SSD/Clayton Dispatch

School District of Clayton Calendar

April 7 No School

April 28 No School for Students (Professional Learning)

UMSL Succeed Program is partnering with Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD) and St. Louis Arc to hold the annual Vocational Expo on April, 28, 2023 virtually. This annual educational opportunity is for students who wish to explore career interests, employment, and support services. Last year, over 100 attendees joined our Voc Expo virtually, including students in UMSL Succeed and SSD, parents, educators, and higher education professionals.

Event details as follows:

April 28, 2023 (Friday)

Zoom Log-in: 8:30-8:40 a.m.

Welcome Speech: 8:40-8:55 am

Concurrent Sessions: 8:55-11:45 a.m.

For additional information (e.g., Student Guide, Event Schedule), please click on the link: https://sites.google.com/umsystem.edu/umslsucceed2022vocexpo/home

We are in the process of updating our program, Student Guide, and Educators’ Resource in the Voc Expo Google site. We will send out a finalized schedule of the program via email in mid-April.

We sincerely hope that you and your students will be able to attend this event. We believe the Vocational Expo will make a significant impact on students as they prepare for secondary transition and identify their postsecondary goals.

Attending our virtual Voc Expo? Register via this link.

If accommodation is needed for this virtual event, please contact Wen via wzeng@umsl.edu.

Dear Parent,

The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education values the opinions of all parents in Missouri’s schools. We would appreciate you taking the time to respond to this brief survey about the special education services your child receives. This survey is confidential; your individual responses are not shared with the school district or anyone else. Only a summary of all responses is provided to school districts in order to help all schools improve education for our children. You may complete this survey online. Please complete this survey by April 30. Thank you very much for providing your input.

Go to http://spec.education/ and enter the following Access Code: QQNLEZ.

The Special Education Foundation is now accepting applications to assist children with disabilities served by SSD to attend one or more camps this summer. Each year, the SEF provides tuition assistance to enable students served by SSD to attend summer camps. Sometimes children with disabilities cannot join their peers in a summer camp experience due to financial constraints or other hardships. SEF steps in to help young people and their families take advantage of these experiences that can sometimes be life-changing. Parents and caregivers can have peace of mind knowing that their child is in a safe and healthy place. Apply here.

Student Leadership Opportunities: Please check out these unique and FREE leadership opportunities for high school students with disabilities, ages 16 - 21.

• Missouri Youth Leadership Forum
• Virtual Leadership Summit

Family Leadership Institute: Last call for applicants to the Family Leadership Institute (FLI)! FLI is a great opportunity for educational decision makers to:

• Build an understanding of future planning and problem-solving using Charting the Life Course 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, which is 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 PM on April 19, 26, and May 3, 2023. Dinner will be provided for attendees. Click here to apply today!

Flier linked to Peachjar: https://share.peachjar.com/flyers/2407995/districts/50008

FACE Information/Upcoming Events:

• Does your student have a new Autism diagnosis or are you interested in learning more about Autism and how to best support student learning in the home environment? Join FACE on April 5th at 6pm as one of SSD’s own Autism Effective Practice Specialists gives practical advice and information. To learn more and to register for this event click here.

• FACE along with SSD’s Behavior Analysts are hosting a workshop about toilet training on April 10th at 6:30. You can learn strategies to break down toilet training skills and gather resources to help your student’s success. To learn more and to register for this event, click here.

• Join FACE and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) for a Lunch and Learn on April 26th at 11:30am. This event will be live streamed on the district’s YouTube Channel. Click here to join the event and learn what NAMI has to offer.

• FACE is hosting a Family Cafe at North Technical High School on April 27th at 6pm. Cafes are hosted by families for families and provide a welcoming space for families to learn from each other. Click here to register or visit our website www.ssdmo.org/face for more information.

• FACE is hosting two HUB Huddles this month at our HUB located in North Technical High School. On April 14 Community Action Agency of St. Louis County (CAASTL) will be available to help families with emergency utility and weatherization assistance from 9am-4pm. On April 18th from 11am-12pm the Higher Education Consortium will be available to provide families with the opportunity to access information and increase their knowledge about education, career, and workforce planning or transitioning. This service is available to all high school students and anyone over the age of 19.

• Please click here for more information on SSD’s Satellite Food Pantry at The Family Resource Hub at North Tech High School.

