SEPAC SOMA MEETINGS & UPDATES
FEBRUARY
6th Annual RACE & SPECIAL EDUCATION Panel
Special Education & the Multicultural Experience: How do culture and language shape the special education journey? Join our panelists for an insightful discussion on the unique intersection of race, language, and disability. This session will dive into the real-world barriers that multicultural and multilingual families face and highlight the essential supports available to help parents become powerful advocates for their children and themselves. We will examine how to bridge the gap between cultural identity and the educational supports children need to thrive.
Special Guests:
Dr. Ramón Robles-Fernández, SOMSD Supervisor of World Languages and Multilingual Learners, K-12
Dr. Antoinette Gelin, SOMSD Teacher, Multilingual Learners, K-5
Dr. Elizabeth Yomantas, Educator and SOMSD Parent
Thursday 2/12 @ 7:30pm
▣ Virtual via WebEx
Join by phone:
+1-408-418-9388
Access code: 2339 277 0901
FEBRUARY
INCLUSIVE RESOURCE FAIR
Coming soon … our 3rd Annual SEPAC SOMA Resource Fair! Add it to your calendar now, then stop by on February 28th to connect with local providers, groups, and organizations in the South Orange-Maplewood area who offer inclusive opportunities, activities, and services to individuals with disabilities.
Huge thanks to Together We Bloom’s Traveling Sensory Room for hosting a sensory-friendly quiet space, Lindsey Stone for providing refreshments, and the South Mountain YMCA for creating an art activity!
Saturday 2/28 @ 3:00-5:00pm
◉ Columbia High School Cafeteria
17 Parker Ave, Maplewood
DECEMBER
RECAP: EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILLS
Stephanie Cannon, an Executive Functioning Coach and local mom, joined us in December to share an overview of executive functioning and strategies to support students at home.
Missed the meeting? Check out the presentation slides and meeting recording for loads of helpful info about the essential skills that helps us learn and manage daily life. Without these skills, it can be difficult for students to focus, manage time, and stay organized, especially as their workload increases and their schedule becomes more complicated in middle and high school.
OCTOBER
SPECIAL EDUCATION @ SOMSD
Did you miss our first community meeting of the year? Kathleen Gesumaria, SOMSD Assistant Superintendent for Special Services, joined us to share an overview of the programs, classes, and services available in our district.
SPECIAL EDUCATION AUDIT
Results of the recent Special Education Audit and recommendations for the district going forward were shared at the 10/15/2024 BOE Meeting. SEPAC SOMA highly recommends reading the full report and watching the meeting recording. Understanding the district’s challenges and goals helps make us better advocates for our children with disabilities. 
What is SEPAC SOMA?
The Special Education Parent Advisory Committee (SEPAC) is a parent-led, state-mandated group focused on policies, programs, and practices within the South Orange & Maplewood School District. SEPAC provides parents with tools and information to work collaboratively with the school district and to be more effective advocates for their children with special educational needs. Families and caregivers of students with learning needs or students eligible for or receiving services under an IEP or 504 plan are encouraged to attend SEPAC Meetings. (Español / Kreyòl Ayisyen)
2025-2026 EXECUTIVE BOARD
President: Nicole Josey
VP, Policy Initiatives: Susan Nasberg-Abrams
VP, Family Engagement: Verna Holcomb
VP, Community Outreach: Dina Roskin
Programming Director: Ifeoma Nwigwe
Communications Director: Kelly Mortimer
Ex Officio: Beth Cosentino
info@sepacsoma.org
SEPAC Meetings
SEPAC hosts meetings throughout the school year to provide parents and caregivers support, resources and information relevant to students with special education programming. Our meetings consist of featured conversations and presentations, as well as support, resource sharing, and the ability to connect with other members of the special education community. Meetings with featured topics are our attempt to get those with similar concerns in the same room at the same time but all are always welcome!
At every meeting, we learn from one another, support each other, share resources and connect with others.
Connect with SEPAC SOMA
Stay informed about Special Education updates, advocacy efforts and upcoming meetings by subscribing to our mailing list.
HOW CAN WE HELP YOU?
2025-2026 Survey
YOU INSPIRE US! The SEPAC SOMA team is hard at work planning our 2025-2026 meetings, and the more we know about YOU, the better we are able to support our amazing community of families!
► Have you taken our 2025-2026 Survey yet?!
We’d love your input on topics, meetings, communication preferences and volunteer opportunities. (There’s also a question specifically for parents of 2e/twice exceptional children.) Five minutes of your time now will help us tailor our programming and parent support opportunities over the upcoming school year.
SEPAC SOMA Advocacy
SEPAC SOMA works hard to support and advocate for Special Education families by identifying trending issues and elevating those concerns to district administration and the Board of Education. If you’re feeling stuck, please let us know by reaching out to your school’s SEPAC Liaison or emailing us at info@sepacsoma.org.
SEPAC SOMA 