Fairfield SEPTA Representatives
To ensure that each individual school/PTA in Fairfield has a direct connection with Fairfield SEPTA, it is recommended that each PTA board have at least one SEPTA representative.
To maximize access and information sharing across the 18 district schools, Fairfield SEPTA’s goal is to see 2 representatives accessible to parents and teachers
- A Staff/Teacher Rep (teacher, service provider etc)
- A Parent Rep
Roles and Responsibilities
Individual school PTA responsibilities may vary, but below please find the SEPTA best practices and expectations for a successful collaboration
- Be (or Become) a SEPTA member (all members eligible, whether you have a child with services or not)
- Be involved: Attend a minimum of 2 SEPTA meetings each year and introduce yourself to the current Board to encourage information sharing and relationship building.
- Be Aware: have knowledge of what SEPTA offers and aware of events and priorities for the year, able to direct parents or staff to our website or to board members based on questions
- Be a facilitator:
- Your name is available at a school-based level to the local parent population via PTA website and/or SEPTA website
- Proactively engage with school principal/social worker etc to introduce yourself and encourage they share your contact information with ALL families with an IEP/504 (or as appropriate)
- Connect with SPED staff: share your details directly with SPED department teachers (liaising with the School’s Staff SEPTA rep is key) and introduce yourself to parents when possible
- Encourage and support local PTA in development of Diverse Abilities Day material
- Ensure that your school’s website has active and easily identified link(s) to SEPTA website
- Direct interested parents to our website, to our meetings and to our events
- Staff Rep (specific):
- Refer families to SEPTA or to the school rep to encourage relationships and sharing information about navigating the school and finding resources
- Share information about SEPTA resources with school-wide staff via staff meetings, encourage staff to refer families to you for information about SEPTA
- Report back to SEPTA on challenges or programs that you think SEPTA might be able to support, implement or problem-solve
- ALL: Report to your local PTA board regarding SEPTA events and programs based on SEPTA-provided flash highlights
- Be a Communicator: Disseminate info about SEPTA events, meetings etc with home school via local PTA blasts/meetings. Proactively report back to the SEPTA Rep committee and the board about innovative ways your school has included our population of different learners so we can idea-share across schools
- Be friendly! Engage parents/teachers by speaking positively about the school, the district and the programs SEPTA offers. Answer questions based on your knowledge and direct parents to key resources for broader information. We do not expect you to have all the answers, but to be open minded and inviting, demonstrating the camaraderie we believe SEPTA can offer to parents
- By being involved we hope you will not only encourage membership and resources but also work with reps across the district to Brainstorm ways to encourage and facilitate improved access to traditional PTA events for your special education population
If you are a SEPTA Rep, we thank you for your time and your willingness to share your knowledge and experiences with families across Fairfield!
If you want to learn more or how you can connect and represent your school with SEPTA email FairfieldSEPTAmembership@gmail.com or FairfieldSEPTApresident@gmail.com