Cotting School PTO Inc. is a recognized 501c3 organization.
Please Complete Your Falcon Forms
Don’t forget to complete your Falcon forms (annual forms)! This includes the emergency dismissal form, publicity & fundraising consent form (aka photo permission form–many have expired) and student handbook acknowledgement, all of which need to be completed annually.
NOTE: Only students who have returned all required annual school forms will be allowed to register and participate in after-school student programs.
Come meet your state legislators and learn more about Chapter 766, the importance of Special Education Circuit Breaker Funding and Cotting School’s advocacy work. We’ll be sending all parents and guardians an invitation by email with details and RSVP information soon!
Community Resources & Events
Family Leadership
Conference 2022
Moving Forward: Embracing Change and Transformation
October 18-20, 2022
Registration closing soon! September 30 is the VIRTUAL attendance ticket registration deadline. Visit familyleadership2022.org to see the schedule, sessions,
Webinar Series, September 28, 2022, with the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services (DDS). Join interactive discussions about expanding choices and control in your life through self-directed supports:
This is an opportunity to hear how participants and their families can design individualized services to meet their needs through the Participant Directed Program or Agency With Choice.
Self-direction is a process through which an individual/family can design and direct their own services, thus providing people with more options.
Self-direction gives people the opportunity to use their allotted DDS budget to purchase supports and services that meet their needs and goals.
This enables the principal of self-determination to be achieved by self-directed supports.
Agency With Choice is a way to support individuals and families to engage in self-determination.
The Agency With Choice provider agrees to hire qualified staff to provide an individual and their family with direct supports.
Register for The Arc’s Transition Conference: Part Two
The Arc of Massachusetts will be hosting regional forums on transition. Each forum will feature panels of self-advocates, parents, and professionals discussing entering adulthood. In addition, attendees can learn about local programs and services from exhibitors.
The forums follow the Charting the LifeCourse framework’s three “buckets” of support:
Discovery and Navigation: having the information and tools you need to navigate life
Connecting and Networking: making connections with peers and resources to help you navigate
Goods and Services: the day-to-day tangible items you buy or use from public and private organizations in your community
Saturday, September 24
8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Bridgewater State University
Rondileau Student Union
Self-advocate and parent panels will be held in the morning with time to visit resource tables to find out about services in your area. Morning refreshments and a box lunch provided.
Saturday, October 29
8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
The Guild for Human Services
521 Virginia Road, Concord
Self-advocate and parent panels will be held in the morning with time to visit resource tables to find out about services in your area. Morning refreshments and a box lunch provided.
“Parent to Parent” Volunteer Special-Needs Training Sessions
September 28, 2022 Virtual Training Session with the Federation for Children with Special Needs in Massachusetts. The Family TIES Parent-to-Parent Program (P2P) brings together families who would like to talk with someone who understands their situation.
They are actively recruiting new volunteers who have children under the age of ten and parents who are bilingual to join their team of trained support parents that can provide two emotional support calls to another parent of a child with disabilities.
During the Listening and Learning training, they will provide details of the Parent-to- Parent Matching Program, consider the emotional roads we travel as parents of children with special needs, and discuss effective listening skills.
If you are new to FCSN and are not very familiar with P2P, please visit Family TIES website to learn more about the P2P program.
If you had attended this training in the past and are currently enrolled as a Support Parent but would like a refresher on what your role entails, etc. you are also welcome to attend.
This is a two-hour workshop with many opportunities for back-and-forth conversation and experience sharing, so the hosts asks that you commit to the full duration of the training.
Sensory-Friendly “Touch-a-Tractor” in Worcester
Worcester, October 1 2022, with Hearts and Hands Therapy Services, Inc. of New England, 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. Open to the public. Children of all abilities have the opportunity to climb aboard and enjoy this sensory-friendly “Touch a Tractor” event.
Youth Wheelchair Basketball in Quincy at South Shore YMCA
October 2 – December 18, 2022
Practices on Sundays, 2-3:30 p.m.
Quincy, MA, Fall & Winter 2022.
Join Adaptive Sports New England for weekly wheelchair basketball practice for youth ages 5- 21.
