SSD/Clayton Dispatch

September 2023

Dear Families,

We had a great start to the beginning of the school year despite the heat! I have enjoyed my time visiting the classrooms. Teachers have been working on building relationships with the students and teaching the routines. I know many students are excited to be able to go outside for recess this week. We have a great family event on September 19 for Charting the Life Course. See details below under Clayton PAC.ED.

I wanted to remind you that if you have not been able to join our Community Engagement sessions, you still have an opportunity to provide feedback on our current draft of action steps to be included in our 2023-2024 partnership agreement. Please feel free to email your comments to me at melissalogan@claytonschools.net and to our Assistant Superintendent of Student Services, Robyn Wiens at robynwiens@claytonschools.net. The next Special Education Community Forum will be October 12 on Zoom at 6 pm.

Happy New Year,

Melissa Logan

Director of Special Education; Clayton

melissalogan@claytonschools.net

mjlogan@ssdmo.org

Upcoming Events

School District of Clayton Calendar

September 1 No School for Students (Professional Learning)

September 4 No School for Students or Teachers (Labor Day)

September 7 Elementary Curriculum Night

Community Opportunities

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After School Meals

Operation Food Search will provide free meals to children Monday-Friday at select SLCL locations during the school year. Stop by after school and enjoy a nutritious meal along with activities for kids. Meals must be eaten on-site and will be available free of charge for children ages 5-18.

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Book Buddies

Book Buddies pairs teens and kids with the goal of improving kids’ confidence in their reading skills. Kids in grades K-3 are matched with teen volunteers and spend 30 minutes each week reading aloud during the 6-week series. A limited number will be able to participate and may be chosen by lottery.

Submit an application August 25-September 5.
K-3 grade readers will be notified via email no later than September 15.
Parents/caregivers must confirm by September 20.

Sessions

Teens attend 6:15-7:15 p.m. Kids assigned at 6:15 or 6:45 p.m.
Parents/caregivers must remain in the library during the program at branches.

Application

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Free Flu Shots

Receiving a flu shot helps keep you and your community healthy! Free flu vaccinations are being provided through Barnes-Jewish Hospital. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit https://bit.ly/3oCxqYu

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Family and Community Engagement

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.

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!

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...

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.

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Lunch & Learn

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.

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SSD Family Leadership Institute-Fall 2023

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?

Apply online! Paper applications are available by request. For more information, call 314.989.8460 or email face@ssdmo.org.

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Family and Community Engagement

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.

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

“Morning Meet Up” - Elementary Family Connections - Saturday, September 9, 2023, 9 am – 10:30 am, Glenridge Playground

Elementary families please join us for a morning of connecting with other families, donut holes (all nut free and there will be a gluten free

option) and coffee/juice! Plus, we will be sending you home with some wonderful resources! Please click HERE to RSVP!

We hope to see you there!

Charting The LifeCourse (CtLC) - Tuesday, September 19th 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm – Clayton Administration Building - Board Room

Please join us for an evening of Family-to-Family Connections to learn how the Charting The LifeCourse Framework tools can help you to explore your student's vision and goals for a "good life" now and in the future. The core belief of CtLC is that ALL people have the right to live, love, work, place, and pursue their own life aspirations. Charting the LifeCourse is about encouraging high expectations, self-determination, having and expanding different conversations, having life experiences to move the trajectory in the desired direction, and Integrating multiple types of support. A light supper will be served- Students Welcome!! For more information about CtLC and to RSVP click HERE!

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.

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SSD Parent Advisory Council (SSD PAC)

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.

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.

We’re having an in-person Family Gathering on Sept. 13, 6:30 PM, at the SSD Learning Center in Hazelwood. Please come; tap into this community that exists for you.

Your New SSD PAC President,

Rebecca Flieg

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.

Sept. 13, 2023 (Family Gathering)
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.