis communicates directly with the BOE Special Education Member, Priscilla Church. Her duties as the head of our Events & Presentations Committee include soliciting, researching, and setting up events and presentations for our monthly SEPAC meetings. Alexis will also work on the Audit Accountability Committee.
Jada Roman
Jada is a returning team leader as SEPAC’s representative on the Montclair Public School’s District Equity Committee, Parent-Teacher Association Council (PTAC) and Equity, Anti-Racism and Opportunity Gap (EAROG) subcommittee. Jada role will include communication as district-facing contact to administrators and BOE.
Ashley Few
Ashley is a new member of the SEPAC leadership team. Ashley is head of the Communications/SEPAC Academy Committee, which is tasked with communications to the general membership and committees, as well as creating content for SEPAC Academy.
Ellen Luca
Ellen Luca is a new member of the SEPAC leadership team. Ellen is in charge of the creation and update of the SEPAC website. Ellen will also generate the SEPAC Newsletter.
Jason Santarcangelo
Jason is a new member of the SEPAC leadership team. Jason is head of our Recommendations Committee, which is tasked with consolidating the systematic issues and inefficiencies that are brought to SEPAC, and forming discrete recommendations for district officials to remedy them. In doing so, Jason will work with the special education parent Friday Group and will assist with recommendations by way of the Audit.
Warm regards,
SEPAC Leadership Team
Alexis, Jada, Ashley, Ellen, and Jason