Adaptive Sports New England and Franciscan Children’s Wheelchair basketball program is a weekly program that brings athletes together to learn and enjoy playing the sport of wheelchair basketball.
Within this program youth and young adult athletes will be able to participate in both some drills and fun pick-up games.
In order to fully enjoy and participate in this sport all athletes must have good use of their arms and upper bodies, this leads to many players being youth affected by Spina Bifida, spinal cord injuries, Cerebral palsy, leg amputations, and other impairments.
An opportunity for a more sensory sensitive experience to the Topsfield Fair for families who have family members with autism or sensory processing disorders.
Vendors will have no flashing lights, music or announcements.
Kiddie Land will have no flashing lights, music or announcements.
Sound on stages and entertainment: Racing, Pigs, Bike Stunt show, Nerveless Nocks, Farmland, will be lowered.
Announcements on ground – limited and volume turned down.
Hanover, MA, October 5, 2022. Hosted by PLAN of MA & RI, the Northeast Arc, Special Olympics Massachusetts, and Best Buddies Massachusetts & Rhode Island.
Join the hosts for an in person Resource Fair at Cardinal Cushing Centers Cafe in Hanover MA.
This is an opportunity to learn about programs that can support you and your family.
Disability Listening & Learning Forum with the Mass Rehab Commission
Webinar, October 11, 2022, with the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission. The Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission (MRC) helps individuals with disabilities to live and work independently. MRC is responsible for Vocational Rehabilitation, Community Living, and Disability Determination for federal benefit programs.
Each quarter, MRC wants to provide a space for the disability community to learn and share so an agency they can do better in partnering with you and your loved ones.
MRC hosts a space for the disability community to learn more about the agency every three months. During these forums, we want to have your voice at the front and center, helping to shape future agency services and supports.
Disability Listening & Learning Forum with the Mass Rehab Commission
The October forum will focus on:
Resources to support housing for the disability community
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Share YOUR feedback on how MRC can best support you
Individuals with disabilities and their families across Massachusetts are encouraged and welcome to attend.
They want to hear from those who have received MRC support and those that never have but are interested.
Community partners and allies are welcome – Help the MRC create an inclusive, accessible, and equitable community.
CART and ASL Interpreters will be provided. You can request other accommodations during registration.
2019 Holman Prize winner, LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Assistant Professor of Bioengineering, Northeastern University
Creator and Director of Planes, Trains, & Canes
Panel Moderator: Sassy Outwater-Wright
Executive Director, Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired
Digital accessibility is critical to full inclusion in society. Join us as panelists from the blind and low vision community, business leaders, and accessibility experts explore solutions so people with disabilities can realize full agency and inclusion.
Please contact Laura Alpert at 617-732-0241 or email lalpert@mabcommunity.org if you have any questions or require accessibility accommodations.
AANE’s Fall 2022 Virtual Daniel W. Rosenn Connections Conference
A one-day virtual event for the entire autism community: adults with Asperger/autism profiles, family, friends and professionals!
When: November 5, 2022 – Livestream only (Please note that this conference will not be recorded.)
Time: 10 a.m.-3:30 p.m. ET
Where: Online via Zoom
Cost: $40 for AANE Members, $50 for non-AANE Members, $75 for professionals seeking CEUs (CE/CEU/CMEs for MA based social workers, psychologists, LMHCs and medical professionals)
Contact fundraising@aane.org to learn more about membership. AANE provides discounted and free admission upon request. Contact events@aane.orgto inquire further.
For too long, autistic perspectives were not valued in key fields that significantly impact life. This year’s virtual conference event will include a series of presentations highlighting how integrating lived experience into professional practice can improve and advance the fields of medical & behavioral healthcare, education, and employment. This annual conference provides autistic adults, families, and professionals working in the autism community opportunities to come together and learn.
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support Cotting School every time you shop, at no cost to you. Just select “Cotting School, Inc.” as your charitable organization and remember to shop at smile.amazon.com! Amazon will then donate a portion of your order’s purchase price to Cotting School!
Spread the Word!
Do you know someone who would like to learn more about Cotting School? Please share the information at the links below with someone you know. Cotting School parents are our best ambassadors, and our team is available to connect with families that would like to learn more!
