SSD/Clayton Dispatch

October 2023

Dear Families,

I have been enjoying my time in the classrooms this past month. I was able to stop by the Best Buddies event at the high school where students were having fun playing games with their buddies. The Wydown Best Buddies Club also met last week and the students had a great time getting to know each other. We are looking forward to upcoming parent teacher conferences the week of October 16. Parent teacher conference sign up will be coming from your schools.

We are presenting our Partnership Agreement Presentation, at the Board of Education Meeting on 9/27/2023.

The next Special Education Community Forum will be October 12 on Zoom at 6 pm.

Join the forum via Zoom using this link.

Thanks,

Melissa Logan

Director of Special Education; Clayton

melissalogan@claytonschools.net

mjlogan@ssdmo.org

Upcoming Events

School District of Clayton Calendar

October 8-14 Homecoming Week

October 13 No School for Students (Teacher Grading Day)

October 16-19 Parent Teacher Conference Week

October 19 Early Release

October 20 No School for Students (Teacher Conference Comp Day)

October 23 No School for Students (Professional Learning Day)

Communications

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SSD and Clayton By the Numbers 2023-2024

Contact List of Special Education Staff on Building Level Leadership Teams

We’ve shared a contact list of our special education staff serving on building level leadership teams here. The list will be updated with photos and additional staff information in the coming weeks. Your student’s case manager is always available for questions.

Members of the the Special School District Board of Education will be available for to talk with students, staff, families, and community members. This is an opportunity to interact with board members in an informal setting, ask questions, and provide input. Brownies and light refreshments will be served.

WHEN: Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023, 5:30 - 6 PM*

WHERE: SSD Central Office, 12110 Clayton Road, Town & Country, MO 63131

*This event was rescheduled from Sept. 26 due to a conflict.

Community Opportunities

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St. Louis County Library

Each month, St. Louis County Library Reference Librarians present programs on a wide variety of topics for adults. These programs are a great way to take a deep dive on a topic, while learning about the electronic resources available with your library card.

Upcoming Programming

Career Path Exploration for Teens

If you feel stuck trying to explore potential career paths and the education requirements, join us in an interactive career exploration program. You will walk away with a list of potential careers and actionable steps for further exploration. Teens. Registration required.

Predators of Missouri

Embark on a journey through the untamed wilderness of Missouri as we delve into the captivating lives of former and current predators. Discover the stories of these creatures and their vital impact on the delicate balance of nature. Teens and adults. Registration required.

Resources for Your Dyslexic Child

Learn about the resources the library can offer readers with dyslexia. Discover accessible databases, simple screen readers, audiobooks, Playaways, and more. Presented by a parent of dyslexic children and former assistive technology professional, this program seeks to provide information for parents, teachers, and anyone with an interest. Adults. Registration required.

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Starkloff Disability Institute

Starkloff Disability Institute’s Upcoming Events

Here are some upcoming events for students and parents we’d like to share. All Dream Big events will be hosted virtually via Zoom and require registration.

Connect with like-minded peers while playing games, including icebreakers at the Peer Hangout and learn about Self-Discovery. The event is held October 18 virtually at 4:00 p.m., is free, and is for middle and high school students. Register here.

Register here to learn about State Resources at the virtual Parent Roundtable on September 27 at 6:00 p.m. Parents of transition-age students can learn about State Resources available to help their students throughout their lives. They will have representatives from:

Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation
DD Resources
Family Navigation Collaborative

Want to learn more about Art Careers? Register here for the Career Club on October 4 at 4:00 p.m. This virtual event will have professionals in the Art Industry talk with students about career path options and what happens in a typical workday. Careers may include:

graphic designer
videographer
photographer
writer /journalist

For more information about Dream Big or any of these events, contact Strakloff’s Dream Big Coordinator Danielle Giuffrida at dgiuffrida@starkloff.org or (314) 860-2238 (voice or text) or fill out the interest form at DreamBigCamp.org.

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Apply for a Free Chromebook

St. Louis County Library has received funding from the Emergency Connectivity Fund to provide 1,000 internet connected Chromebooks to eligible residents. The devices come preloaded with unlimited data through June 30, 2024. Any resident in the St. Louis County Library District is eligible to apply, particularly those who lack the equipment and services to access the internet. Applications will be accepted September 19 through October 1, 2023.

Learn more

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Family and Community Engagement

The Community Action Agency of St. Louis (CAASTL) will be available at the Family Resource Hub, located inside North County Technical High School on October 6th and November 3rd from 10-2pm. CAASTLC can provide the following programs and services to families:

Case management
Utility assistance
Rental assistance
Financial education
Weatherization
Program development and educational activities.

Contact FACE with any questions.

Behavioral Strategies in the Home and Community Series: Are you often frustrated or at a loss trying to manage your student’s behavior? Join SSD’s Applied Behavior Analysts on October 9th from 6-7pm to learn basic behavior strategies on how to prevent and react to behaviors when in and out in the community. In this webinar, attendees will review reinforcement strategies, basic functions of behavior, determining what your student prefers, how to apply these things across settings, and where resources are for you in the community. Click here to register and learn more.

