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Hazelwood SSD Parent News & Updates
September 2023
Important September Dates
Details for SSD-sponsored events and community events can be found elsewhere in this newsletter.
9/4/23 All Hazelwood Schools and Offices Closed for Labor Day Holiday
9/5/23 HSD Board Meeting
9/13/23 SSD Parent Advisory Council (PAC) Back-To-School Family Celebration
9/14/23 SSD Family Cafe
9/19/23 HSD Board Meeting
9/19/23 SSD FACE Virtual Open House
9/20/23 2 Hour Early Dismissal
9/26/23 SSD Board of Education Business Meeting
9/27/23 SSD Lunch & Learn Series: Easter Seals
Welcome back to the 2023-2024 school year. School has been in session for a couple of weeks and it's great to see all the smiling faces back in the hallways of our schools. We are excited to get to know not only your child or children, we are also enthusiastic about working with you! Having open lines of communication and at-home support are essential parts of a successful school year. Thank you for all you do for your student and the Hazelwood School District.
Please allow me the opportunity to describe our staffing situation and the steps we're taking to ensure your child receives a top-notch learning experience from the SSD educators in our schools. It is true that we still have teacher vacancies that have not been filled. The good news is that we have fewer vacancies than we did at the start of the 2022-2023 school year and that we continue to receive applications from qualified individuals eager to work in Hazelwood. Some parents have reached out with concerns about having non-qualified individuals teaching in our special education classrooms; specifically, people you know to be paraprofessionals employed by SSD.
I am happy to report the following: no classroom is being taught by a paraprofessional. We have certified substitute teachers in each classroom in all buildings in Hazelwood. Some substitute teachers are contracted through Kelly Educational Services, a local company that employs qualified teachers and places them in our schools to cover absence and vacancies. Many of our SSD paraprofessionals are also certified substitute teachers, and yes, we do have many classrooms covered by these educators. While you may know them to be paraprofessionals, only certified substitute teachers are allowed to teach your children in the Hazelwood School District.
The benefits of hiring a paraprofessional as a certified substitute teacher to cover absences and vacancies in our schools are plentiful! First of all, these employees want to work! They were initially hired as a paraprofessional by SSD and have a desire to maintain a regular, full-time schedule in the new role of substitute teacher. Because they are already employed by SSD and work in Hazelwood, they are bound by all of the Board policies and regulations for each district. SSD and Hazelwood have more oversight and ownership of these employees, which is beneficial to you and to us. And thirdly, these certified substitute teachers know your kids! Having friendly familiar faces in our classrooms allow students to learn and grow in a comfortable, known environment.
Please reach out to me or to any of the SSD administrators if you have any questions about the instruction occurring in your child's school or classroom.
Thank you again for a great start to the 2023-2024 school year. Let's make it a great one!
Dr. Jana Schaefer
Special Education Director
Welcome to HSD!
New SSD Administrator Ms. Quante
Welcome to HSD!
Welcome to HSD!
Mark your calendars! If you have a child receiving SSD services, this event is made for you. There will be food/drinks and resources from early childhood, FACE and MPACT. MPACT will have a great presentation, and the SSD Special Education Fund and others are in the works. This is an opportunity to meet other parents from Hazelwood, as well. Come get the support you need & join the SSD parent community. RSVP’s added to ensure food count. Hopefully we can get a great group photo as well. Please come. https://forms.gle/SYdb7KnN5dSjaMUAA
SSD Online Resources
Online SSD Resources to Help Families All Year: Visit SSDMO.org for links to resources that will direct you to information that will be helpful throughout the year - bookmark the webpage to make it easy to find. The links below apply to all students county-wide who receive services from SSD.
Back-to-School Anxiety
Helping Students Navigate Back-to-School Anxiety: Tips for Families: The start of a new school year can bring both excitement and apprehension for students, especially after the challenges posed by the previous year. It's not uncommon for students to experience back-to-school anxiety as they face new classrooms, teachers, and classmates. As a family member, your support and guidance play a crucial role in helping your student manage these feelings and start the year positively. Read more...
Prepare your calendar for exciting FACE events coming soon…
Would you like to learn more about how you can support your student through the IEP process? Join FACE virtually on September 5th at 6pm for a webinar that will link the use of Charting the LifeCourse tools with preparing for your student’s IEP. Click here to register.
SSD Family Leadership Institute - Fall 2023
SSD's Family and Community Engagement (FACE) program is seeking applicants interested in participating in the Fall 2023 SSD Family Leadership Institute.
Family Leadership Institute participants can:
- Build an understanding of future planning and problem-solving utilizing the Charting the LifeCourse tools.
- Learn to effectively participate in their student's education and improve the educational climate for all children.
- Learn how to positively interact and collaborate with other families and school personnel.
- Discover new resources and network with other families.
This program, offered at no cost to participants, is designed for family members who are the educational decision-makers for a student with a disability.
The three sessions will be held in-person on Wednesdays from 5:30-8:00 PM on September 20, 27, and October 4. Dinner will be provided for attendees.
Location: Special School District Central office Room 60-61, 12110 Clayton Road, Town and Country, Missouri 63131. (Enter at lower level circle drive)
Are you interested in joining this year's Family Leadership Institute?
