South Huntington PTAs

About Us...

● What is SEPTA? The South Huntington Special Education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTA) is a district-wide organization supporting students and their families at all seven SHUFSD schools and SHIP (South Huntington Intervention Program).

● What does SEPTA do? SEPTA’s mission is to work together with parents, teachers, and students to support children with Special Education needs and their families as well as promoting a community of inclusivity. SEPTA aims to educate the South Huntington community on a variety of current topics relating to Special Education and parenting.

●Who can join SEPTA? EVERYONE! Parents, students, staff, teachers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, caregivers, businesses…anyone who has an interest in seeing that all students receive the support they need to reach their fullest potential! You do NOT have to receive Special Education related services to join!

● How does SEPTA use the $$$ it raises? Each year SEPTA is committed to using its funds to fulfill Teacher Grant requests, provide scholarships to graduating Walt Whitman High School students, bring Arts in Education programs into classrooms, hold parent workshops, feature guest speakers at monthly meetings, and host family engagement events.

Membership...

SEPTA Membership Flyer 24-25.pdf

Become a SEPTA Member TODAY!

You do NOT have to be the recipient of Special Education related services to join SEPTA! You just need the interest in seeing that ALL students receive the support they need to reach their fullest potential.

* credit card processing fees apply

Upcoming Meeting...

SEPTA 9-24-24 Meeting Flyer.pdf

"Welcome Back" Meeting

Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at 6:30pm

James Kaden Administrative Offices and Virtually

To help us plan for this event, please register at:

https://bit.ly/4cZMbKu

Workshops...

SEPTA 10-8-24 OPWDD Workshop Flyer.pdf

"OPWDD Services and Eligibility"

Tuesday, September 24, 2024 at 7pm

South Huntington Public Library

145 Pidgeon Hill Road

Huntington Station, NY 11746

To help us plan for this event, please register at:

https://bit.ly/3ToY0ms

This workshop, presented by Jason Watson, Director of Self-Direction Transition Program at Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism (nssa.net), will introduce the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) as well as provide information on the eligibility process for services and supports offered. OPWDD’s I/DD ID cards for NYS residents will also be discussed.

News...

At SEPTA's May 2024 meeting, we honored 40 individuals who were nominated by the SHUFSD community for going above and beyond to contribute to the lives of students receiving Special Education services. Celebrating these stars was a wonderful way to end our year!

Clips24-07-14_11-22.MOV

SEPTA's Year in Review: Take a look at this short video for which includes SEPTA's accomplishments and highlights of programs from the last two years.

Fundraisers...

24-25 SEPTA Clean Out Your Closets Flyer.pdf

"Clean Out Your Closets"

Fundraiser is BACK!

Saturday, November 2, 2024 from 9am to 3pm

Walt Whitman High School

301 West Hills Road, Huntington Station, NY 11746

North Gym Parking Lot

The proceeds SEPTA receives from the donated items

will fund scholarships for graduating

Walt Whitman High School students.

For list of items accepted for donation, please go to:

http://bit.ly/3XxeOsC

Consider making a one-time monetary donation to help SEPTA support grants to SHUFSD Teachers who are SEPTA members, scholarships for graduating students who have received Special Education related services, as well as Arts in Education programs, family events, workshops, and speakers offered througout the year. Any and all amounts are appreciated.

Visit https://shsepta.givebacks.com/store/items/724716 to make a donation today!

Past Fundraisers...

Thank you to everyone who dropped off donations for SEPTA's Clean Out Your Closets Fundraiser on 11/4/23. With your support we were able to FULLY fund one of SEPTA's many goals this year - providing scholarships to WWHS students. Special thanks to the Main Office and Custodial Staff at Walt Whitman High School for managing the logistics, as well as thanks to Ms. Casey, Ms. O'Neill, and Ms. Gonzalez for coordinating student volunteers from National Honor Society and Leadership classes. The student volunteers were amazing, showing true Wildcat spirit by their community service!

South Huntington SEPTA once again held its Holiday Gift Card Raffle Fundraiser. The drawing was held on Friday, 12/15/23 and ticket #14 was picked as the lucky winner of a $500 VISA Gift Card. Net proceeds from this raffle will support SEPTA's Faculty Grant Program. Thank you to everyone who purchased a ticket!

Thank you to everyone who purchased Hershey Park Discount Tickets. Wishing everyone who plans to visit Hershey a "sweet" time!

Parent Resources...

NEW SEPTA Resource!

Each day South Huntington SEPTA receives information about events and programs sponsored by outside organizations. In an effort to more efficiently share that information with District families, we've created a shared folder containing all of the flyers we receive. The information is currently arranged by month but the Search function can be used to find a specific activity. The folder can be accessed by visiting the following link: SEPTA Shared Events and Programs Folder

Please note that South Huntington SEPTA is sharing the contents of this folder for informational purposes. South Huntington SEPTA does not endorse these programs or receive ant benefit from these organizations. Please reach out to the sponsoring organizations listed on the specific event flyer directly for details.

Call for CPSE/CSE Parent Member Volunteers!