Family Academy: EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT! FACE is hosting its second annual Family Academy on Saturday, November 4th from 9-12 at North Tech High School, 1700 Derhake Rd., Florissant MO 63033. Families will have the opportunity to meet with a wide variety of community providers and vendors as well as participate in self-directed learning opportunities. So gather up the kids and head to North Tech for a morning filled with fun and empowerment. Visit the FACE webpage for more information and to register!

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Lunch & Learn

FACE is excited to host Pathways to Independence for a Lunch and Learn on October 25th from 11:30-12. Pathways to Independence is a local non-profit supporting teens through navigating their transition years, with a focus on friendship and social skills. Pathways is geared toward more independent teens, often with a Level 1 Autism diagnosis, a learning disability, or other developmental disability. Through a monthly calendar, participants have their choice of a variety of social activities and social skills classes. To access the video, please visit the SSD YouTube channel.

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Family Cafe

Do you have a strong desire to make connections with other families in your community? Join FACE on October 5th from 6-8pm for a Family Cafe. Family Cafes are hosted by families for families. Conversations are centered around the Strengthening Families Five Protective Factors: Resilience, Relationships, Knowledge, Support, and Communication. To learn more or to register, click here.

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Unity Day

Unity Day is coming to Special School District. All across the nation, Unity Day is being celebrated on October 18th. Students should wear and share orange to unite for kindness, acceptance, and inclusion to send a visible message that no child should ever experience bullying. FACE will be holding a “Unity Day: Express Yourself” contest. Students are encouraged to submit entries based on the theme: “Kindness, Acceptance and Inclusion.” All forms of artistic expression will be accepted. Check the FACE website for more details on how to enter.

SEF Critical Needs Program: The Special Education Foundation (SEF) offers Critical Needs services - a solution to provide immediate funding to those students served by the Special School District (SSD) where the family is either unable to financially meet the need, has exhausted community resources, or is at risk for a student medical emergency that may result in the loss of independence or academic failure. Applications (accepted year-round) are to be completed by a social worker, teacher or administrator through the SEF website, submitted to Adrienne Eaglin at aeaglin@ssdmo.org or mailed to the Special School District Learning Center at 900 Hornet Drive, Hazelwood, MO 63042.

Special School District values the academic and personal well-being of our students and prioritizes making data-informed decisions to support their success. In collaboration with the School District of Clayton, students in grades 3-12 will participate in several surveys to better understand these concepts and to reflect on how they perceive these skills in themselves. We will be asking your child to reflect on their own mindsets and approaches to learning via an online survey they will be completing at school. The survey process should take approximately 20-25 minutes to complete. The survey content will ask students to self-reflect on school climate and environment, positive/challenging feelings, self efficacy, social awareness, self management, and supportive relationships. Students’ responses provide us with invaluable insights into their experiences and how we can improve and adapt our programs to their needs. The responses to these surveys are confidential. If a student doesn’t feel like they have enough information to answer a question, they will be able to skip the item altogether. The surveys will be given during the fall and spring of the 2023-24 school year.

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PAC.ED: Parent Advisory Council of Children with Educational Diversity

Check out the new PAC.ED logo! The updated logo will be launched as of October 1st on all webpages and materials. The updated logo removes the Ableist language “Children with Educational Diversity”. To learn more about Ableism, click HERE for videos and articles.

October is Missouri Disability History & Awareness Month! We will have exciting things to share, so watch Clayton School District and PAC.ED communications for upcoming events, activities, and video show case!

PAC.ED advocates for awareness, understanding, equity and inclusion of and for all students with disabilities in the School District of Clayton. PAC.ED is a volunteer organization made up of families, Clayton, and Special School District (SSD) staff and administrators, as well as community members. Check our webpages to keep up to date on current PAC.ED events, as well as family resources.

If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help with Clayton PAC.ED please contact Christina Blankenship, President, Clayton PAC.ED at cmblankenship@sbcglobal.net or 314.402.4920.

SSD Parent Advisory Council (SSD PAC)

The SSD PAC is open to every family with a child receiving SSD services. We have monthly zoom meetings. We are parents like you. We get it. You can just log on and watch. SSD and FACE share updates, great information, and presentations based on your needs. We advocate to inform policy with our parent voice. We share parent perspective to help our schools know how to best help our kids.

The SSD Parent Advisory Council has scheduled the following meetings for the 2023-24 school year. All meetings are held virtually via Zoom, from 7-9 PM. Additional information about meetings, including agendas, can be found on the PAC's website.

Oct. 11, 2023
Nov. 8, 2023
Dec. 13, 2023
Jan. 10, 2024
Feb. 14, 2024
April 10, 2024
May 8, 2024

Let's Talk!

Let’s Talk is an open invitation from Special School District (SSD) to tell us what’s on your mind.Let’s Talk is an easy way to submit feedback at your convenience directly to the SSD staff member who can help.