Paper applications are available by request. For more information, call 314.989.8460 or email face@ssdmo.org.
FACE Family Cafe
Join FACE for the first Family Café of the 2023-2024 school year. On September 14, 2023, at North Technical High School, FACE will join with families to provide a safe and welcoming space to connect and learn from each other. Family Cafes are centered on the Strengthening Families Protective Factors: Resilience, Relationships, Knowledge, Support, and Communication. Register today!
American Sign Language Opportunities
New this year, SSD's FACE (Family and Community Engagement) will be offering an immersive environment for learning American Sign Language (ASL)! Learn to communicate with Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HoH) individuals with an introduction to fingerspelling and basic signs to use in the home, school, and community. There are only 20 spots available for this six part series that will be held weekly starting September 21st. Click here to register!
FACE Lunch and Learn Series
FACE’s Lunch and Learn Series is back with an exciting lineup of presenters. This month will highlight an SSD community partner, Easter Seals. Join us live on YouTube on September 27th at 11:30am to learn all about this amazing resource.
Family Workshops
All of the workshops offered by FACE are provided free of charge and are open to all parents, families and community members. After registering, participants will be provided with information about the platform that will be used for the workshop.
The workshops will be set up as webinars, so you will be able to see the panelists but not other attendees. Your confirmation and reminder email will contain information about how to submit questions to the panelists in advance, or you can use the chat and Q&A features during the workshop. If you have any questions, please let us know. If you are unable to attend the live workshop, please still register so that we can send you the link to the recording a day or two after the workshop.
If you need more information, or if you require an alternative format as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act, contact face@ssdmo.org, 314.989.8460 or 711 (Deaf/HOH).
Virtual Open House
Do you want to learn more about SSD? FACE is offering a Virtual Open House on Tuesday, September 21st at 6pm for an introduction to the services and resources available through SSD. Join us here.
SSD Parent Advisory Council
Greetings Families!
Has special education got you stressed out? The beginning of a new year and
unknowns can be extra scary with an IEP or 504. The system can be hard to
navigate even in the best districts. Those great documents, laws, & policies put
into place to help us are hard to understand. It can be a lonely journey. But you
are not alone! You have the SSD PAC.
Hazelwood SSD Parent Advisory Council
The Hazelwood SSD Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is a cross-categorical group of parents of children receiving services from the Special School District. It is a volunteer organization made up of parents, SSD and Hazelwood administrators who are committed to identifying and building upon the strengths of all children in the Hazelwood School District. Hazelwood Parent Advisory Council provides a forum for parents to meet other parents and share information concerning their children and resources.
If you would like to become involved in the Hazelwood SSD PAC or if you would like more information about Hazelwood SSD parent supports and resources, please complete the survey found here: Hazelwood Parent Involvement Survey
Work for SSD in Hazelwood!
SSD is hiring all summer long! Come join the amazing SSD HSD instructional team!
An awesome benefit of working at a school is that you have the same schedule as your child! Pictured below are just a few of the positions currently available countywide - in Hazelwood, we specifically need teachers and paraprofessionals. We have openings in middle schools and elementary schools from the West side of the district to the East. We have open opportunities to work with students in general education classrooms, special education classrooms, collaboratively taught classrooms (two teachers - one HSD & one SSD), essential skills classrooms, and classrooms for students with our highest support needs.
Please also share this information with friends and family looking for a collaborative, equitable, and committed work culture, outstanding benefits, and competitive salaries.
Click here for more information about working for SSD.
Click here to see a current list of job vacancies on the SSD website.
Click here to contact a special education coordinator to ask about opportunities at a specific school or in a specific classroom.
Let's Talk
We want to hear from you! Click here to share your comments, questions, or concerns.
Lunch & Learn Series
Click here to register for upcoming sessions or to view recorded sessions from SSD's Lunch & Learn series that features community organizations.
SSD Website
Click here for information for SSD's families, students, and community.
Hazelwood SSD Department Contact Information
If you have any questions feel free to contact us at any of the following:
Special School District of St. Louis County
12110 Clayton Road
Town & Country, MO 63131
Phone: 314-989-8100
Hazelwood School District
Director of Special Education for Hazelwood
Meet the SSD Team
Amanda Barton: Arrowpoint Elementary, Grannemann Elementary, Keeven Elementary, and Townsend Elementary
Dr. Willie Mae Dean: Hazelwood Central High
Angela Edwards: Barrington Elementary, Garrett Elementary, Jury Elementary, and Hazelwood Early Childhood Special Education
Dr. Alan Garelick: Armstrong Elementary, Jamestown Elementary, Larimore Elementary, and Twillman Elementary
Erin Kinion: Lawson Elementary, Cold Water Elementary, McNair Elementary, and Russell Elementary
Matt Moellering: Hazelwood West High and Hazelwood Opportunity Center
Tara Mueller: Brown Elementary, Lusher Elementary, McCurdy Elementary, and Walker Elementary
Sarah Mulqueeny: ABA (all elementary schools)
Renita Murphy: Hazelwood Central Middle, Hazelwood East Middle, and Hazelwood North Middle
Denise Quante: Hazelwood East High
Dr. Leigha Wetter: Hazelwood Northwest Middle, Hazelwood Southwest Middle, and Hazelwood West Middle