Parent Members contribute valuable information and support to families who request their attendance at a CPSE/CSE meeting. Parent Members ensure that the student's family understands and is comfortable with the CPSE/CSE's decisions and that the family has had their questions and concerns addressed. Parent Members participate in discussions about:

Eligibility for special education services
Educational planning and goal-setting
Learning in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
Understanding the evaluation and placement processes

If you are interested in being considered as a Parent Member, please complete the survey by clicking the link below.

https://forms.gle/CzRNRLmBaUGHsZ2w6

English - SH SEPTA Diverse Ability _Disability Awareness.pdf

SH SEPTA Diverse Ability /

Disability Awareness

The purpose of this packet is to share resources that families can use together to learn basic information about different types of disabilities.

Special Education Websites.pdf

Special Education Websites

Teacher GrantS...

ATTENTION TEACHERS! Faculty Grant Program is now OPEN!

South Huntington SEPTA is proud once again to announce that we are offering faculty grants this year. Over the last two years, SEPTA has provided over $4,000 in funding for 12 projects from teachers across our District. SEPTA faculty grants provide funding for creative programs, equipment, or pilot projects that enhance and support the educational experience for students receiving Special Education services. These grants are intended to allow general and special education teachers, specialists, therapists, and administrators to undertake new projects that they would otherwise be unable to pursue or to pursue projects to a greater extent than usual budget sources allow. SEPTA has modified its grant program for this year. Among the changes, there is no deadline for submission of this year's grant applications. SEPTA will continue to fund projects that meet the established grant criteria on a rolling basis until SEPTA's budget is exhausted at which time the program will be closed for the year.

Please go to

https://forms.gle/CM8EPLTwEKkRM7XM7

for updated and complete grant program details and to submit your application via Google Forms.

Feel free to email us at shsepta@gmail.com with any questions.

Here are some examples of the requests SEPTA has funded so far for the 2023-2024 school year:

Jaime Kurnicki (Stimson) received full funding to purchase Simply Health Science Curriculum for her 7th and 8th grade students in the Life Skills Vocational Program.
Daniela Cavalieri (Birchwood) received full funding for digital arts & crafts resources to use with her Speech-Language Therapy students.
Danielle Commander (Countrywood) was approved for adaptive seating to use in her classroom.
Linda Muratore (Countrywood & Maplewood) was approved to purchase a MagneTalk Match-Up Fantasy Story Game Board to use with her Speech-Language Therapy students.
Daniella Latino (Oakwood & Birchwood) received full funding for multi-sensory materials to inspire her students.
Michelle Siragusa (Walt Whitman High School) was approved to purchase materials for the LSVP Breakfast Cafe.

Examples of grants requests funded in prior years include:

Christine Voll (Oakwood) received partial funding for the purchase of wobbly stools and cushions to use in her classroom.
Erica Perez-Flowers (Oakwood) received partial funding for the purchase of outdoor games to use with Project Friendship.
Christina Karalekas-Ressa (Oakwood - SHIP) received partial funding or the purchase of a light table to use in her classroom.
Daniela Cavalieri (Birchwood) received partial funding for the purchase of Speech & Language Therapy games and resources.
Adam Winters (Maplewood) received full funding for the purchase of a box set of Henry and Mudge books for his class.
Barbara DeNicola and Linda Muratore (Maplewood) received full funding for the purchase of Speech & Language Therapy pronoun cards.
Daniela Cavalieri (Countrywood) received full funding for various Speech & Language Therapy resources and related crafts.

Arts in Education...

Clips24-03-26_02-20.MOV

Each year SEPTA is committed to providing Arts in Education programs to students in Special Education classes grades K-12. Take a look at this short video to see all of the wonderful programs SEPTA has funded this school year:

Interactive music programs at Countrywood and Maplewood (7 classes in total!) with The Music Academy for Special Learners.
Educator/artist, Moriah Britt, introduced Walt Whitman Life Skills Program students to Watercolor and Meditation.
Author, Nehah Bajaj, visited Oakwood to read her book "Noah's Intense Day"
Art educators from The Eric Carle Museum in Massachusetts virtually inspired students at Birchwood to explore their creativity and story making skills using collage. SEPTA also provided all of the supplies needed for this program.
Students in the Life Skills Program at Stimson will learn later this school year to express heir feelings through splatter painting with "Express Yourself! Feelings in Art" presented virtually by Joyce Raimondo in partnership with the Stony Brook Foundation. SEPTA also provided all of the supplies needed for this program.

Volunteer...

Are you interested in sharing your time and talent to help further SEPTA's mission? In order to make the most out of this opportunity, we'd like to take the time to get to know a little bit about you and what you might be interested in helping us with.

https://tinyurl.com/SHSEPTAVolunteerForm

Calendar...

General Membership Meeting Dates

We will continue to feature guest speakers at each of our meetings to present on topics relevant to families/caregivers of Special Education students. Meeting details will be shared via Parent Square as well as updated on our Google Site and on social media. All in person meetings will be held at James Kaden Administrative Offices "JKAO" (60 Weston Street, Huntington Station) unless otherwise noted. We hope to see you at one of our upcoming meetings in person or virtually.

Tuesday, 9/24/24 at 6:30pm at JKAO and virtually (Welcome Back Meeting)
Thursday, 1/23/25 at 6:30pm at JKAO and virtually
Thursday, 2/27/25 at 6:30pm at JKAO (Moving Up and Moving On Meeting)
Thursday, 3/13/25 at 6:30pm at JKAO and virtually (Nominating Committee Vote Meeting)
Thursday, 5/22/25 at 6:30pm - location TBD (SEPTA Stars presentation and Election Meeting)