EXCEPTIONAL CHILDREN'S Committee

The goal of the Exceptional Children's Committee is to support and celebrate exceptional students at Dodgen Middle School; to educate all students and increase awareness about different types of disabilities; to encourage and promote inclusion of differently-abled individuals; and to support special educators and staff members who provide services to these exceptional children.

New this year: PTA Reflections Accessible Arts Division

To learn more, or to get involved, contact: exceptionalchildren@dodgenptsa.org

2025-26 School Year Dates:

September 1-30 Deaf Awareness Month

Deaf Awareness will feature remarkable individuals who have overcome their deafness to make a great mark in our history (both past and present).

October 1-31 Dyslexia Awareness Month

Dyslexia Awareness will foster understanding, acceptance, and celebration of neurodiversity by featuring famous figures overcoming the challenge of dyslexia.

December 1st - National Special Education Day

National Special Education Day commemorates the signing of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requiring schools to provide a free and appropriate public education to children with disabilities, and celebrating the progress made for special education

March 2-6 Exceptional Children’s Week

Dodgen PTSA will celebrate our students with exceptionalities all week long!
We’ll kick off Exceptional Children’s Week by providing breakfast and RISE Coffee & Tea to all faculty & staff. RISE is a local small business that employs adults with Special Needs.
Posters featuring famous figures with Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, Tourettes, Dyspraxia (and more) will line the halls of the school.
The librarians will display a curated collection of books highlighting a wide array of exceptionalities.
Our Special Education teachers will be treated to lunch on Wednesday as a small token of appreciation for their hard work and dedication.
We’ll wrap things up by having a PJ/hat day fundraiser on Friday, collecting $1 donations to benefit our Foundations program classrooms.

March 16-20 Down Syndrome Awareness

Dodgen students will learn about Down Syndrome in order to raise awareness and increase inclusivity
Students are encouraged to wear brightly colored, mismatched “crazy” socks on Friday!

April 1-30 Autism Awareness Month

Dodgen PTSA will kick off Autism Awareness month with a PJ/hat day fundraiser on Friday, collecting $1 donations to benefit our Foundations program classrooms
Students can participate in trivia featured on the morning broadcast
Our amazing librarians will have a specially curated collection of books featuring stories of those living life on the Autism Spectrum
Students can find famous figures with Autism lining the hallways--encourage your child to find them all!