Community Partner Highlight: PEERS® (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) is a 12-16 week social skills program for children, teens or young adults with autism. In this program, individuals are engaged in learning real-life skills for connecting with others, as well as building and maintaining friendships. Parents/Caregivers will also participate in the program and will be taught how to support and assist their child/young adult in making and keeping friends by coaching and providing feedback during weekly homework assignments.

This program is offered to three age groups:

• Children’s Friendship Training: 3rd-5th graders

• PEERS: Middle and high school aged students

• PEERS for Young Adults: Individuals ages 18+ who are no longer in high school

New sessions will begin in May and August 2023. A pre-program assessment to determine eligibility is required. Funding options include DDRB, DMH and Private Pay. For more information and to see if you qualify, please contact our Admissions Department at 314-394-7100 or via email info@esmw.org

Brain Injury Association of Missouri Educational Scholarships: The Brain Injury Association of Missouri (BIA-MO) is pleased to offer educational scholarships for survivors of brain injury to pursue post-secondary education. Please click here for more information.

Community Autism Expo: Visit with local organizations to learn about services and resources available for individuals with autism and their families. Please click here for more information.

Summer Camps UCP

Summer 2023 Recreation Resource Guide

Lunch and Learn Series 2022 - 2023: Special School District’s Family and Community Engagement (FACE) department is excited to offer a virtual Lunch & Learn series for SSD families and stakeholders. The series, which will involve community organizations sharing information about their work, will continue during the 2022-23 school year and take place from 11:30 AM - Noon.

Representatives from three community organizations and three SSD departments will participate in order to increase awareness about their agencies or programs and make connections with those in our SSD community who may benefit from their programs and services.

Features in the 2022-23 Lunch & Learn Series are:

• The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - April 26, 2023

• SSD Family and Community Engagement (FACE), Summer Engagement Activities - May 24, 2023

Each event is held virtually through YouTube Live. To access the video, please click on the organization's name in the list above. The videos will not be available to view until their scheduled date and time.

It is never too early to start thinking about Summer options! Whether you are thinking about this Summer or subsequent Summers! Knowledge is power when planning for your student. Programs such as SWEP (Summer Work Experience Program) have deadlines!

Don’t forget to check out the following links:

· Clayton Disability History & Awareness Proclamation Clayton Disability History & Awareness Proclamation (including presentation video).

· Award Winning Disability History & Awareness Video Series 2021.

· Intelligent Lives (the film) & Panel Discussion – available in three(3) formats including Spanish.

· Disability Awareness Video Showcase – a collection of films from acclaimed Director and Advocate Dan Habib.

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

We have wonderful actives, events and programs planned for the 2022/2023 school year!

Stay up-to-date with Clayton PAC.ED by visiting our Dashboard

For more information or questions regarding PAC.ED, please contact: Clayton PAC.ED President, Christina Blankenship at cmblankenship@sbcglobal.net , or call 314.402.4920.

The SSD Parent Advisory Council (PAC) is comprised of families advising and collaborating to improve the education, confidence and social outcomes of each student served by SSD. The PAC consists of five parents or guardians – one member and four alternates – from each of the 22 St. Louis County school districts and from each of the five SSD special education schools. The parents or guardians of students receiving special education services in that district or school elect SSD PAC members.

The SSD PAC operates as a completely separate organization from the School District of Clayton PAC.ED. However, due to the nature of “dual district” structure that exists uniquely in St. Louis County, both PACs benefit from ongoing engagement, support, and collaboration. In fact, members of the Clayton PAC.ED often represent the School District of Clayton on the SSD PAC.

For more information check out SSD PAC or contact Christina Blankenship, call 314.402.4920, (Clayton PAC.ED President and SSD PAC (voting member).

• April 12, 2023 7-9pm via zoom
• May 10, 2023 7-9pm via zoom

• SSD Superintendent Updates
• SSD Parent Advisory Council
• Family and Community Engagement
• SSD Partner District - Clayton
  
• Academic and Related Services Toolkit

Melissa Logan, Director of Special Education

Kate Pavlisin, Instructional Coach

Email: mjlogan@ssdmo.org
Website: www.ssdmo.org
Location: 12110 Clayton Road, St. Louis, MO, USA
Phone: 314.989.8100
Facebook: www.facebook.com/SSDStLCo
Twitter: @SSDDStLCo

Website: https://www.claytonschools.net/
Location: 2 Mark Twain Circle, Clayton, MO, USA
Phone: 314-854-6000